Chantecaille Makeup Review + my favorite products

I stumbled upon my first Chantecaille product through a Swan Beauty Box (which is sadly no longer in business, but you can read about my experience in this post), and fell in love. I’ve always been someone who loves to try new makeup products and brands, and when I find a product I like from a new-to-me brand, I typically order a few others to try too.

That’s what happened when I first tried the Chantecaille Future Skin Foundation. I was blown away by how smooth it felt and how long it lasted on my skin. And thus began my new obsession with Chantecaille.

While I haven’t tried all of their products (not even close!), I do have a few favorites that have become a regular part of my makeup routine, so I felt like a full review of Chantecaille was in order. In this post, I’m sharing my experience with the products I have tried, an overview of the brand, and a few links in case you’re interested in trying yourself.

Chantecaille Makeup Review

About Chantecaille

First, let’s talk about Chantecaille itself. The brand was started in 1998 by founder Sylvie Chantecaille and her daughter Olivia. Sylvie was not new to building beauty brands; before Chantecaille. she started her first cosmetic company with her friend Diane von Furstenberg, and was then asked by the Lauder family (Estée Lauder and her husband) to create a new beauty company, which became Prescriptives (which has now been discontinued). After a few other ventures, Sylvie began Chantecaille.

Chantecaille originally started as a niche French fragrance house with four original scents based on natural essential oils. And a year or so later, Sylvie knew she wanted to branch into beauty and skincare. During a trip to France, Sylvie and Olivia discovered a field of the rare Rose de Mai in Grasse (southern France), and from there, they focused on a new rosewater that had anti-aging benefits.

Now, rosewater is the first ingredient in most of their skincare products. They source super high quality botanicals to create their skincare, and care deeply about using plant stem cells, which are pure and use very little soil and much less water than field sourcing does.

Chantecaille is also very focused on environmental conservation efforts. Since 2006, they’ve started 29 Limited Edition Philanthropy Collections and donated more than $3 million on behalf of coral reefs, wolves, gorillas, elephants, bees, pangolins and more, with products that fund charities working to protect the world’s most endangered species and spaces (read more about those conservation efforts here).

All this to say, Chantecaille products are created thoughtfully and intentionally, using high concentrations of pure ingredients and smart science. I love that combo.

How to Pronounce Chantecaille

Chantecaille is pronounced “Shawn-te-kai”.

Is Chantecaille Clean Beauty?

In general, I would say yes, Chantecaille is a clean beauty brand. They aren’t quite as transparent or committed to excluding certain ingredients as Beautycounter is (who I view as the leader in the clean beauty industry), but similarly to ILIA Beauty (which I love, read about my ILIA favorites here), Chantecaille does not use phthalates, sulfates, mineral oil, petrolatum, palm oil, or GMOs, which is great and better than the vast majority of beauty brands. Their skincare is also free of synthetic colors and fragrances. EWG ranks Chantecaille products at a 3, which is fairly decent.

Is Chantecaille Cruelty Free?

Yes, completely.

Best Of Chantecaille Cosmetics

I’m sharing the 7 products I’ve tried, along with a handful of products that are next on my list. I haven’t had the chance to try their skincare, just the beauty products.

Chantecaille Future Skin Foundation

My very favorite Chantecaille product is their Future Skin Foundation. I LOVE how smooth this foundation is and how long it lasts. It feels super natural on my skin and gives me a really nice glow. I have LOVED the Beautycounter Skin Twin Foundation – it’s so natural looking – but I found this one more hydrating for the dry winter months. If you struggle with dry skin, I’d recommend this. It is pricier than most foundations but a little goes a long way. When the warmer months roll around, I tend to opt for something with a little more radiance like this glow tint from Tarte.

This foundation has a gel-like consistency, and is made of up of 60% water, so it’s incredibly lightweight but still provides nice coverage. I use a makeup sponge, makeup brush or my fingers to apply it. It gives medium to full coverage, which is perfect for the winter months. (I prefer a lighter coverage in the summer). It contains aloe, chamomile and arnica which help calm irritation and soothe sensitive skin, along with rosemary, green tea and rice bran which prevent environmentally-caused oxidation.

Chantecaille Brow Eclat Highlighter

I REALLY like the Brow Eclat Highlighter (OOS at Chantecaille so linking at Saks!). It’s a brow highlighter (y’all know how much I love doing my brows). You use this on your brow bone for a lifting effect, and you can also help tame stray hairs with this. It has a caffeine-enriched formula, so your eyes feel awake and brightened as you use this too.

You wouldn’t use it to fill in your brows, but rather highlight the arch, so you’d use it addition to a brow gel or pencil. This is $27, which is a very fair price in my opinion and it lasts forever.

Chantecaille Mermaid Eyeshadow

I’m totally obsessed with the Mermaid Eyeshadow in the color Copper. This isn’t really a cream shadow, even though it comes in a little pot. I use my finger to apply and blend to my brow bone. It’s more powder than cream, and SO easy to apply. It blends beautifully. The copper color isn’t what I would have picked originally, but the ladies at Swan Beauty did my color matching and this is what they sent (which is proof that professionals are super helpful when choosing shades!).

This eyeshadow is infused with a silk tree extract which creates a lasting metallic sheen.  It’s richly pigmented, but not in a way that feels overwhelming to apply.

