Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua SPF 15 Foundation

Ah Chanel.

I've literally lost count of the number of times you've sat there looking tempting with your interlocking Cs, taunting me with your gorgeous fluid foundations. As someone with very pale skin I've often walked away with nothing but an orange swatch and a heavy heart. However, I'm glad to say that's finally all changed...

Vitalumiere Aqua is a sheer and delicate watery base that feels truly weightless when applied against the skin. Packaged in a plastic squeeze bottle, the product must be shaken thoroughly before each use to insure the fluid is dispensed with both a thick texture and even colour.

Vitalumiere Aqua B10 swatched/ sheered out

I genuinely love this base. Offering a radiant, buildable finish that lasts all day, this formula instantly lifts my skin tone making my overall appearance noticeably more polished and glowy. The colour applies incredibly sheer and builds up quickly to reveal a more intense medium coverage, however this is the part where I always seem to get a bit stuck...

Vitalumiere Aqua B10 applied to bare skin

Chanel have limited their release of the rose toned shades and are currently only stocking the beige collection in UK retailers. B10 - the palest shade - possesses dramatic yellow tones, and for this reason alone I am unable to build the coverage up beyond two layers. If you can get a perfect colour match with one of the five shades available then you're definitely onto a good thing - this foundation looks INCREDIBLE when built up. However, if like me the shades run too warm for your complexion, you'll simply have to make do with a lighter and sheerer application. Great for young skin, but perhaps not ideal for those of you who like a bit more oomph and coverage to your base.

Extreme close up of product applied to skin

I've no doubt the rose toned version of Vitalumiere Aqua would provide me with my holy grail base. The formula applies smoothy, dries quickly, looks healthy, leaves no residue, feels weightless...literally, the list of plus points is as long as my arm; I adore the way it blurs out my pores providing an almost airbrushed effect. I love the way it looks like my skin but better. I bizarrely enjoy using the squeezy bottle. I just wish it wasn't so darn yellow.

If you're interested definitely head down to your local Chanel counter and swatch away. This is honestly a fantastic product and one that I highly recommend - just be cautious of the rather limited tonal choice for those of us with pale or dark skin. Seriously, when will brands realise all the women of the world don't fit into their lack lustre efforts of 5 shades? If you're a fan of light weight, natural looking breathable bases than this will be right up your street; the perfect choice for delicate spring skin.

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua is available from Chanel stands worldwide and boots.com for £31.

*this product was purchased by the Beauty Bite*