Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Compact

I like the Vitalumiere Aqua liquid foundation and it's a nice summer foundation for me.  When I saw the compact version released, I thought it would be a nice portable and mess-free version to take along with me when I was traveling.  Nice looking product, certainly.  Clean minimalist black compact with the interlocking CC's on top of the thick round case, with an enclosed sponge and a nice mirror.

Source

There is an inner lid that covers the product to keep it moist and protected from... I don't know, debris and germies.  Check out Karlasugar's post that shows the available shades in the US. 

I used the enclosed sponge to apply at first, but it uses way too much product so I don't recommend it.  The sponge is handy after application to smooth and give a nice finish, but really, don't use it for application.  I've use a paddle brush to apply and then my fingers to smooth.

Some pros that I experienced: the formula is very moist and feels slick and cooling when applied.  It has a really pretty dewy finish and a light coverage.  I tried this originally in the sumer time and thought it was too moisturizing for me, so I brought it out again now that it is cooler around here parts.  I'm combination skin veering heavily into oily but I make a sharp left towards dry in the cooler months.

I mentioned the pros.  Now the inevitable cons.  Am I a foundation hog?  I find myself going through this really quickly.

It may be because I was originally using the enclosed sponge to apply, but whatever I use, I find it just too easy to slather myself with this particular foundation.  It does feel very nice.  Unfortunately, it settles in terribly into the pores on my nose.  I think I've mentioned that this is one of my major no nos.  And while I thought that I would like this in the cold weather, it also clung tenaciously to all my flaky bits.

If you have relatively nice skin that runs a bit dry, but not flaky and do not need a ton of coverage, you may find this to be a good foundation.  For me, this is not a good fit.  However, since I seem to go through a metric ton per application, I think I will be finished with this pretty shortly.  I'll just bring it out when my skin is having a good day and then tolerate the beige nose plugs.  Gack.

For your viewing pleasure, some swatches and comparisons to Vitalumiere Aqua with the Compact.

(L) Vitalumiere Aqua in B20; (C) Vitalumiere Aqua Compact in B30; (R) Vitalumiere Aqua in B30

Definitely there are color tone differences between VA and the VA Compact as you can see from the center and right side swatches, which are both in B30.  VA Compact is yellower and warmer compared to the more neutral leaning VA.

Same order as above: (L) VA B20; (C) VA C B30; (R) VA B30

Have you tried either one of these Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua formulations?  I think that the compact one is great in concept, but as it is not refillable and so easy for me to go through so quickly, it is not worth it to me.  If only department stores gave samples of foundation to try so one can see if it works well or not?  (I'm an idiot.)