Chanel La Base Matifiante Perfecting Makeup Primer

Where I got it

I ordered this when I made my purchase of the new Oversize Illuminating Face Powder. I knew about this primer but had not thought much of it, this is 100% impulse buy and I was a little disappointed at myself for picking it up because I have so many primers that I will never finish. Nonetheless, I have never tried a mattifying primer by Chanel, therefore there could be a pleasant surprise. Anyway, this primer retails for $88 and it has 30ml of product.

What I got

This is the Chanel La Base Matifiante Perfecting Makeup Primer (30ml). A blurring primer that mattifies and moisturizes the complexion all day long. The ultra-fresh gel texture instantly melts into the skin and leaves it feeling comfortable as well as perfectly prepped for makeup. LA BASE MATIFIANTE is enriched with a CHANEL Hydra Protect Complex, hyaluronic acid for up to 12 hours* of hydration, and blue micro-algae, which is known for its antioxidant properties. Infused with annatto seeds and marine sugar, the formula immediately minimizes the look of pores while improving skin quality and texture day after day. Designed to be worn under ULTRA LE TEINT foundation.

Ingredients: AQUA (WATER) | ALCOHOL | GLYCERIN | COCO-CAPRYLATE/CAPRATE | CELLULOSE | LAUROYL LYSINE | SYNTHETIC FLUORPHLOGOPITE | AMMONIUM ACRYLOYLDIMETHYLTAURATE/VP COPOLYMER | BIXA ORELLANA SEED EXTRACT | MARIS AQUA (SEA WATER) | BUTYLENE GLYCOL | 1,2-HEXANEDIOL | CAPRYLYL GLYCOL | ACRYLATES/C10-30 ALKYL ACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER | ARGININE | PARFUM (FRAGRANCE) | POTASSIUM SORBATE | MALTODEXTRIN | TOCOPHEROL | SODIUM HYALURONATE | SILICA | PHORMIDIUM PERSICINUM EXTRACT | SACCHARIDE ISOMERATE | CITRIC ACID | BS000119A

How I find it

On the Chanel website, it is recommended to be used under the Ultra Le Teint foundation to achieve that overall mattified look. I do have the Ultra Le Teint foundation in BD31 which is a long-wear, medium to full-coverage foundation with a soft matte finish. I have used it a number of times and it is a lovely foundation if I want decent coverage and long-lasting results.

So after moisturising and SPF, I wait for my skincare to settle down before I apply the primer. The primer has a gel-lotion texture and I didn’t need a lot of product to cover the whole face. As you can see below, that is all I needed to cover my entire face. I leave that on for a few minutes so that it dries down to a smooth finish. It is not silicone-y to the touch, not that type of silky smooth texture that smooths out pores, but it does give my skin light hydration. It also smells great, just like other Chanel makeup products.

After the primer has set down, I applied a full pump of the Ultra Le Teint foundation with a flat-top kabuki brush. It’s not streaky and covers most of my imperfections to my preferred standard. I say that it’s because I don’t like all my imperfections to be fully covered. I have post-acne scars, textures, enlarged pores, redness, you name it. But I hate to look like I am wearing a lot of makeup. I want my skin to show through, I want my moles to show through, and I don’t mind some of my blemishes showing through.

I was also glad that the foundation worked very well over the primer without any issues. There was no patchiness or weird areas of foundation catching into pores, etc. Everything was smooth and even. It does not provide any coverage or colour correction so if you need anything to correct, you could do that before the foundation. Personally, I get lazy most of the time and I just go ahead with foundation.

Overall

The application and texture of this primer are very nice, it works great with a mattifying foundation and also a normal foundation. I have not tried this with a dewy, moisturising foundation because that would be counter-intuitive. This combo did not need any loose powder to set of mattify, so I just wear this combo as it is. The longevity of the foundation with the use of this primer is pretty decent. After a good 4-5 hours of wear on my combination oily skin still looks really good. I do see a little bit of oiliness on my nose, but not on my forehead. The foundation stayed perfect on my cheeks and everywhere else.

I would say I like this primer, but I definitely could find something like this for a fraction of the price. There are no obvious skincare benefits from this primer, it is a pure makeup item. I do love how it feels like a gel-lotion without that silicone-silky texture. I used to love that blurring texture from mattifying-blurring primers, but now I always have trouble finding a foundation that works well over them. I could think of a very good mattifying/blurring primer that is silicone-free and works great under many of my foundations is the Laura Mercier Pure Canvas Primer – blurring.