Thursday, January 27, 2011

Prime Example

Currently listening to: War at Home by Josh Groban

Greetings all,

Hope you're having a lovely day and are enjoying the fact we're more than half-way through the week :-)

Today I want to talk about primer.

I first became aware of face primer thanks to the blogosphere and decided it was a product that would be very useful for me as I do often suffer from areas of dry skin on my face which are still visible when I apply make up. I ended up purchasing E.L.F Mineral Infused Face Primer and was definitely glad I did.

Here's the product decription from the E.L.F site:
"Transform your face into a flawless and smooth canvas with the mineral infused face primer. Developed to combat excess oil, flaky dryness, enlarged pores and fine lines to result in a natural and youthful looking radiance. This clear mutlipurpose skin primer will prepare your skin so makeup goes on evenly for a lasting finish".

The directions state that you should "apply to clean skin prior to makeup application. Use a small amount and blend evenly over the face for a smooth and flawless base". Personally, I find their claims slightly over-rated but this is a definite go-to product for me as my make up slides on much more easily and looks better. I was asked by a friend for some feedback on this product and before that request, I hadn't given any great consideration to the benefits of this product, I just knew it was a welcome addition to my make up kit. However, after doing some experimenting, I can now say that without primer, my make up feels a lot stickier. It really doesn't glide on and it's obvious where I have dry skin. One thing the primer doesn't do though is make my make up last longer.

The E.L.F primer contains 14g and sells for £6. My one criticism of the product is that it's difficult to get your money's worth due to the packaging. A pump dispenser bottle is used and a lot of the product is left at the bottom of the product, out of the dispenser's reach. If you have the right tools, you can cut the bottle in half to access the remaining product and put it in a different container but I simply untwist the lid every morning and use the product which is left on the stick. It's not ideal but there's no way I'm throwing my bottle out when I know there's still a lot of product left inside.

I'm almost finished my second bottle now and I'm thinking of trying a different brand, possibly No7 so I can use my voucher although I know many other companies also have primers in their make up ranges. The only thing that worries me is that the E.L.F primer is a clear gel whereas some other primers are coloured.

Do you use primer? Are there any brands you would recommend?

Bye for now,
Laura

11 comments:

  1. Glad to finally see a review of this as I've been considering it for a while! I'm currently using a shu umuera primer that I won..it's good, but not £38 a bottle good!

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  2. Wow, that's definitely far too expensive for me. I thought £6 for the E.L.F stuff was pricey initially!

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  3. I popped into Boots tonight after work and bought the shine-free no7 primer 40ml £11-£5=£6
    There were also two colour calming ones, one green for covering redness and anothes is light purple. Can't wait ti try out my primer tomorrow.

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  4. i actually don't use primer, but i should. and this one sounds great. :)

    <3, Mimi
    http://whatmimiwrites.blogspot.com/

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  5. @Wing, I had a look on the Boots website a couple of days ago and thought I'd try the green one if it's in stock when I go tomorrow. Although one reviewer said for the first week she looked like the hulk when using it until she got used to applying it properly!

    @Mimi,I would recommend this one, especially if you havern't used primer before. Maybe you don't need to though :-)

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  6. Thanks for the review.:D

    I am using Benefit That Gal Primer right now.:D

    ***** Marie *****
    allthingsmarie.com

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  7. Argh... I forgot to use my new primer this morning! I had it on my table but as the bottle is white and my table is white as well. Must remember to try in the morning.
    I found the primers easily in the foundation stand of no7

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  8. Oh yeh and when I first bought the ELF cream eyeliners, I got a copper one as well. The black suits me well cos of my dark hair but copper is somehow too light for me funnily enough. I love only applying it on my upper eyelids but can never get thickness the same on my lower lashes.

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  9. @Marie, you're welcome :-) I've heard good things about Benefit's primer!

    @Wing,lol your primer bottle blended in with your table!

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  10. It is quite fun reading so much about makeup thesedays because I'd never have thought of mixing foundations by different companies. Good to know you're making use of the Revlon photoready. ;)
    I think after getting used to a primer, my next product to venture out to is a makeup fixing spray. Considering I do wear foundation 6/7 days now, and these bottles (Urban Decay all nighter, MAC fix+, shu uemura, ELF etc) do look like they'd last a very long time once bought

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  11. @Wing, I bought the green primer. It's so green I don't dare to try it!

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Reading your comments makes my day, leave me one to have your say :-)