Chanel Les Beiges Water Fresh Tint Review

If you thought there couldn’t be varying levels of no makeup makeup or “undetectable-ness” think again. Enter Chanel Les Beiges Water Fresh Tint. It was my most worn base during the summer of 2020 and is quite easily my new favourite no makeup makeup base. (Move over Glossier!)

- I’d heard a lot of positive things about the Water Fresh Tint but was still quite skeptical. I didn’t think it would be anything amazing but I was very wrong. I don’t know how they’ve done it but I think it’s genius!

- It comes in a plastic bottle with an airless pump, I love this type of pump as it pushes the product clean up the sides, minimal wastage and you can clearly see how much you have left. 

- Every box comes with a flat top angled kabuki which is usually my fave for foundation application but I think keeping it separate would’ve been a better decision since you get a brush with every new purchase, which is highly unnecessary.

- In my experience I've also found my IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Complexion Brush works excellently with this formula too, but both brush types do a good job.

- 30ml for an eye watering £48. It’s an amazing formula don’t get me wrong, though I think they could’ve easily knocked off a tenner... but I suppose it is Chanel!

- I will say this now, please do not buy this if you’re expecting any form of coverage. I’ve watched many reviews where people are slating the Water Fresh Tint because of how expensive it is and how little coverage it provides. This is a tint, nothing more however the formula is brilliant in my humble opinion! 

- Of course I found this dinky yet very decent 20ml sample on eBay at an absolute bargain of a price, so had to snatch it up! Strangely enough this tester bottle is actually made of glass and not plastic like the full size.

- It has a slight fresh scent but nothing overpowering at all.

- The texture is very interesting. As you can quite obviously tell there appears to be droplets of pigment suspended in a clear liquid. This is exactly how it dispenses from the bottle as well. When you rub it in, it feels like a wet serum oil gel type of liquid. The pigment droplets burst and it all emulsifies into one. 

I usually dispense a pump (sometimes two) onto the back of my hand, then swirl my brush into the puddle to break and emulsify the pigments, load the brush with product and then blend into my skin starting from the centre of my face sweeping outwards.

- I got this in the shade Medium Plus. There weren’t many other options available from the eBay page that I bought it from and this was the closest option to my skin tone. It is a bit of a peachy pink neutral beige shade but since this has such minimal coverage, I find I can get away with it. I think Light Deep might be a better shade for me and am still curious as to whether they have any more yellower offerings. I would love it so so much more if I had a better shade match.

Top-bottom: Dior Face & Body 3WO, Chanel Water Fresh Tint Medium Plus, Glossier Skin Tint G7

- In the swatches I know it looks like the Medium Plus shade disappears into my skin but in fact the Dior 3WO is literally perfect for my skin tone so you can see how different they both are in undertone and how much yellower the Dior is.

- I understand that this is a tint so you can get away with wearing a few shades but Chanel generally do need to improve their shade range and be a lot more inclusive, not everyone is beige.

- The finish of the Water Fresh Tint is what has blown me away. This manages to even and smooth my skin in an incredibly undetectable manner. It looks completely like bare skin and I’m utterly obsessed with the finish. It’s even more natural than the Glossier Skin Tint (review), yes even more, but this perfects my skin a lot better than the Glossier does. 

- This has a skin like semi matte but still fairly radiant finish on my skin. It smoothens my skin a bit and fills in pores a little which is why I prefer it over the Glossier. I love me a dewy glow but I find the Glossier Skin Tint can be rather unforgiving on any pores or texture. I'm no longer in my 20's so I find my skin is getting fussier with certain textures and bases as the years pass. This Chanel Water Fresh Tint perfects my skin a little and doesn’t exaggerate or emphasise any of my texture, pores or lines whatsoever and the glow is a lot more subdued and flattering.

- The Water Fresh Tint feels like absolutely nothing on the skin which is another major plus in my books. It’s incredibly lightweight and comfortable, it feels wet and hydrating when you first apply it but it actually has a setting factor so dries down to a soft finish.

-I like to use 1 pump of this on myself and it provides me with a light undetectable coverage, a little more than the Glossier Skin Tint. It manages to even out my skin tone and tone down any mild redness and discolouration. I still look exactly like myself but ever so slightly perfected and healthier. I once applied it to only one half of my face and left the other side bare, it honestly looked like I’d tweaked one side a little with photoshop, but you would never say I had any foundation or product on my skin, it looked like my natural bare skin. 

- I think you can build this up to a medium if you wanted to by using more product but I personally find this defeats the whole purpose of it being a lightweight base. It becomes a lot more dewy and visible on the skin the more product you add.

- It’s always a little difficult to determine longevity with minimal coverage products but because the Chanel Water Fresh Tint does have a slight setting factor, it has a better longevity on the skin compared to the Glossier Skin Tint. I don’t feel the need to use any powder over this most of the time but will use a little if I want it to last longer.

- The formula reminds me a little of the YSL All In One Glow (which I previously reviewed here), in that they both have a high water content and you need to combine the pigment and water together. However I find the Chanel to be a lot better in formula and more of a flattering finish on myself, I found the YSL very hit and miss on my skin, this Chanel tint definitely lasts a lot better than the YSL too. 

I absolutely loved wearing the Water Fresh Tint during the heatwave we had in August earlier this year, it was amazingly lightweight, comfortable and stayed put. After a while of wearing it, my oils come out slightly and my skin looks lovely and glowy. I honestly think the formula is very elegant, it manages to enhance and perfect the skin in a completely undetectable manner. I highly highly recommend this if you love natural no makeup makeup. My only qualm would be the shade range, maybe less beige and more yellow, would be great Chanel?

As always I hope you found this review helpful, if you’ve tried the Water Fresh Tint leave me a comment down below. Thank you for reading.

Have you read my last review? YSL All-In-One Glow Foundation in BD50