One of the gifts I received for Christmas came in a small Chanel box.

On the card, my friend wrote “Glow.” This friend likes makeup but she’s not a strobing friend like me.

Inside the box was a bottle of Le Blanc De Chanel Base Lumiere Universelle or Multi-Use Illuminating Base.

“Magical, it instantly illuminates the complexion with a subtle halo of light and perfectly evens out the skin's texture. Essential, it facilitates the application of foundation and prolongs its hold. Multi-use, it offers numerous makeup results,” is how Chanel describes the product in its web site.

Here is how it is used, as per Chanel’s instructions:

Le Blanc De Chanel may be applied in numerous ways, using fingertips or a brush

• As a foundation base: apply to the entire face to even out and smooth away imperfections.

• As a concealer: conceal redness and dark circles by applying directly to the areas requiring correction.

• As an illuminating base: add a drop of to your foundation prior to application or directly to skin underneath foundation.

• As a radiance booster: after applying foundation, enhance your makeup result by using Le Blanc De Chanel to add touches of light to key facial areas such as the forehead and chin.

Of course, we sought to the Internet for reviews.

So how did it fare on us? Le Blanc De Chanel really gives skin that glow while making pores less visible. You can use it as a base or even as a retouching tool (the bottle is quite heavy though so you might want to transfer a few drops to a smaller container. Oh, did we mention that the finish is glowing but matte? Le Blanc De Chanel is probably the only highlighter that doesn’t use glitter, not even micro-particles.

Disclaimer: Le Blanc De Chanel contains silica and mica so if you’re allergic to these, best to avoid this.