Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Gel Touch Foundation SPF25/PA+++

Once in a while, a product comes along and knocks me off my feet… it doesn’t happen very often, and I know it sounds terribly cliched, but I fell in love at first touch with Chanel’s new Les Beiges Healthy Glow Gel Touch Foundation!

I vividly remember casually asking last year if Chanel might be releasing a cushion foundation of its own… not really expecting an answer, and was stunned when I received an affirmative yes.  It has been a long while in the making, and expectations are terribly high – how is Chanel going to wow us now that cushions have been saturating the market for years?  The tongue-twisting name gives us a hint of what is to come… and I must have broken out in happy tears when I dipped my sponge applicator to the product for the first time and patted it to my face!

The Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Gel Touch Foundation comes in the uber chic beige and black casing like all our beloved Les Beiges palettes; but it is not nearly as wide and about 50% thicker.  The first thing that greets you when you open up the Gel Touch Foundation is the super plush, luxury sponge applicator.  I don’t usually care much for the sponges that come with the cushions because they often tend to be scratchy and rubbery, some even fall apart after the first couple of washes.  And to fall in love with a sponge seems rather superfluous to me; but fall I did and badly too, because I feel like I need backups of this sponge.  It is thicker than any other sponge I have ever laid my hands on, and it is smoother and softer yet still feels sturdy enough to withstand multiple washes until my cushion finally runs out.

I found the slightly smaller size of the cushion to be rather clever, because the sponge applicator is able to completely cover the cushion, so that with 1 dab it saturates the sponge and picks up enough foundation to cover about half my face!  And may I please coo over the double-c logo embossed on the applicator side of the sponge?!

The surface of the cushion is covered by a fine fabric mesh that disperses the foundation for an even application.  The foundation itself is a unique liquid-gel texture that is ultra smooth, and goes on the skin like a dream.  It is formulated with a water base and feels cool upon first application, and glycerin and hyaluronic acid keep skin hydrated and comfortable all day.  There is also Kalanchoe extract included, which has anti-bacterial, anti-parasitic, and anti-inflammatory benefits.  SPF25/PA+++ provides minimal sun protection, suitable for mainly indoors use.

Stacked against all the other liquid foundations (BB and CC creams included) that Chanel offers, this Les Beiges Healthy Glow Touch Foundation is the most lightweight.  It offers light, buildable coverage, and leaves a healthy luminous glow on the skin.