Chantecaille Luster Glide Silk Infused Eyeliner

I have the Luster Glide Silk Infused Eyeliner in Amethyst (it pairs BEAUTIFULLY with the copper eye shadow with my green/hazel eyes). It’s long wearing and transfer proof, but does come off easily when I wash my face my face at night. (Here’s my skincare routine.) I love that it’s soft and easy to apply, but it can be sharpened for tighter line too.

Chantecaille Waterproof Eyebrow Pencil Definer

Now if you do want something waterproof, this waterproof eyebrow pencil definer is a great product. It’s not for your lash line, but rather your eyebrows. I’m a BIG brows girl, and this is one of my favorite brow products. It’s a one-stop pencil, which is really nice. I use it to define my brows and then fill them in a bit. The spooly on the ends ends tame brows and the pencil shapes and holds them in place.

Chantecaille Real Bronze

This Real Bronze bronzer has a little shimmer, and I tend to grab it one more often than the ILIA bronzer I have since it’s more forgiving (which is VERY pigmented and a bit hard to apply and blend).  I find that just a little goes a long way. And it’s not too dark for my light-medium skin tone. I use the golden-bronze shade. I also love the gel-powder formula. But, if you want a matte bronzer, get the ILIA one.

This is an Allure Best of Beauty Winner, so you know it’s good!

Chantecaille Perfect Blur Finishing Powder

I find that most powders are FAR too drying on my aging skin, but the Perfect Blur Finishing Powder actually makes my skin feel more hydrated and sets my makeup incredibly well. Since I love cream products for most of my makeup, a setting powder helps keep things in place, especially in the warmer months. (The one on the left is a Tarte Glow Powder, which gives a tiny bit of sheen and is another favorite.)

Chantecaille Just Skin Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15

While I do have a tinted moisturizer that I love, I’m always open to trying new products, just in case one is better than the one I have ;). The Just Skin Tinted Moisturizer is a Chantecaille best seller, and since it contains SPF, it meets my standards. This has smoothing coverage, and I love that it contains thyme and butterfly bush extract, which supposedly have powerful antioxidant benefits. I plan to order it when I’m running low on tinted moisturizer.

Chantecaille Pure Rosewater

Now, I think this would have to be gifted to me in order to justify trying it, since it’s $80. However, Sylvie Chantecaille swears by this product, and says its her holy grail. When asked what she loved the most from her brand, this was her answer, “I can’t live without our Pure Rosewater – I won’t fly without the travel size bottle, it’s the first thing I reach for in the morning and the last thing I treat my face with at bedtime. Ours is the only rosewater that is made from 100% of the very rare Rose de Mai—the extract from 1,000 petals is in every bottle.”

Chantecaille Radiance Elixir

This Radiance Elixir is another product I’d have to be gifted in order to justify. The Radiance Elixir is supposed to add a radiant glow to your skin, either with or without foundation. It can be applied to clean skin, or you can add a drop or two to your moisturizer or foundation. Since I have super dry skin, I bet my skin would love this. However, I think the same result can be achieved with a less expensive product (perhaps this one).

Chantecaille Bio Lifting Skincare

The Bio Lifting skincare line uses plant stem cell extracts and peptides, which help to restore the look of youthful skin. It helps tackle loss of firmness and dehydrated skin. I haven’t tried anything from this line, but I’d love to see how the Bio Lifting Serum+ works on my skin.

Is Chantecaille Worth The Money?

I’d say it’s a mixed-bag. Some of their makeup products are REALLY amazing and worth the price (I’d say the foundation falls on this side of the list), however, the rose water costs $80, and for a product that doesn’t do much more than hydrate, that feels VERY high. I will note however, that I haven’t tried the rosewater myself so I’m not a good judge. If you’ve tried it, I’d LOVE your thoughts in the comments below. Since Chantecaille is considered a luxury brand, you are definitely paying a premium.

Another thing I appreciate about Chantecaille is that you get a LOT of product for the price. The products are sized well and also last a long time. I’ve used all of the Chantecaille products I have for over 6 months and they barely have a dent in them.

If you were to try one product from Chantecaille, I’d recommend the foundation. Unfortunately, they won’t give you a full refund if you return a gently tested product, so for this reason, you may want to order from Nordstrom, where we know the customer service is truly outstanding.

Where to Buy Chantecaille

I love that Chantecaille can be found at many retailers so you can shop at your regular favorite spot.

• Directly from Chantecaille
• Nordstrom
• Dermstore
• Bluemercury (they do great gifts with purchase)
• Neiman Marcus
• Saks Fifth Avenue
• Bergdorf Goodman

You can tell from that list of retailers that Chantecaille falls in the luxury beauty market.

Chantecaille Annual Sale

The best time to purchase Chantecaille is during the Sylvie Sale, which happens annually. The 2023 sale was in July, so while we don’t have the dates for this year yet, I expect it’ll happen in the summer! Be sure to join my newsletter so you’ll be notified when the sale hits and I’ll share my favorites.

During the Sylvie Sale, you’ll see discounts up to 25% off selected items.

Chantecaille Discount Code

Unfortunately I don’t have a personal discount code for you guys, but I’m working on it. I’ll update this post as soon as I hear from them. (I just reached out!) For now, you can use the 10% code on their website when you join the email list. 🙂

Let me know in the comments you purchase anything from Chantecaille or have a tried and true favorite.

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