REVIEW: Chanel Mattifying Fluid

                                                       PRICE: 

I roped myself into getting this Chanel Mattifying Fluid because I needed something that could control my royal oiliness. I figured that my hardworking oil glands were the root cause of all my acne and the reason why my makeup could not last longer than 4 hours (if lucky). Also, I needed a moisturizer catered to oily skin that would actually work! I loved the Chanel Eau Douceur so much that I felt this would deliver the same way. In short, I wanted a 2-in-1 product and the Chanel Mattifying Fluid fit the bill. The only bump in the road was the price tag. PhP3950 for a 50 ml bottle. That’s roughly USD88! I initially left the counter, thinking there was no way I’d fork over that much (that was then—I’m better at squeezing the trigger now. Ha!) My wavering was short-lived. Briskly walked back rationalizing: it’s a 2-in-1 product so, really, I was paying for 2 products.

A GREAT PRIMER, TOO:

Initially, I used it merely as part of my night routine but when I started using it as a makeup base, it made my makeup last so much longer. It makes a really great primer! The feeling it gives is similar to the Makeup Forever HD Primer. Spreads easily like thin lotion and dries down to a very slight tacky finish, leaving your skin feeling moisturized and looking supple. My skin, oily as it may be, absorbs this pretty quickly. This also layers well with any foundation formulation—be it cream, gel, silicone or powder. I apply it second to sunblock. Instead of looking oily at the 4-hour mark, this made my skin look dewy. It smells sooo good, too! The usual Chanel scent is very much present in this. Duh.

SHELF-LIFE:

Packaging indicates 6 months but this lasted a really loooong time. Not because I was saving it but because 1 single pump (comes with a very convenient pump) was more than enough for my face—often times there’d even be enough product left on my fingers to spread down to my neck. 

DRAWBACK:

This did not permanently regulate my oily skin. Also, I mentioned the price of this, right?

 

WILL I REPURCHASE? MAYBE:

The reason why I am thinking twice before repurchasing this boils right down to its price. There are so many other mattifying products out there that I would like to experiment on---cheaper, I might add. And besides, if other products fail, there is always the Combos Skin Tea Tree Balancing Mask ( http://kalfafarasia.blogspot.com/2014/11/combos-skin-tea-tree-balancing-mask.html ) that similarly does the job, when needed.`

REVIEW: Chanel Eau Douceur

I WILL REPURCHASE:

I got Chanel’s Eau Douceur from the Chanel counter in Rustan’s (much like your Neiman Marcus, Harrods or Galeries Lafayette). It set me back around P2,250 (roughly USD50) for 150 ml of product. It is cleansing water formulated for both face and eyes.

BACKSTORY:

My story with make-up removers started when I began putting more than just powder. A couple of years ago I woke up one morning to a pair of pimples. This pair multiplied (exponentially) that by the end of the week, one could arguably say I had acne vulgaris. Waking up every morning to zits, scars left by zits, emerging zits and healing ones was literally and figuratively speaking, a pain in the neck (and face!). Anyhow, this urged me to begin my love affair with makeup. Brightside. Thank you, zits! I was successful covering them up with liquid and cream foundation but taking it off at the end of day with Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser was sooooo tiresome and time-consuming---had to repeat massaging-in and rubbing off with tissue that my face felt raw every night. I knew then that there was an efficient way of cleaning face and I was right.

EXPERIENCE: 

I discovered Chanel’s Eau Douceur when I was trying out Chanel foundation. The beauty assistant gave me a cotton pad soaked with it to remove my existing makeup and I was impressed! One gentle swipe and the cotton pad was loaded with gunk. Not just that, the quintessential Chanel scent it left behind made me feel really luxe and sophisticated. A woman of the world; as if I was part of old Hollywood glamour--may be eye-roll worthy to some but that’s my truth.  Long and short of it, the escapist side of me brought a bottle home that day.

TAKES MAKEUP OFF EFFICIENTLY: 

This cleaned my face efficiently and gently. No need for rubbing or elbow grease, as was required by Cetaphil when taking makeup off. This also removed eye makeup, including waterproof mascara, easily without stinging. Plus, you have an option of not having to wash your face after. This isn’t fragrance free but my skin does not take issue with this. On the contrary, like I said earlier, the scent just added a layer to the lovely experience. And! And! My pimples calmed down. Yes, it did!

PACKAGING FORM and FUNCTION: 

The sleek packaging graced my makeup table so beautifully. More importantly, this comes with a pump that makes dispensing very convenient. I found that 2 pumps per cotton round (I’d use 5 to 6 for a full face of makeup) were enough to soak the cotton.

LIFESPAN: 

The package indicates 6 months but I used this waaaay beyond that. I admit in a small voice: a little over 2 years. I know! I know! But I assure you, it was still as good as day 1. No change in scent, color or efficacy. No breakouts, too (acne had already been managed at this point). I saved it as long as I could by using it sparingly. I used it on those days when a pick-me-upper was needed. Stretching this out to last for this long was made possible because not very long after, I discovered and became totally dependent on Bioderma’s Cleansing Water.

DOWNSIDE:

The downside to this is the price tag. For a 150 ml bottle, I paid Php2250 (roughly USD50); compare that to Bioderma’s 500 ml for 125 MOP (roughly Php750 or USD 17).  Another one: although it was safe to travel with it (the pump has a cover), it just took too much space in my beauty case. Decanting it to a travel bottle just didn’t give me the same luxe experience so I stopped traveling with it.

KIDS’ CORNER:

My little girls (ages 10, 7 and 4) play with “real” makeup a lot requiring makeup remover. I shared this with them once in a while and their skin was totally fine with it. No sign of irritation and they unanimously loved the fragrance. However, my 4 year old did complain that it would sting her eyes—especially when the pad was too soaked.