So today I finally got around to trying out Chanel’s makeup for men, specifically their foundation shades. Always heard they were great but kinda pricey, you know? Just walked into the store feeling clueless.
The Messy Store Adventure
First thing today, I grabbed my phone and headed downtown to the Chanel counter. Sales lady asks what I’m looking for, I just mumbled “something natural?” She started pulling out bottles labeled N°10, N°20, N°25 – numbers made zero sense to me. She swatched N°20 on my jawline under those bright store lights. Looked okay? Maybe? Bought it figuring I’d figure it out later. Big mistake.
Home Testing Disaster
Got back home excited to try it. Squeezed a pea-sized blob of N°20 onto my hand. Rub rub rub… put it on my face. Looked ghostly pale in the bathroom mirror! Like I hadn’t seen sunlight in years. Panicked and wiped half off. Then tried mixing with moisturizer – turned splotchy. Total fail. Grabbed my phone, took a selfie with flash… OH HELL NO. Looked like I rolled in flour.
Swatch Party on My Arm
Okay, plan B. Went back to the store this afternoon, determined. Asked to see ALL the men’s shades. Didn’t care about looking weird. I just swatched all over my damn hand:
- N°10 Beige: Way too light, like powdered sugar.
- N°20 Light: Still a bit pale on me, turns out.
- N°25 Beige Rose: Too pink, made me look flushed weirdly.
- N°30 Natural: This one… hmm. Warmer. Closer.
- N°35 Honey: Darker, kinda orangey in my bathroom light.
- N°40 Tan: Straight-up orange. Nah.
Sales lady was patient, thank god. We stood near the window for natural light. N°30 looked way better outdoors than under store bulbs.
The “Almost Perfect” Realization
Here’s the kicker: my neck is lighter than my face? And N°30 matched my neck better than N°35 matched my face. Weird. Took samples of both N°30 and N°25 home. Played Picasso on my jawline where face meets neck. Blended N°30 down onto my neck a bit. Looked WAY more natural. Still not 100% perfect match – maybe I need a mix? – but lightyears better than ghost-face N°20. Turns out those tiny shade differences matter crazy amounts.
So yup. Learned my lesson: never trust store lighting or a single swipe test. Gotta test multiple shades, walk outside like a weirdo checking mirrors, and focus on that damn jawline. Chanel for men ain’t magic – finding the right number is like hunting for a needle in a haystack. But man, when you get close? Feels pretty damn good. Still practicing my blending though. Always a work in progress!
