Chanel La Base Matifiante Perfecting Makeup Primer

Where did I get this?

I ordered this when I was shopping for the new Oversized Glow Powder Foundation. I knew about this primer but didn’t think too much of it, it was a 100% impulse buy and I’m a little disappointed in myself for picking it up as I have too many primers that I’ll never finish. Despite this, I’ve never tried an oil control primer from Chanel so I may be in for a surprise. Regardless, this primer retails for $88 and comes in a 30 ml bottle.

What I Got

This is the Chanel La Base Matifiante Perfecting Makeup Base (30 ml). A concealer primer that keeps skin looking matte and moisturized all day long. The ultra-fresh gel texture instantly blends into the skin, leaving it feeling comfortable and fully prepared for makeup application.LA BASE MATIFIANTE is enriched with Chanel Hydra Protect Complex, Hyaluronic Acid, which has a moisturizing effect for up to 12 hours*, and Blue Micro-Algae, known for its antioxidant properties. Enriched with cochineal and marine sugar, the formula instantly minimizes pores while improving skin texture and feel day after day. Designed to be used under ULTRA LE TEINT foundation.

Ingredients: AQUA (water) | Alcohol | Glycerin | Coconut Octanoate/Caprylate | Cellulose | Lauroyl Lysine | Synthetic Fluorocarbonyl Mica | Ammonium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate/VP Copolymer | BIXA ORELLANA Seed Extract | MARIS AQUA (seawater) | Butylene Glycol | 1,2-Hexanediol | Caprylyl Diol | Acrylates / C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosslinked Polymer | Arginine | Perfumes | Potassium Sorbate | Maltodextrin | Tocopherol | Sodium Hyaluronate | Silicon Dioxide | Chondrus crispus extract | Sugar Isomers | Citric Acid | BS000119A

How did I find it?

Chanel’s website suggests using it under Ultra Le Teint foundation for an overall matte finish. I have the Ultra Le Teint foundation in BD31 which is a long lasting, medium to full coverage foundation with a soft matte finish. I’ve used it many times and it’s a good foundation if I want good coverage and long-lasting results.

So after moisturizing and sunscreen, I wait for my skincare to settle down before applying the primer. The primer has a gel-emulsion texture and I don’t need a lot of product to cover my entire face. As you can see below, this is all I need to cover my entire face. I leave it on for a few minutes so that it dries to a smooth finish. It doesn’t feel like silicone, it’s not that silky texture that smoothes out pores, but it does give my skin a slight moisturizer. It also smells nice, just like other Chanel makeup products.

After the primer set, I applied a full pump of Ultra Le Teint Foundation with a flat-topped kabuki brush. It was streak-free and covered most of my imperfections by my favorite standards. I say this because I don’t like all my imperfections to be completely covered. I have post-acne scars, lines, enlarged pores, redness, and more. But I hate looking like I’m wearing a lot of makeup. I want my skin to show, I want my moles to show, and I don’t mind if some of my blemishes show.

I’m also glad that the foundation worked well over the primer without any problems. No blemishes or weird areas of foundation stuck into pores etc. Everything is smooth and even. It doesn’t offer any coverage or color correction so if you need any correction you can do it before the foundation. Personally, I’m pretty lazy most of the time and I just keep applying foundation.

Overall

The application and texture of this primer is great and it works well with both oil control foundation and regular foundation. I have yet to try a moisturizing foundation with dewy finish as that would be counter-intuitive. This combination doesn’t require any loose powder to set the makeup, so I wore this combination as is. The longevity of the foundation with this primer is quite good. After 4-5 hours on my combination oily skin, it still looks great. I do see a bit of greasiness on my nose but not on my forehead. The foundation stays perfect on my cheeks and everywhere else.

I’d like to say I like this primer, but I can definitely find something similar for a fraction of the price. This primer has no obvious skincare benefits and is purely a makeup item. I do like that it feels like a gel emulsion, but without the silky texture of silicone. I used to love the fuzzy texture of matte blurring primers, but now I always have a hard time finding foundations that work well with them. I can think of a great matte/blurring primer that is silicone free and works well under many of my foundations and that is Laura Mercier Pure Canvas Primer – Blurring.