Hi. My names Sarah and I'm a primer addict. And proud.
Whether you have dry, combination or oily skin, face primer is a staple item in my opinion. There's a reason why make up artists are obsessed about it. It makes a HUGE difference to how long your make up stays at bay, makes foundation glide on much more smoothly meaning you use less, creates a protective base for you skin sitting under your foundation, minimises the appearance of pores and fine lines, controls oil, hydrates (for those with dry skin) and illuminates your face in ways you never thought possible making your skin and foundation look and feel a million times better. It's like going out wearing a figure hugging dress without Spanx. Why would you?
I have been using primer for many, many years because I was seriously getting fed up of my make up melting off my face and having to powder my whole face every hour. Not only did that cost me more in powder but would also make my make up look very, very cakey by the afternoon. So as you can imagine, I have tried and tested MANY popular primers on the market. These range from budget friendly primers to the more expensive.
So here we go: The primers to love and those to avoid.... Enjoy
1. URBAN DECAY- Eyeshadow Primer Potion- Anti Aging - £18
When I first starting using primers I didn't use one for my eyes. I would just use face primer in this area as I didn't see the point in buying a separate product for my eyes if they were both technically made to the same job.
Alas I was wrong. Some primers work wonders on your face but when it comes to smoothing out those fine lines and creases around and under the eye area foundation and concealer can make and holding eye shadow in place, they don't work so well.
Let me welcome you to this little beauty made by Urban Decay. It's wonderful. At first I was hasty due to the price tag for such a little tube but don't be fooled. You hardly need to use anything making this last me a good 5 months. You really are getting a bargain. This lasts all day filling in creases and also works great as an anti aging product. I really have been able to see the difference. Furthermore it has a slight sheer skin tone pigment to it which evens out and colour corrects the skin on that under eye area. GOD SEND.
If you also love your eye shadows this is a product for you. It holds eye shadow in place all day and night and keeps the vibrancy of the colours going strong.
When I was researching eye primers I did hear on the beauty-vine that ELF cosmetics do a eye primer that matches up to this at just £1.95 a pop.
There was no way I could not give this ago so I did. In my opinion it doesn't match up to
Urban Decays primer for targeting the under eye creases and correcting under eye tones which is what I personally look for but it is a fantastic product at holding down eye shadow. You can't knock it for this and if I was more into my eye shadows I would highly
recommend this.
2. SMASHBOX COSMETICS- Photo Finish Foundation Primer - £25
I LOVE ANYTHING SMASHBOX. Yes their products are more on the pricey side of things but they are worth every single penny. What you see if what you get with Smashbox and this is one of my all time favourite primers for oily sensitive skin. You might think for the size of the tube that it's not worth the price but it lasts me about 5 weeks if I wear it everyday and it never fails to amaze me. It's a water based oil free primer which glides on to your skin like a silk. This makes foundation then glide on like silk. I find I don't use half as much foundation with this product because I just don't need to. I was a bit worried at first that I wouldn't get the matt finish I love because of the water based texture but you do. So if you are looking for a product that feels light on your skin, controls oil and minimises pores, look no further.
Smashbox also do a primer starter kit for £12.50 with face and eye primer inside which can be picked up at Boots or online. An affordable way to test the waters if you are still unsure.
3. LAURA MERCIER- Foundation Primer- Oil Free - £29
This product should come with a skull and cross bone sign. STAY AWAY AND DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY. This is honestly, hand on heart, the worst product I have ever bought. I am getting married this year in Miami so I have been researching primers for something super special for the big day that would work great in the high humidity at controlling oil and would make my skin look flawless. This product came up on many websites as being a dream for those gals with super oily skin and the reviews seemed great so I splashed out on a tube.
Where do I start. The actual product glided on lovely and was water based. I immediately thought I could be onto a winner. However my face became so oily within an hour that I looked like I had been to a spin class and to be honest, my skin looked no different. The primer didn't illuminate anything whatsoever. Pointless and disappointing product. In fact I am tempted to take it back and complain. I don't like confrontation and don't usually do that but oh boyyyyy I'm feeling ready to pop! Does the opposite of what it says on the tin girls. Look away.
