As you all may have heard by now, Chanel replaced the much loved Soleil Tan De Chanel Makeup Base with a new formula and renamed it Les Beiges Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream. Right now there is only one shade named 390 Soleil Tan Bronze Universal but I’ve heard talk that Chanel is working on adding more shades of this cream to the line.
I never tried the original formula and was hesitant about this one because of the added coconut oil in the new formulation, but I am pleasantly surprised by this product.
I applied this bronzer over top of my MAC Fix Plus Foundation and before setting powder and it went on the skin in a very natural diffused way. It is easily buildable and almost blends itself into the skin. It didn’t move my foundation or make it break up throughout the day. In fact, my make up looked great at bedtime, before I took my makeup off.
I even tried applying more bronzer on top of the powder and it still went on beautifully. It is a very natural bronzer on me. I’m sure the intensity can be changed depending on what brush you use. I used a Real Techniques Multi Task Brush for a very soft diffused look and I also tried it with the BK Beauty 106 brush for more intensity along my cheekbones for a little more contour. Both brushes applied the Bronzing cream beautifully. I also applied it using a stippling technique and with a more swiping and buffing technique and both applied just as well. I couldn’t tell the difference between either application method so I feel like whichever way you normally apply your bronzer and that should work beautifully for you. I feel like this formula is very forgiving and easy to use.
One thing I will note is that I do not use face primer. I don’t feel like I need primer because I use the La Mer Concentrate during my morning skin care routine every day, and I feel like my moisturizer preps my skin for make up without the need for any other primer. I wonder if some of the people who have had issues with this bronzing cream breaking up or not looking right for them, may have used a primer that doesn’t work as well with this bronzer formula. I suspect that trying different primers could possibly lead to different results.
The color of the bronzer is a perfect tone on me. On my face it is not too warm or orange at all. On my hand in the heavier swatch it looks more orange toned, but when applied to my face all I see is a beautiful bronze sunkissed color very much like the natural color I would get from the sun. My hands turn to also be a different tone than my face which has more pink in my skin. I have pretty neutral undertones right now since I have had a little bit of sun, but I’m still wearing my usual Mac foundation shade in NW13. I was worried this bronzer would be too orange for me based on some other reviews and feedback I have heard, but it’s actually very beautiful and the soft focus affect is absolutely gorgeous. This makes me wish I had tried the original version years ago.
I also have not had any breakouts due to the coconut oil in this formula. That is another concern I have seen voiced quite a lot, and I am someone who cannot put pure coconut oil on my skin or I will break out.
Once this bronzer is applied to my skin it looks absolutely seamless with my skin. It doesn’t add any texture or any lines of demarcation where I can tell where it ends and my foundation begins. It blends perfectly into my make up. Even some of my powder bronzers don’t blend this seamlessly.
I absolutely love this bronzing cream and can completely see why so many people have loved this over the years. A lot of people who have reviewed this have said that they don’t see any difference in this formula compared to the previous formula. I feel like based on everything I had heard about the original formula this is performing, for me, exactly like everyone has raved about for years.
If you are curious about this product I highly recommend trying it out for yourself, because you may find that it is a new favorite product in your makeup routine.
The Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream it’s currently available on Chanel.com and retails for $50.