BEAUTY THERAPY: My ‘slapdash’ superstar
Chanel Les Beiges Eau de Teint Water-Fresh Tint
The tint that aces cover and colour for summer
Full disclosure: if a make-up artist tells me that a new product is perfect for a ‘slapdash’ approach, the chances are high that I’ll be all in. And since I was already super excited about trialling the new Chanel Les Beiges Eau de Teint Water-Fresh Tint just from the look of it, once the make-up doyenne Mary Greenwell described it thus, I was fairly certain it was one for me. It isn’t that I never do a more conscious make-up, but I’m very much in the ‘less is more’ camp.
And this stuff is the complexion-boosting business. A sort of foundation that isn’t at all a foundation because it’s a tint – a watery, part-skincare tint. While it doesn’t give full coverage or even close (it’s no liquid mask) it does deliver more than a simple wash of cover and colour – think a dewy translucent tan. It doesn’t look as though it sits on your skin, either – more like it is your skin, just fresher, more even and looking like you’ve spent the weekend in St Tropez under a parasol. Also, as it deploys Chanel’s super-moisturising ‘microfluidic skincare formula’, it also keeps the visage hydrated and feeling fresh.
It’s a lightweight step up from naturalness
Would I love this product so much if it was winter? Maybe not. Or at least not every day. But since we met over a week ago, we haven’t been apart – so that’s love in my make-up book. And, as Mary says, it’s a lightweight step up from naturalness, which also makes it perfect for the return to the 80s sensibility, when full face was out (unless you were Boy George) and emphasising just one facial feature was in.
The Water-Fresh Tint comes with its own mini brush and you need to use only a pump or two. It’s also available in six shades, which, to an extent, are interchangeable by at least one tone (I was colour-matched as Light but my sample is Medium Light and is more than marvellous; the range goes up to Deep). Whichever shade, I wouldn’t be without mine. £48; nationwide and chanel.com.
For when less really is more…
To continue the more fresh-faced look for summer, here are a few of my other favourite products that give just enough oomph to make them impactful but not blanketing
Honey Bronze Universal Bronzing Balm (1, £14, thebodyshop.com, from 7 May) A great blendable bronzer thanks to a texture that gives more of a lush glow than a powder. Try it for contouring too. Another plus: it uses Community Trade ingredients.
L’Oréal Paris Brow Artist Plumper (2, £6.99, boots.com) An oldie but goody, this gel-effect brow ‘mascara’ emphasises eyebrows without setting foot on the road to an HD effect. I always keep an eyebrow brush handy to remove any excess product.
Revlon Kiss Cushion Lip Tint (3, £7.99, boots.com) Another wash-of-colour product, this works well on the lips (it contains coconut oil to hydrate) but I also like to dab it on my cheeks to create a very natural but dewy blush effect.