When Givenchy comes out with a new item, they usually come out swinging, with a buckload of of confidence and cool perfectly fitting their rock & roll heart! This time, will it  be a any different? Natural, glowing, lit-from-within skin still is one of the  hottest trends this year, and Givenchy is taking things up a notch with the recent release of the Givenchy Teint Couture Balm and the Teint Couture Concealer. Touted as the very first makeup-balm and a 2-in-1 “contouring” concealer, I couldn’t wait to dive in, face first!

The texture of the Teint Couture Balm is the very first thing you notice, and honestly, it is hard to miss. A non greasy, creamy yet light liquid, that applies like a balm and almost feels like a touch of velvet to the skin. Big thumbs up for the texture and application, the balm almost seamlessly fuses with the skin, and their patented ‘Custom Correction’ starts to do it’s thing.

Custom correction what?? Shortly put, the Teint Couture Balm contains the new Light & Blur complex made of  reflecting diamond powder encapsuled in a transparant polymere. If you’re anything like me and do not speak science, this Light & Blur complex blurs out imperfections and diffuses the light hitting your skin for an even, smoother looking and naturally glowing skin. Add in the protective Vitamin E and Jamsine Flower extract, the hydro magnets and the SPF, and you get Photoshop Light in a bottle, basically!

But does it work? As said, application is a dream, and though the coverage is light to medium, it is also buildable to your own liking. Despite the coverage being on the light side, it somehow manages to make me look wide awake and refreshed despite a severe lack of sleep. When combined with a primer and a light touch of finishing powder, I get an effortless my-skin-but-better look that I love so much! Claims of a longevity of 12 hours might be a step too far, it last about 6 – 8 hours on me, but my dry skin drinks up every base and liquid, so I’m used to (and not bothered by) afternoon touch ups.  Two thumbs up!

To tackle any redness, break outs or dark cirles that prove too stubborn for the Teint Couture Balm, let’s try the Givenchy Teint Couture Concealer. Looks-wise, I am already loving it! a sleek, black encased twist-up pen housing a soft pink highlighter together with a beige, concealing strip. Usage could no be simpler, you just swipe the entire pen across the under eye area, and blend the 2 shades together. Simple comme bonjour! The pink and beige work together to conceal the under eye darkness and brighten the entire area. Additionally, the pink also doubles as a highlighter when used alone, and if you prefer a heavier coverage, just use the beige concealer on it’s own (just be careful not to go overboard…).  But that’s when things get tricky, the pen, though sleek and slim, is a bit harder to manoeuvre when you don’t want the shades to mix, and inescapably, the 2 colours will start fading into each other when not used evenly. A bit less enthousiastic about the concealer than about the balm, but all in all, still a good option!