Does the No1 de Chanel colour collection produce the perfect skin finish? Let’s find out by testing and swatching the No1 de Chanel Foundation and Lip and Cheek balm.
No1 de Chanel Foundation
I’ve died and gone to foundation heaven with the discovery of the No1 de Chanel Foundation*!
Why, you may ask?
Five words.
Instagram filter. Perfect colour match.
I will elucidate my thoughts. If you don’t care to read the details, the TLDR version is in those five words up there. I’ve also waxed lyrical about this on Instagram 😆.
Perfect colour match
The No1 de Chanel Foundation is the only foundation I’ve found in my entire life where I don’t have to buy two colours and mix them. Not even my beloved Lisa Eldridge had a perfect colour match in her foundation range 😢.
I wear the colour B10, which Chanel describe as a fair neutral colour. Yes I agree with this! I know I’m neutral toned because of the aforementioned self-mixing of my own foundation colour through my entire life. But it is so hard to find a decent neutral foundation colour in fair shades.
I suppose if you are more fair than I am and neutral toned, you’ll be out of luck because this is the lightest neutral shade in this range. My best foundation matches are in the footer at the bottom of the page.
Instagram Filter
The first time I saw someone applying the No1 de Chanel Foundation on, I was sold. It looked like their skin had the Paris filter applied to it.
It’s MSSB (my skin but better)! Yes I did just make up the acronym. You know how you can chase the elusive MLLB (my lips but better) colour? Well for me, MSSB has always been much more of a priority. Maybe because “nude” lips don’t suit me.
The coverage of the No1 de Chanel Foundation is described as light to medium. I would agree. It is buildable but it’s not like the super high pigmented full coverage foundations of our pre-pandemic lives (I’m looking at you NARS Sheer Glow). The skin shows through, which I love. It beautifies the skin and makes what shows though glorious!
I find the coverage is quite good despite this. It tones down redness with one layer. A second layer actually reduces my freckles by 50-75%. It won’t “cover” a spot like a high coverage/pigmented foundation would, like the NARS Sheer Glow. But, getting rid of the redness is half the battle anyway… and I find with small to medium spots, you can build it up quite a lot without it looking cakey and it covers them quite well.
What would make the No1 de Chanel Foundation the Perfect Foundation?
If it was fragrance-free.
Most reviewers I’ve come across have said this fragrance is subtle compared to other Chanel products. I must disagree! I have the Chanel Water Tint, and I’d say the fragrance is just as strong but a different scent. I much prefer the fragrance of the Water Tint, and don’t really care for the fragrance of the No1 de Chanel Foundation. (For my thoughts on the Chanel Water Tint, check out my post here).
I feel this must be “the” fragrance of the No1 de Chanel line because when I went to get colour matched, the MUA misted me with the “wellness mist” (aka the No1 de Chanel fragrance), and quite honestly that mist was pleasantly forgettable. It feels like the two scents blended in so they probably were the same. Someone who is more of a diehard Chanel fan, I’m sure, will correct me. It’s a kind of floral scent. And that’s as far as I can go in describing it. It’s not bad but I don’t love it.
Thankfully this fragrance doesn’t cause me any breakouts after two weeks of testing, but the verdict on this is still out. I will update after I’ve worn it for longer.
No 1 de Chanel Lip and Cheek Balm
Resistance was futile.
As soon as I spotted these chic pots of vibrant colour, I knew I wanted them. But I’m trying to be more mindful with my makeup, and also Lisa Eldridge will be releasing her collection in a few months, and I always end up buying everything. So I thought I’d be sensible…
However, when I saw they were on sale at John Lewis and Boots, I ended up caving and picking up the Lip and Cheek Balm in Red Camellia*.
It is the most gorgeous vibrant blue-based red. On the cheeks, it sheers out to a beautiful reddish-pink with a translucent finish where the skin still shines through. So natural. You can build it up, much like you can build up a foundation, to have more of the red pigment. In this sense, it is so unique for a cream blusher.
On the lips, it is the most comfortable balmy texture, reminding me a little bit of the Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask, but much less sticky. The balm on the lips then wears away evenly, and you’re left with a “just bitten” lip colour… until you re-apply again. Of course, you can wear it in a just bitten way but only using one thin layer, but I love the vibrant translucency of this balm, and I wear it in its full pigmented glory.
On me, it dries down completely on the cheeks – Hallelujah! It does take about an hour, but it soaks in completely without any residual tackiness. After five minutes, most has soaked in, though it feels a little tacky to the touch, but your hair will not stick to it. Furthermore, the colour stays. It does not budge from the cheeks. I’ve worn it all day, and it looks as fresh as when I put it on. I must caveat this and say I have normal but quite dehydrated skin. So I’m not sure how the balm would soak into the skin if you had more oily skin than I. Nevertheless, I am so impressed with this balm.
There is a very slight fragrance, a slight berry & floral scent. It is very subtle, and if you wear anything else with fragrance on the skin (e.g. the No1 de Chanel foundation), you won’t notice it. I tried it without the foundation to test the strength of the fragrance, and yes I can subtly taste it in the initial minutes, but it completely disappears. Thank goodness, because I really hate when my food and drink all smells of lipstick. Fragrance in cosmetics and skincare is a bugbear of mine, as it is not required for the performance of the product, but that’s a post for another day.
Swatches of the No1 de Chanel Foundation and Lip and Cheek Balm
To see a demo of these and all-day wear test, please check out my YouTube video! x
*Affiliate links. Should you choose to shop via these, I will make a small commission, which will help me continue to create content – thank you!
Great post here, Stephanie! I really want to try both if the Chanel products here, but I should be sensible 😆(when do I ever? Lol). I’m probably going to have to see the Chanel Pots and feel in it person to judge whether I should buy it. But no doubt it must be so nice on the lips!
Thank you so much Tanya! I think you’re absolutely right to go and try them on in person. I must say though that once blended on the cheeks and let to sit, they do sink in, whereas feeling it in the pot, they feel tacky. So I was surprised when I did my first impressions wear on YouTube, that it had dried down like that & stayed all day ☺️