40 Days and 40 Nights of Primer Reviews

Primer #29.

Today's primer comes from the House Of Chanel. This little jar of white paste is called Blanc Universelle De Chanel, a very elegant name to be sure, but what I am not sure of is whether or not I like it. I'm on the fence with this primer.

First of all, I am intrigued by these whitening primers. I'll review another one soon, since I'm looking to find the 'right one' for my upcoming new look, pale face, red lips. You know, the classic Chanel look. And so I would obviously look to Chanel to find what products I need to achieve that look.

Blanc Universelle is the thickest, most opaque white paste, and applying it evenly takes time. I used a little spatula to remove some of the product from the jar, and I placed the product on the back of my hand to see if I could 'warm' it a bit to liquefy it. Or at least perhaps the warmth of my hand would soften it a bit. I moved the blob of primer around with my fingers, and it did soften, and then I applied it with my fingers to my face. I liked what I saw. All blotchiness, spots, dark areas, and freckles disappeared under this smooth light veil. It is not easy to get an even application. It took more time than I liked to get it on evenly. It dried instantly, which wasn't a surprise considering it starts out so dry. Over top of the primer, I applied my La Prairie foundation. From a distance, looking in the mirror, I loved what I saw. My face looked even and flawless, and slightly glowy but not shimmery, my Winter-skin dullness was gone and I looked fresh and well-rested! (I wasn't!) I loved the slight paleness that the Blanc gave my skin, and the nice part was, it did not change my skin color enough that my foundation shade would need to be changed too.
What I did not like about Blanc Universelle is that it mattified my dewy La Prairie. But to its credit, my pores were softened, especially around my nose area, and I did not notice any sinking into lines.
I just do not know how to rate this product. So, here are the pro's and con's and you can decide for yourself:
Pro's: camoflages skin unevenness, softens pore areas, lightens skin just a tad to give a well-rested and fresh look, did not sink into lines or pores.
Con's: Mattifies foundation (but that could be a plus for some users,) hard to apply evenly, takes time to apply properly.
My foundation looked beautiful all day. No uneven wear, no color change, no sinking or cracking. Removal of this product took a cleansing cream and then my usual cleanser to remove the residue of the cleansing cream.
At the end of the day, I did notice some flaking in the area around my nose. This primer is very drying and would be great for someone with oily skin. During the day, the more I checked how Blanc Universelle looked, the more I liked it.

Product rating, 7. Consumer friendliness, 2.