Happy Saturday ya’ll! We all love Saturdays because let’s be honest, it is the best day of the week. Today I am sharing with you a few primers that I have recently tested out. What is a primer you ask? A face primer smoothens the texture of your skin, conceals and covers, prepares your skin for make-up and in general helps your make-up to stay put. Especially in summer time I can feel the make-up “melt off” my face due to the heat, so I like to prime beforehand. But there are so many different kinds of primers, which one to use? I am breaking it down today with four different primers- you can have a look and decide which one works best for you, depending on your skin type and personal preference.
Victoria’s Secret “Make It Last Primer&Set Make-Up Spray”
I have heard people rave about this Victoria’s Secret primer for so long, that while travelling to Russia in June I decided to get it. After all it says that supermodels use it and it promises to “make it last”. I read that now it’s discontinued, but apparently it is just getting re –branded so no need to panic. You are meant to use it before make up application, to prepare your skin and then afterwards to set the make-up perfectly. On my first try, I hated this product. I sprayed it before applying my make-up, and I sprayed it directly onto my face, which felt like I just got sprayed with a water sprinkler. First mistake there. To use it properly you must hold the bottle out about a meter from your face, and spray it from there. It will feel refreshing and not like you are taking an un-expected shower. Let it set on your face for about 2-3 minutes before applying make-up. Then spray your face again to make the make-up last. It is great for every-day wear, but it won’t work for an extremely hot day like at the beach. But it does make the make-up last on your face the whole day, and makes it look fresh. I paid just over R200 for it, and with the first Victoria’s Secret store opening in Sandton City this November, this is the kind of pricing you can expect. The only thing I didn’t like about the product is that it has no scent (it pretty much smells like water).
The gel-based primer- Inglot Under Make-Up Base
This is one of Inglots best-selling products and I received it a while ago at an event in a “Best Of Inglot” set that also came with a lip gloss, eye pencil and a mascara. It is sold individually, but it looks quite small- the whole tube is 30 ml.
What they say:
“Sponge-like spheres absorb excess facial oil and scatter light, giving all skin types a matte look and silky smooth finish. Use to prolong the life of your foundation, turning your skin into the perfect blank canvas”
What I think:
The matte part is definitely true- this primer mattifies your skin perfectly, so this would be a great product for an oily skin. The texture is very silicone like, but it’s quite pleasant and goes on smoothly onto your face. The lasting power is not the best but it is good. I prefer using this just on the eyelids during the summer to make my eye-make up set nicely and hold it in place. It preps your skin for the foundation and I even substituted it a few times for my actual moisturizer. I can’t say it makes the foundation last super long but it preps the skin perfectly though. A little goes a long way, so with the R219 price tag, I would say this is worth it and a great alternative for the Smashbox primers.
The L’Oreal Nude Magique Blur Cream
What they say:
“Concentrated with light reflectors, the micro-blur technology delivers an optical blurring effect for smooth, pore less looking skin. The translucent coverage is silky smooth and evens out the look of skin tone. C’est Magique!”
What I think:
This is an amazing dupe for the Benefit POREfessional. It has a very silky, almost mousse-like, cream- based texture, but unlike the Inglot primer, it is a little bit tinted. Again this is an amazing product for an oily skin or for a normal to combination skin during the hot summer months. It mattifies removing excess oils, and smoothens the texture of your skin out. It completely does what it promises- it hides your pores and gives you that perfect, “blurred” skin. Perfect to apply before putting on your make-up. I can’t say it really makes the make-up last super-long for over 8 hours, but you can easily re-apply it throughout the day as it goes on evenly on top of the foundation and doesn’t flake. This gets a 5/5 rating from me because it affordable and it works.Like L’Oreal says, its Photoshop in a bottle! It comes in two shades and has a great price tag of just R199
Dermalogica SkinPerfect Primer
What they say:
“Smooth away fine lines, brighten and prime for flawless skin and to prep for make-up application. Velvety silicones combine with Soy Protein to even out skin texture, as natural minerals provide a neutral tint to balance skin tone and enhance luminosity and radiance”
What I think:
This probably ties with the L’Oreal primer for my favourite. I love the cream-based texture of it, and the SPF factor. It does what all of the previous primes do one-by one- it mattifies, it minimizes pores and it holds the make-up in place. It is also tinted, sets foundation perfectly and has the nicest minty smell. The downside- it is really expensive, it costs R720 for 22ml. I was lucky to be spoiled by Dermalogica, but I would buy this over and over and over!
The verdict- depending on which texture you like the best and what skin type you have, a primer is definitely worth investing in.The Victoria’s Secret primer is great for all skin types while the Inglot primer is best for an oily skin type. The L’Oreal primer is great for a combination to an oily skin, and with the friendly price tag I think its worth a try for everyone. The Dermalogica one is worth every penny, but a bit of a splurge.
Have a Happy Saturday!
Sibahle says
I have oily skin and really need to try the Inglot primer