And here goes a Chanel review to close the year 2009 
Because admittedly, my addiction to anything Chanel goes even worse than ever at the end of this year!
Chanel Poudre Cristalline
Call me crazy. I was slightly undecided about this one, due to my perceived ‘too much shine’ finish; but a colleague apparently also have this and she said that it’s not shimmery, so I shouldn’t be afraid. She lent me hers, and unless my eyes played tricks on me, I found that hers is doesn’t have that tiny flecks my powder has @_@;;
And I tried to use hers on my face, this time because I’m not afraid of the microshimmers anymore, I use more powder than I usually do with my own tub. Yep, I love it instantly. No excessive glow at all.
So curiosity saves me. Now I’m back with my own tub, use more amount, and hell yeah! I think I was using too little previously, so the sunscreen shines badly. It the excessive glow was probably not caused by the microshimmers in this powder at all! Previously I thought the Chanel powder alone was too shimmery and I have to put an extra layer of matte powder (which I do, at noon, to touch up my makeup) to tone it down. I was soo wrong. Gahh I’m so ashamed that I almost locked a wonderful powder in the back of my drawer!
I guess because this product is silica-based, a little goes a real long mile, so very little amount can cover my whole face. Unfortunately, that little amount is not enough to tone down a shiny sunscreen. Moreover, at the previous review I was using the Banana Boat Sun Wear Faces SPF30, which is totally non-greasy but now I suspect that it’s shinier than my current sunscreen: Neutrogena Waterlight SPF50/PA+++. Never thought it’s possible since both finishes of nicely with the matte NARS Snow Loose Powder, but as the microshimmers of Chanel Poudre Cristalline brightens my face, slight additional shine underneath may contribute to the not so desirable finish.
Now with the right combination of base skincare/makeup and application, after I apply this to set my makeup, I immediately see the effect that I previously only in the afternoon after I touched up. Brightened skin, extra glow with NO visible shimmer chunks, soft focus effect, and heck, it even seems to diffuses my red acne marks! I love the effect more than my HG: NARS Snow Loose Powder.
Unfortunately I still have to give this stuff an imperfect rating of 4 out of 5. Blendability is admittedly worse than NARS, and at the price I’m paying I demand perfection from Chanel. But if I use a totally non-greasy sunscreen underneath, Chanel Poudre Cristalline goes on very well on my skin. And as far as the finish goes, it’s very true to its claim. Transparent, semi-matte, perfected look that epitomizes modern makeup
