As a beauty writer, I’m dutifully discerning when I assess products. Over the years, I’ve loved countless complexion-enhancers — skin tints, BB creams, and foundations — though few have enchanted me like Chanel’s Les Beiges Water-Fresh Tint: a skin-enhancing new release from the brand’s summer collection, Les Beiges.
When I initially tried the tint, I FaceTimed my twin sister — who, after witnessing my glowing, no makeup makeup look — was so impressed by the little skin-perfecting luxury, she now plans to snag a bottle for herself.
Shop now: $70; chanel.com
The Chanel Les Beiges Water-Fresh Tint is a semi-sheer, buildable product that imparts a luminous, natural glow and long-lasting hydration. Truly traceless, it wears like skin — skin after a stellar facial, that is, or skin lit by fantastically flattering lighting. It comes in eight shades, which are sheer enough to accommodate a broader range of skin tones than suggested. (I’ve used “light deep” and “medium light,” for instance.) The key differentiator in the formula: It’s brimming with moisturizing microspheres (patented MicroFluidic Technology, per the brand) that are packed tightly and visible through the clear glass bottle. Expelled via a pump-top bottle, the spheres burst on application, releasing moisture and sheer color.
Composed of 70 percent water, the formula is also spiked with tamarind extract that hydrates for up to eight hours. In addition to its instant wash of quenching color, the formula does, in fact, maintain its glowy, hydrated appeal throughout the day. To test the claim, I studied my skin under fluorescent lighting in our office (which I once heard someone say makes skin look “crusty”). Despite the unflattering environment, my skin remained luminous, if I may say so myself, well beyond 5 pm.
Buildable, breathable, and always radiant, the tint can be worn solo or sandwiched. For a no makeup makeup look that suggests stellar sleep hygiene and a fridge stocked with kale, just a single swipe suffices, sans anything over top. For a candlelit, filter-like glow that’s perfect for night, a pump or two beneath a fuller-coverage foundation does the trick — without caking or pilling.
An incidental pro: This formula is a breeze to apply. I’ve dabbed it slowly, intentionally, with a beauty sponge; I’ve also slapped it on, mirrorless, in an Uber — using my bare, slightly sweaty, coffee-jittered hands en route to work. Both approaches produced equally stunning results, leading me to conclude that the formula is virtually foolproof.
As with all Chanel products I’ve tried, the Les Beiges Water-Fresh Tint features a light fragrance. More of a backdrop to the application experience than a perfumey, on-the-nose feature, for me, at least, the scent conjures fresh-cut flowers from a Parisian street cart. Importantly, it’s non-irritating, too.
If radiant, hydrated skin — that resembles skin — is appealing, I implore you to shop Chanel’s Les Beiges Water-Fresh Tint. I’m snagging the $45 travel-size version next in advance of summer vacation plans. After all, I’d like my skin to look its absolute best at all times.
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