Is this tinted moisturiser worth its hefty price tag? Let's have a close up look in a review of the Chantecaille Just Skin.
"Our obsession with flowers and their amazing natural abilities to heal and work in harmony with the body is at the heart of our passion for skincare."
Chantecaille is a brand that I'd define as French beauty with a luxurious modern twist. They have a strong focus on adding botanical products to their makeup and skincare range. Their website boasts a lot of that pseudo-science that would make Romanticists such as William Wordsworth proud. For those who need a refresher on high school poetry, this was the man who wrote an ode to daffodils. Chantecaille are not the only brand out there to market themselves as a 'clean beauty' brand so but I'm increasingly getting tired of hearing crap like "we believe in the healing powers of flowers and plants". Their words, not mine. These companies need to get a grip of themselves. You're a cosmetics company, not a pharmacy.
The company is cruelty-free and vegan friendly for those who have those ethical concerns. They promise to formulate their products without phthalates, sulphate detergents, mineral oil, petrolatum, palm oil, synthetic colours, synthetic fragrances and GMOs so Chantecaille isn't on the crazy end of the stupid science spectrum. I always appreciate a brand which doesn't fragrance their products and in the high end luxury market, it's a rare find.
Chantecaille was always a brand I never considered buying from because of it's high price tag. I admired from afar and cynically scoffed that no product was worth that obscene amount of money. I was first introduced to the Chantecaille Just Skin Tinted Moisturiser by the makeup artist who did my makeup at my best friend's wedding. After that I knew I just needed to own it.
I'm not opposed to luxury brands at all since much of my makeup collection is comprised of high end products but I generally avoid purchasing expensive base products since I go through them quickly.
One majorly positive aspect of Chantecaille is their philanthropic contribution to animal conservation programs. They release many limited edition products with a specific species in mind and an associated charity or program which they donate a portion of the proceeds towards.
Price, packaging, availability
In Australia it's only available at Mecca for AUD$119. Internationally, it's available from the Chantecaille website for USD$74, from Nordstrom, Bloomingdales and a smattering of other department stores and for £68.00 from British retailers. International buyers can purchase it from online retailer Net-A-Porter.
The outer packaging is a cardboard box with a sturdier cardboard interior to protect the tube. The tinted moisturiser is packaged in a squeeze tube that is akin to toothpaste tubes, only with thicker plastic. The lid is a screw cap. You get 50g of product or 1.7 fl. oz.
Just Skin Tinted Moisturiser
"This exceptionally versatile three-in-one formula represents a new approach to foundation. Designed for men and women as unique skin perfector, it provides excellent, skin-smoothing coverage and sun protection."
This product has more coverage than the average tinted moisturiser. I'd say it offers a light coverage but it does live up to its name of looking like skin while being moisturising at the same time.
When I was called up to be Maid of Honour at my best friend's wedding, my skin was going through a revolution of adult acne which I'd never seen the likes of. I had survived adolescence with decently clear skin so I never had to deal with it before.
The makeup artist decided that the best approach would be to go with a very light coverage of the areas that were fine and to go in with detailed concealer work on the areas that needed help around my cheeks and jawline. I took note of all the base products she was using in the hopes of replicating it in future. She was an absolute magician!
I became convinced I needed to buy one of these after seeing how beautifully it photographed. The Just Skin Tinted Moisturiser really manages to even out the redness while looking like natural skin.
Nowadays, it's my go-to product when I want light coverage that's quick to apply and will just knock down my redness.
Don't rely on this for sunscreen by itself. It's got a SPF15 which isn't enough. I use a SPF50+ sunscreen underneath my base product since I live in Australia but since flash photography was abounds at the wedding, this was applied without sunscreen to avoid flashback. I'd say it doesn't have noticeable flashback but then I'm fair-skinned so it's difficult to spot anyway. The SPF product is a physical sunscreen in titanium dioxide. I find on my skin that all physical sunscreens will oxidise on me after a 4-5 hour period.
Indoor artificial lighting just after application. We had to wake up at 5am. Why?!
The makeup artist applied the Chantecaille Just Skin in multiple thin layers using a large flat paddle foundation brush to increase the coverage. Doing this will allow you to use the Just Skin as a foundation rather than as a light tint. She mixed a combination of the shades Bliss and Nude to balance the undertones. Makeup does a great job in evening out skin tone and redness but it can't help with texture although I'd say this foundation is reasonably forgiving on bumpy skin.
"Smooth, velvety, extraordinarily lightweight texture with a unique blend of Thyme and Butterfly Bush Extract for powerful antioxidant benefits. Crafted in Japan."
I believe that it's called a tinted moisturiser because they want you to apply it like a moisturiser. I personally find that it's best to go in with my hands and rub it into the skin. Texturally it feels like a very light foundation rather than a thick moisturiser. The foundation does set down so it won't transfer if you touch your face.
Compared to other tinted moisturisers on the market, most notably the newly reformulated Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser Natural Skin Perfector, the Chantecaille Just Skin is thicker and doesn't feel as wet on the face.
I get 4-5 hours of wear on my incredibly dry skin before it starts to need a touch up.
I typically never need to blot a foundation at all or until the 7-8 hour mark so this is not something that oily skinned people should buy at all. For those with dry skin, it's a good product that feels lightweight on the face with a slow-release moisturising ability.
I've since purchased the shade Bliss which has faint yellow undertones. I've blended the small dot all over my hand here.
The Just Skin Tinted Moisturiser isn't going to cover much, so don't expect it to do anything other than to even out of your skin tone. It knocks down any surface redness but as you can see from this photo, it won't completely eliminate dark spots and hyperpigmentation. You're going to need to apply concealer on top of it.
This product is suitable for anyone who wants something they can apply quickly without any tools. It's my foundation of choice when I want to go out of the house but not look overly made up. Grabbing a coffee with a friend? This is what I'll wear without a concealer.
Since it offers so little coverage, the tube lasts quite a long time. I only use a large pea-sized amount to spread over my whole face.
Chantecaille only offers the Just Skin Tinted Moisturiser in seven shades:
Alabaster - Fair with balanced undertones
Bliss - Light with soft golden undertones
Vanilla - Medium light with balanced undertones
Nude - Medium with soft rose undertones Glow - Medium with golden undertones Tan - Medium tan with balanced undertones Wheat - Medium bronze with balanced undertones
Top to bottom: Laura Mercier 1C0 Cameo, 1N2 Vanille, 1W1 Porcelain, Chantecaille Bliss
Again, there's very little coverage with both the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser and the Chantecaille Just Skin Tinted Moisturiser so I'd say you can get away with purchasing the wrong shade. The undertone, however, is noticeable so make sure you pick according to the undertone if you're not sure about the shade.
With the gorgeous bride Tracy on her wedding day. Photographed in natural lighting.
Conclusion:
I like this foundation. It is a foundation with hydrating qualities and less of a moisturiser although application with your hands makes it blend easily. Like I said, I'm not too crash hot about the 'we love plants' aspect of their branding but Chantecaille makes nice products that are largely free from major irritants such as synthetic fragrance.
The big question is if it's worth the high price tag. If you want any semblance of coverage from a base product skip this completely. I'd say yes, it's worth the money because you get a decent amount of product and you don't apply much in any one time. If you've got good skin or you don't mind imperfections showing through, this is a nice foundation to be using, especially if you want to be photographed. You can build this tinted moisturiser to that of a light coverage foundation but it definitely lives up to its name of looking like... well... just skin.