Hello Lovelies,
I have never been a primer kind of girl and over the last couple of years since I've been blogging I have been sent quite a few primers all claiming to do different things, fill in pores, hydrate, smooth etc etc but I have never liked one enough to A- review on my blog or B- continue using or re purchase, the only primer product I have ever liked is the Benefit POREfessional (
see post here) but I just haven't ever got along with "foundation primers" and always thought they just weren't for me and would be better suited to someone with an oily skin, mine is super duper dry and dehydrated for reference.
Last September Smashbox announced on their Facebook page that they were giving away 50 full size foundation primers to the first 50 people who turned up on a certain day (with no purchase necessary). Typically I had a medical appointment that day and couldn't go and get the primer so I took a long shot and rang the Smashbox counter and spoke to a sales assistant telling her of my predicament and she kindly said it would be ok for someone else to collect a primer for me as long as my details were given as they had a follow up procedure where someone was going to ring me 2 weeks later to ask how I'd got on with the product. Luckily for me Nichole's boyfriend had an early appointment on that day and kindly said he would go and try and get a primer for me, and he did! I couldn't believe it, I never ever get anything for free or win anything so I was super happy.
The foundation primer I got was the one most suited to my skin, the Photo Finish Hydrating Foundation Primer, I have in the past tried the famous Smashbox Photo Finish primer but I hated it, it was far too silicone like for me and it did nothing for me, probably because it wasn't suited to my skin but anyway I didn't like it at all. Like I said I've tried quite a few primers over the years but nothing has wowed me enough for me to use or re purchase but when I saw the free offer I thought it would be a good way of trying a primer especially suited to my skin type and if it didn't work for me I hadn't lost anything because I hadn't paid for it and I would have given it to Nichole or Alicia for them to try or Nichole to use in her kit.
What Smashbox Say About The Primer
The key to healthier, younger-looking skin? Hydration, as any studio artist will tell you. The latest addition to our legendary primer family immediately quenches skin and seals in moisture for hours after, thanks to Hydraplex, an extract derived from desert plants.
• Oil-free and lightweight
• Helps fill in fine lines and pores
How To Use
Smooth a pea-sized amount over clean skin with fingertips for a visibly softer, smoother complexion.
My Thoughts
I have extremely dry and dehydrated skin and over last winter my skin was horrendous, it was the worst it's ever been and looked horrific even without makeup but when I applied foundation it looked terrible and I had big patches of flaky foundation covered skin especially on my forehead, hmmm nice eh? I was trying out so many different skin care products trying to get the right routine for what I can only describe as lizard like and super liney skin, the dehydration makes me have prominent fine lines around and under my eyes and on my forehead, how attractive, NOT!
The first time I used the primer I have to say I was sceptical because of my past experiences with foundation primers but when I applied the primer for the first time it felt so lovely and it smelled lovely too it has a really nice fresh scent. I used around 3 pea sized amounts and put little blobs of the primer around my face on my forehead, cheeks and chin and then smoothed it over my skin with my fingers, it absorbed really quickly because my skin was so dry and dehydrated and didn't leave any sort of residue and didn't feel sticky at all.
I waited for the primer to dry which didn't take long at all and applied my foundation in the usual way and I was so impressed at how nice my make up looked, it looked flawless and there were no signs of any flakey patches, I did still have visible lines on my forehead but they did look a lot better than before.
I do agree with the claims from Smashbox my skin did feel hydrated and it didn't dry out over the course of the day, my make up looked just the same when it came to taking it off, the only thing I don't agree with is the amount of product needed, I used 3 pea sized amounts and Smashbox claims you need 1 but there is no way I could only use 1 pea sized amount for my whole face, but that's no biggy really. To be honest 3 pea sized amounts is the same amount of moisturiser I would apply which I would say is about right for a primer so it didn't bother me too much that they had claimed 1 pea sized amount.
The primer made a massive difference to my skin and so much so that even Simon noticed one day when I completely forgot to apply it, I'd only been using the primer for around a week and we were in a rush to leave the house and I forgot to apply the primer and when I looked at my foundation in the mirror it looked terrible and Simon noticed it wasn't looking as nice as it previously had so for Simon to notice too the primer must have been making a difference.
The photograph above is a thumbnail taken for my you tube channel one week after I'd started using the primer and although it isn't a close up photograph you can see my forehead doesn't look as liney or dry.
I am super impressed with the primer, it has made a huge difference to my foundation application, my skin looks flawless now when I wear foundation, my skin is still very dry and dehydrated and I do still have some lines on my forehead but that isn't anything to do with the primer, it's my silly skin but they aren't as bad as they previously had been. I can't say whether or not my foundation stays in place any longer as I don't have any problems with my foundation staying in place anyway, I usually apply my foundation at around 9.00am and remove it anytime from 6.00pm to 8.00pm and it doesn't move, I didn't notice any difference when using the primer so it certainly didn't affect my foundation wear time in any negative ways.
Overall Thoughts & Would I Repurchase?
My overall thoughts on the primer are that it applies well and doesn't leave any residue or sticky feeling to the skin, it is very hydrating and my foundation looks so much nicer when I use it, it has made a massive difference to the look and feel of my foundation and I would most definitely re purchase it, it is expensive but I am writing this post on the 19th April 2015 and I still have 1 or 2 applications of the primer left, I got the primer in September so it has lasted for 7 months, I don't use it daily, I use it around 3-4 times a week but it has lasted really well. If you suffer from dry or dehydrated skin I would highly recommend it.
You can buy the primer on line from Boots or from the Smashbox website for £28.00.
Have you tried the Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Foundation Primer? Did you like it? Or do you have any recommendations of primers for dry and dehydrated skin? Please leave your comments in the comments section below and I will get back to you asap.
Thank you for reading, much love as always,
Zoe x