4. BENEFIT- Porefessional Primer - £24.50 - WINNER ⭐️
OH BENEFIT.... WILL YOU MARRY ME?
This is my favourite out of the lot for what the primer actually does. It controls oil, minimises pores and fine lines and makes your skin and foundation GLOW. It's no wonder it claims to be the No1 selling primer in the UK. It's the perfect base. Pores literally shrivel up and die. They are nowhere to be seem and your skin feels and looks as smooth as a baby's bottom. You honestly look airbrushed. It ticks all my boxes and I highly recommend splashing out on it.
However my only issue is this. It lasts me no more than 3 weeks. For this reason and the price I don't use it everyday and this is for special occasions only. It doesn't glide on as easy as say Smashbox so I quite simply have to use more from the tube. But for that special occasion or if money is no issue this is the holy grail of all primers. I shall be asking my lovely other half for a new tube of this this weekend for my birthday.
5. LOREAL- Studio Secrets Professional Primer - £14.29
This little gem is the first primer I ever used and is what got me hooked in the first place. It's been around for years and is still a best seller for Loreal. This lasts 4 to 5 weeks despite its appearance (because it does come in a little pot). This is a primer I will quite happily buy and wear everyday because for giving you that fresh glow to your foundation, this comes in second place to Benefit's Porefessional 😍😍😍 and it controls oil perfectly. Your skin looks smooth and fresh but not greasy. It has a velvety cream consistency so doesn't spread as easy as the water based primers but still does not feel thick and heavy on your skin. Another winner winner chicken dinner.
6. MAC Prep and Prime - £20.50
I will never ever stop loving MAC because they have some out of this world make up but this isn't the bees knees I'm afraid. I was expecting so much more so was slightly disappointed. Yes it does control oil well with only a few touch up powder moments throughout the day however my skin looked more dull than fresh so it gets a thumbs down. It is also a cream consistency that doesn't glide on easily at all so lasted me 4 weeks tops.
I was recommended this by a lady at the MAC store who told me a bit of a white lie as well. She said that there was a glitter base in this cream but it wouldn't show on my skin. But it did. Quite clearly. I hate glitter. No I DESPISE GLITTER. And I felt like a bit of a tool all day walking around like Edward bloody Cullen in the sunlight. I wouldn't recommend this ladies and I definitely won't be buying again.
7. No7- Stay Perfect Primer - £12.50
I tried this because I wanted to see if I could find a more budget friendly product that would WOW me and No7 is a pretty reputable brand in my eyes. This is awful I'm afraid and I recommend to stay away like the plague! It's sticky in consistency , spreads as easy as frozen butter, doesn't control oil well and makes your foundation look a dull mess. A massive flop.
8. MAX FACTOR- Face Finity All Day Flawless 3 in 1 Foundation - £11.99
This my good friends is a BUDGET FRIENDLY WONDER FOUNDATION + PRIMER IN ONE. This is a relatively new regular purchase for me and I use it on work days because it still does a great job at not only being a foundation but being a primer. It claims to also conceal but I still need to use concealer in most areas so I'm not so convinced on that part.
It controls oil brilliantly and does give radiance to your skin. It's no comparison to Loreal and Benefits primers for providing that fresh glow but for casual wear there is no reason why this product should be disregarded. The beauty of it is that it's 2 in 1 which really saves you a lot of money.
It has a lovely matt finish and glides on smoothly and also has an SPF of 20 inside. However because of the SPF level being over 15 I wouldn't recommend using this as party make up because the SPF will cause the camera flash to make your face appear shiny on photos. This also lasts me about 5 or 6 weeks. Bargain in my eyes and has made me a very happy girl (and my fiancés pocket).
Max Factor have also released a primer on its own from this line (see below) but I haven't tried it yet. Birchbox sent me a lovely sample this morning but if the foundation is anything to go by, I'm sure it will be a dream.
I hope you have all enjoyed my post and got something from it if your looking for a primer but are unsure. Let's face it. There are so many out there it can be super daunting to choose. If anyone can recommend me any other primers for oily skin I WOULD LOVE to know.
