I am a big fan of minimal makeup! Mainly because of sheer lazines, but I also try to make my makeup look as close to natural as possible! So I thought that an extra step added to my makeup routine was going to slow me down and that priming my skin was useless! But how wrong was I?!
It is not that I have big problems with my skin! A bit of enlarged pores and some redness on my cheek areas! But when I started to use primer, I discovered that not only my pores were not that visible anymore and that the redness in my cheeks disappeared, but the texture of my skin was smoother and made foundation application easier, and the makeup did not budged all day long!
My first experience with primers has a bit of drama in it! Oh, well! What would be my life without a bit of a drama!!?? I bought the Too Face Shadow Insurance Primer which turned out to be an empty plastic container. Went to Sephora to change it and I ended out with the Sephora Smoothing Primer.
The Sephora Smoothing Primer has a transparent gel texture which smooths skin’s texture and leaves it feeling exceptionally soft. It is a matte finish which makes it suitable for all skin types, oily skin included. It comes in a neutral shade, which is completely translucent and suitable for all skin tones, from very light to very dark. It has no scent and I feel it a bit sticky when I first apply it on my face. Overall, this is an ok product and the glass, elegant 15 ml bottle sold me in the first place! Shallow much!? Price little over 15 €.
The next primer I am going to talk about is a recent buy – the Clinique Superprimer Colour Corrects Redness. Lightweight, oil-free primer which creates a smooth canvas for the next step in your makeup routine. It is a yellow based primer meant to correct redness and even out your skin tone. It is a silicone based product which glides on evenly. This is my second favourite primer I have ever tried! It comes in a 30 ml plastic bottle, with a retailing price of 22 €.
I saved my best and worst primers for last. Best primer I own is the Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch which shares the title of best priming/base product with another favourite of mine, my most recent purchase the Chanel Le Blanc de Chanel Sheer Illuminating Base, I already reviewed and featured in some earlier posts ( here and here ). Back to the Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch now! This is an “unique makeup base and primer which provides a fine, melting texture that conceals lines, pores, and imperfections in an instant”, at least that is what they claim on their website.
I bought this one not having big expectations! But this is by far the best primer I’ve tested yet and it delivered a very good result. Is a good deal thicker than other primers I’ve tried. In fact, it is safe to call it a paste. But being so thick does not impair its ability to spread – even around the delicate eye areas. It comes in this small 15 ml pot and it is a bit expensive, around 25 €, when the Clinique one is less expensive and you get double the amount of product. I’m inclined to believe that the Clarins primer will be as cost effective or better as other primers, given that I use less of this to achieve a better result.
Then again, I apply all my primers in strategic areas of my face (not all over): a small swipe for each cheek where my pores are visible, nose included, another swipe for theforehead and a final swipe to pat around both eyes. But with the Clarins primer a little bit really goes a long way!
The worst base product I own is another Clarins product. The Instant Light Complxion Perfector, in the shade #00 Rose Shimmer. It might work for anyone else, but on myself I really hated it! I already have naturally rosy undertones in my complexion, which I totally hate and try have to correct all the time. What this product succeeds to do is to accentuate and highlight these features. The final result is that I look like a pink disco ball. I have tried other shades too, and none was light enough or warm enough to work for me. I love the concept, hence the Chanel Le Blanc de Chanel Sheer Illuminating Base but not the actual product! Still using it to highlight from time to time though!
What are your favourite primers/bases?
See you soon, beautiful!
xx, Annie
Mami și Zâna 