4 primers I'm enjoying

4 Primers I'm enjoying at the moment

plus review

Hello Sprinkles,

A few weeks ago, one of my Everyday Makeup – Complete Step by Step Makeup Course students asked what type of primers I use under my foundation or BB Cream. In this post I would like to share with you my current favourite primers and a small review on them. If you need a quick and easy guide to save on Colour Correction primers, have a look at this post on my Instagram page.

glamglow Mega Illuminating Moisturizer cream review

GlamGlow Glowstarter Mega Illuminating Moisturizer
Size: 50 ml
Price: 49 USD
Contains SPF: no
Presented in a silver cream container, the brand states that this primer has illuminating and hydrating proprieties. It acts like a cream and it is ideal for dry and combo skin. The product is vegan and it’s free from parabens, SLS and SLES, and mineral oil. It has pearl particles to give that glow. You can choose from 3 shades.

What I think: I have shade number 2 and I really love the strong coconut/vanilla smell it has. The pearl particles give you that lovely, dewy healthy glow. I like using it before my makeup. I apply it on my whole face and sometimes only on the parts of my face that I want to highlight. The slight pink tint helps brighten your skin complexion. As it has a cream consistency, it helps makeup glide on easily as the skin feels soft and prepped. It doesn’t act as a heavy moisturizing cream, but I like it as a light layer to apply before my makeup.

Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Falwless Filter
Size: 30 ml
Price: 44 USD
Contains SPF: no
This primer is an illuminating one too. It comes in a bottle with a doe foot applicator. The brand states that it’s a complexion booster with primer proprieties and that it acts like a filter smoothing out pores and lines. It’s Paraben free and you have 7 shades to choose from.
It has a fluid consistency and it feels slightly sticky, although you don’t feel tightness on the skin.

charlotte tilbury HOLLYWOOD FLAWLESS FILTER review

What I think: I like the glow effect it gives. I use it to highlight specific parts of my face when I use a BB cream after, otherwise I like to mix it with my foundation. I don’t notice much of a smoothing effect on my pores, but that may be because I don’t like to use too much product on my skin. It does act as a grip for your foundation, probably due to the slight stickiness I previously mentioned. The shade I use is number 2 and although it has some colour to it, it’s barely noticeable.

laura mercier Tinted Moisturizer Illuminating Natural Skin Perfector review

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Illuminating Natural Skin Perfector
Size: 50 ml
Price: 47 USD
Contains SPF: 30 SPF
Like the ones previously mentioned, also this one is a tinted moisturizer with highlighting features. It comes in a tube and you can choose from 20 different shades. The brand states that it’s ideal for a no makeup look, it hydrates your skin, has skincare effects and gives you some coverage. It has a slight thicker consistency compared to a cream, it feels more like a foundation.

What I think: This product stands as a BB cream that you can use alone (for a natural makeup look) or as a primer that you can mix with your foundation. Of course you can also use it before your foundation to prime your skin. I like the fact that it gives you a dewy look and a healthy glow and pigmentation. I use the colour Natural Radiance and as you can see from the picture, it is slightly orange compared to my skin tone, but it really looks nice when well blended on the skin. As the shade I chose has an orange undertone, it does correct some of my black under eye, but I still need to apply concealer on top. I don’t notice any particular line smoothing effect when I wear it, but my makeup lasts longer when I do.

Etude House Face Blur Smoothing
Size: 35 gr
Price: 19.20 USD
Contains SPF: 33 SPF
This primer is from a well-known affordable Korean Makeup Brand, Etude House. It comes in a coraly pump bottle. The brand states that its purpose is to smooth skin (hiding pores) and brighten skin tone. The texture feels like a powdery cream. It’s very light weight and slightly sticky. You don’t feel it on your skin. You can find a mattifying and hydrating one too.

What I think: I wear it under my foundation and I like that it brightens my skin tone. It does smooth your pores a little, but it doesn’t do miracles. I like how my makeup glides on easily on top of it as it’s not greasy. It doesn’t improve my makeup durability.

Conclusions:

As you may have noticed, all of these products can be worn alone and they all have illuminating proprieties. They also brighten your complexion, as they are tinted too. I like to choose my primer based on the occasion and the type of makeup that I will wear on top. What I'm looking forward to are multipurpose products, I like the fact that Laura Mercier's moisturizer is more like a BB cream, but at the same time you can use as a primer too. What I don't like is that most of them are highly priced for what they actually offer.

What characteristics do you prefer in a primer?

xoxo,
Frankie

*Disclaimer:

The above post states my personal experience and opinion of the products mentioned.

The links to the products shown are there to help you find where to buy it or to find further info, but I’m not affiliated with them in any way.