Chanel Asian foundations -- palest shades

Most Western brands, high end to drugstore, have separate ranges exclusive to the Asian market. Usually these are formulated and manufactured in Japan, and they tend to follow Asian beauty trends to compete with local brands. Summer foundations are usually formulated to withstand heat and high humidity and winter releases usually emphasise illuminating and moisturising properties.

Of course, the foundations available in American/European countries are also usually available in Asia, although darker shades may not be stocked, and there may be additional paler shades which are not sold outside of E. Asian countries.

I thought it would be interesting to compare some of Chanel's palest offerings (both pink and yellow) here. The starred items are Asia-exclusive.

Left to Right:
Lift Lumiere 05 Faience
*Vitalumiere Hydra 10 Beige
*Vitalumiere Hydra 12 Beige Rose
Pro Lumiere 10 Limpide
*Le Blanc Light Mastering Fluid BR10 Beige Rose Pastel
*Le Blanc Light Mastering Fluid B10 Beige Pastel
Vitalumiere Aqua B10 Beige Pastel
Vitalumiere Aqua BR10 Beige Rose Pastel

natural light

As you can probably guess from the shade names, Vitalumiere Aqua was formulated for the Asian market originally, then rolled out to Western ones. It uses a silicone-water-alcohol base commonly found in Japanese milk sunscreens and the marketing (emphasising a weightless 'watery' feel) is also typical.

See the full range available in Hong Kong here (some only have a few shades available because they're being phased out).

Obviously there are quite a few more Asia-exclusive powder foundations I haven't swatched (powders are more popular here than in the West), because they're tricky to swatch true-to-shade. If anyone has any tips, please leave me a comment. :)