Although I review makeup on a daily basis and I love to try new things, there’s nothing I like more than being able to use a product I love and can trust, especially when it comes to foundations.
I’m really excited about a new love…the Chanel HYDRAMAX + ACTIVE TEINTE Active Moisture Tinted Lotion SPF 15 $55.00 1.4 fl. oz. It’s the latest addition to Chanel’s excellent and luxe, HYDRAMAX + ACTIVE range of intense moisturizers *we will be reviewing this line in our upcoming July/August What Works Beauty, Cosmetics & Fashion review column. The white tube with black top looks black-tie ready, but this tinted moisturizer isn’t designed for special occasions–it’s a new, everyday best friend you can (and should) wear every day, to look great and do good things for your skin.
In these leaner economic times, it’s good to think carefully about your “must-haves” when it comes to beauty purchases, but this Chanel product not only protects your skin with SPF 15 (good enough for daily wear, although not perhaps enough for the beach without additional sunblock), it moisturizes efficiently and deeply, and the added hint of tint makes your skin look much better than bare. You get sun protection, great moisturization, and a beautifier in one little, portable tube. Think of this as a “one-shot” skin therapy to help prevent dry skin and protect it against the sun-sabateurs UVA and UVB rays.
Most tinted moisturizers are too thin to cover flaws or make your skin look anything more than a bit “glowy” (or greasy). But this tinted moisturizing multi-tasker slides on easily and blends beautifully, with just enough pigment to make your skin look great and do good things for it underneath. I’ve personally tested this in hot, humid conditions, and like all the other Chanel foundation products, this one lasted, stayed true to color, didn’t get greasy or rub off on my clothes, and just outperformed all the other tinted moisturizers I’ve tried.
There are three “sun-kissed” shades. Since I’m fair with freckles, I wondered if “sun-kissed” would translate to orange or too tan on my face, but “Sunlit” blended with my natural skintone without adding a wierd tint. Two deeper shades “Sand” and “Bronzelit” give you medium to bronzed results.
Chanel celebrity makeup artist Kate Lee (her clients include Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller and Diane Kruger), uses HYDRAMAX + ACTIVE Tinted Lotion SPF 15 as an alternative to foundation during warmer months as part of her personal daily routine, so I’m certainly not alone in my fondness for this product. And while the cost may seem to be a splurge at first, for all that it can do for you, it’s really a “must-have.”
*more Chanel Foundations and products from the Chanel Hydramax line will be reviewed in the Advice Sisters “safe in the sun” Summer What Works Beauty, Cosmetics & Fashion review column arriving the first week in July replacing our CURRENT COLUMN (featuring gifts for grads, brides, moms, dads, and Spring must-haves) at http://www.advicesisters.net/whatworkscol3.html)
