Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser Vs Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation

I've always been loving these 2 face products, Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser and Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation as they give me good enough coverage and don't weigh my skin down. 

But a comparison will always be made when 2 champion products emerge at the same time no matter how much love they received. This time round, I placed them side by side and tried my very best to capture the finished surface for you to judge.

Laura Mercier tinted Moisturiser in Porcelain

I love the squeeze tube. It makes application easier as you do not need to pour products onto the back of your hand thus no wastage incurred. I always like how thin the packaging is for me to slip into my handbag. But the advantage of its packaging over the Chanel's is that it doesn't require any shaking before application. More on that in a minute.

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua in 20 Beige

I love how small and compact the Chanel's one is. However, I dislike 2 things about the packaging. One, for the amount of money that I'm paying, I don't think a plastic-ky bottle justifies the price. Two, I have shake the foundation like crazy before application and this sometimes results in weird liquid being dispense if I were to forgot the shaking process. Troublesome. 

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser

You can see that Laura Mercier's Tinted Moisturiser looks like skin. Sheer to medium coverage, it is buildable but I wouldn't recommend caking it on as it is expected of the moisturiser to give sheer coverage and acts as a base rather than like a foundation. Thus, to cover any imperfections, a concealer is recommended.

Being a sheer coverage product, it does not settle into fine lines and cake up on the skin which is absolutely important for me as I don't need any more emphasizing on my crow's feet and lines on my forehead now, do I? 

Another thing that I love about this product is that it doesn't turn white when mixed with my sweat (trust me on this one as I am the most sweatiest person I'd ever known) which some of the foundation does (I'm totally looking at you guys, Borjois Healthy Mix Foundation, Lancome BB Cream and Benefit Hello Flawless Foundation). Bonus point added here. 

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation

This foundation, is definitely a miracle in a bottle as it is extremely hard to find a foundation which I like and doesn't feel heavy on the skin. Its practically like you are wearing nothing but still get the coverage of a foundation. Sitting on the sheer to medium coverage too, this foundation is definitely buildable and looks natural on the skin. 

The only thing to take note of is that the foundation gives a more glowy finish than the Laura Mercier's. So, if you have a tendency to produce oil during the middle of the day, I suggest to sweep some powder over your T-zone. Lucky enough for me, I am good with my combination semi-oily skin. 

Also do note that this foundation does have a slight sweet scent to it. However, it will fade after slapping it onto your face. 

Right: Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation. Left: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser

Here's the comparison side by side. As you may notice that the Chanel has a more glowy radiant effect and the coverage is more than the Laura Mercier.


For your convenience, below is the summary of my preference for the 2 products:
1. Coverage
Chanel - Win
2. Radiance
Chanel - Win
3.Scent
Chanel - Win
4. Packaging
Laura Mercier - Win
5. Price
Laura Mercier - Win


However, there are 5 similarities between the 2 as below:
1. Both contain SPF
2. Both are light to tote around
3. Both are light weight and does not cake up the skin
4. Both offers moisturising effect
5. Both are cult products which are greatly loved by makeup gurus


Still confused? Here's another summary:
Buy Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua if you are looking for a more glowy and radiant finish and have the spare cash.
Buy Laura Mercier if you are looking for both primer and foundation in a bottle and looking for a matte-er finish.