I love every single beauty product of mine that I’ve amassed over the last few months in the UK but due to luggage weight restrictions, I could only carry the creme de la creme of my beauty stash! Foundation wise, I packed 3 (yes, I know I’m crazy) and they are the
Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation
Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation
Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation
+___+
In defense, I *technically* packed only two good foundations, them being the Healthy Mix Foundation and Chanel as they are tried, tested and proven foundation favourites! As I only bagged the Healthy Mix Serum foundation just before leaving the UK, I ended up lugging this one along in my hand carry clear bag as there simply wasn’t any space left in the check-in bag for this!
Nevertheless, these precious little ones arrived on Malaysian shores safely! =D I am incredibly glad I packed them along as they aren’t available here so thank goodness for that!
Let’s get on with the review, shall we?
Company Literature:
1. Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation
- Promises 16 hours of perfectly glowing complexion and toned skin with fruit therapy to boost radiance. Fruits included are Apricots, Melons, Apples and Ginger.
2. Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation
- Also boasts 16 hours’ wear, with a radiance-boosting formula for an even, revived complexion. Provides instant anti-fatigue complexion with their vitamin-rich fruit therapy. Fruits included are Pomegranates, Lychees and Goji Berries.
3. Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation
- Ultra-light Skin Perfecting Makeup that comes with SPF15. Acts as ‘second skin’ with its new-generation texture even though it’s exceptionally delicate and light. Upon application, it’s as though you are ‘glowing from within and are bathed in light’.
My thoughts:
Chanel has got the most creative, hyperbolific (yes that’s a made-up-word) team of writers. Who on earth would think of the phrase ‘bathed in light’ for a foundation?! The Bourjois Foundations are not only similar in name, literature and right down to the ingredients used. The only difference are the fruits used in their ‘vitamin-rich fruit therapy’.
Packaging:
1. Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation
- Pump bottle, can see how much you’ve used up through this plate thingy that pushes the foundation up each time you use it. Handy and less wastage this way.
2. Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation
- Foundation’s housed in a sleek plastic bottle (well some people think it’s glass but I find it a little too light to be glass) with a pump. Can’t see how much you’ve used up due to the absence of that plate thingy (gosh I gotta find out what it’s called!)
3. Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua
- Comes in a squeezy rectangular bottle with a spout.
My thoughts:
I really like the sleek packaging of the Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation but I prefer the Healthy Mix Foundation’s mechanism where nearly every drop of foundation is pumped out. I foresee it will be slightly messy when it comes to getting the remnants of the Serum foundation out! I love the simple, minimalist design of the Chanel foundation as its rectangular shape and compact size makes it a joy to carry around!
Scent:
1. Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation
- Rather heavily scented. Smells more floral than fruity. Thankfully the scent disappears upon application.
2. Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation
- Heavily scented though this seems to smell fruity. I always get a whiff of lychee each time I apply this and it makes me crave lychees! :s
3. Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation
- According to Chanel, this foundation has a ‘crystalline fragrance that accentuates the sensation of freshness and pleasure upon application.’ Quite true, I have to say as this smells really posh. =p
My thoughts:
I do find fragranced products a pain, at times but I’m willing to overlook this as these three foundations are the best that I’ve tried! (not that I’ve tried many foundations and I’m looking to change that) All three are heavily scented and I have to say I can’t pick a favourite scent as they all smell divine! =D
Colour:
1. Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation
- I have this in Shade 51, Vanille Clair where it is a yellow-based foundation with a slight grey hue to it.
2. Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation
- I also have this product in Shade 51, Vanille Clair where it too is a yellow-based foundation with a slight grey hue to it. However, this foundation is SLIGHTLY DARKER and MORE YELLOW than the Healthy Mix Foundation.
3. Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation
- I have this in B10 Beige Pastel. Extremely yellow-based foundation with slight orange undertones. This is the darkest foundation amongst the three.
My thoughts:
The Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation is the best match for my skin tone although the difference is barely visible with the Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation. This Chanel foundation somehow has the properties of a BB cream where it has the ability to adapt to your skin tone to a certain extent, methinks. The swatch on my arm seems a little orange and quite a lot darker than the Bourjois foundations but when it goes on my face the difference isn’t that obvious so I’m happily overlooking that! =D
Texture:
1. Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation
- Creamy and slightly thick and incredibly easy and fool-proof to apply be it with your fingers or a brush.
2. Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation
- Watery texture, slightly harder to blend and takes longer to sink into the skin due to the texture.
3. Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation
- (bottle needs to be shaked well so the foundation’s mixed properly before use) Creamy and fast-drying texture where it just disappears into your skin so quickly that no one would notice you’re using any base make-up!
My thoughts:
Chanel wins hands down in terms of texture. The foundation kinda dries to a powdery finish but it’s not the kind of matte powdery finish you get with some oil-controlling foundations! The only downside to this is that you need to work the product into your skin quickly as it dries up rather quick. Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation comes in second as the texture is similar to the Vitalumiere Aqua foundation, only creamier and the finish is rather dewy. The Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation is not recommended if you are in a rush as this takes a while to sink into your skin and I found the watery texture a little difficult to work with!
Coverage + Finish:
1. Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation
- Medium coverage, buildable. This gives a dewy finish and is non-cakey.
2. Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation
- Sheer – Medium coverage, buildable too. The finish is slightly more natural (due to the watery texture, I assume) than the Healthy Mix Foundation and isn’t as dewy as the latter.
3. Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation
- Sheer – Medium coverage, incredibly lightweight and natural-looking finish. Not dewy nor matte but leaves the wearer with an amazingly smooth and porcelain complexion.
My thoughts:
Definitely the Chanel foundation for this category as the technology behind this product is simply mind-boggling! I simply cannot understand how this just disappears into my skin, making it look oh-so natural as though I do not have a single bit of make up on! Finish wise, the Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation comes close to the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua as this also leaves the skin looking really natural though the coverage isn’t as good as Chanel’s. The Healthy Mix foundation is the one I wear if I’m having an evening out and I want fuller coverage.
Overall thoughts:
Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua wins hands down in my opinion even though the shade is a little off for me. The texture of this foundation is simply extraordinary and it has never disappointed me in terms of wear (non-cakey, non-streaky etc.) so this is the best in my opinion!
Then again, I suppose it isn’t really fair if I compared a high-end foundation to drugstore ones so I’ve chosen an overall winner, taking the price tag into consideration. I feel the Healthy Mix Foundation is a good overall foundation as it’s easy to apply (just like Chanel), blends really well and the shade suits me well! Of course, at £10 / RM50 for 30ml you can’t get any better than that!
The Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation has its plus points too as I find this the most value for money foundation as you only need so very little to even out your skin tone! I am always extra careful with this foundation as pumping out too much would result in me having to wait quite a while before the foundation sinks into my skin. When this happens, I usually wipe the excess foundation off with tissue and this can add up to quite a waste of product so be extra careful when pumping the foundation out!
All three foundations have their positives (and negatives) so I cannot really say I dislike any of them! Even though I find the Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation a pain when it comes to settling into my skin, I find myself reaching out for this on most days (nearly everyday as I’ve been going out everyday) as I love the sheer and natural finish this foundation provides! I don’t use the Healthy Mix Foundation as much as I find the coverage a little heavy for my liking.
Okay, before I confuse all of you any further, I’ve summarized how I use these foundations:
Everyday: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation
Evenings (when I’m doing a more ‘dramatic’ and polished look): Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation
For special occasions or when I want to look like I haven’t got any make up on (eg. seeing the bf’s parents): Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation
I hope this helps anyone who’s looking at getting a Bourjois / Chanel foundation and are looking at how they differ from each other! =)
