Fail or Holy Grail Review: NYX HD Studio Photogenic Primer Base

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about the NYX HD Studio Photogenic Primer Base! NYX changed the packaging of this product recently, but to my knowledge the product is still the same on the inside! ^.^

"Designed to be paired with our HD Studio Foundation, this water-based makeup primer helps minimize appearance of pores and fine lines for a seamless finish. The primer helps improve foundation performance and wear.

• What it is: A satin finish primer infused with light diffusing ingredients that blur imperfections.  Infused with a peptide blend, it helps keep skin stay refreshed and revitalized.

• What it does: Preps face for a super smooth application.

• Why we love it: Contains light diffusing ingredients that help blur imperfections.

• How to use: Blend evenly onto face, follow up with NYX HD Foundation.

INGREDIENTS / INGRÉDIENTS: Water/Aqua/Eau, Propylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Diethylhexyl Maleate, Glycerin, Ethylene/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Dimethicone, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Macadamia Integrifolia Seed Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil, PEG-15 Glyceryl Isostearate, Trihydroxystearin, Adipic Acid/Neopentyl Glycol Crosspolymer, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Tocopheryl Acetate, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax/Cera Carnauba/Cire de Carnauba, Polyacrylamide, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Laureth-7, Silica, Xanthan Gum, Lecithin,  Propylene Glycol Stearate, Polysorbate 20, Sorbitan Laurate, Propylene Glycol Laurate, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Butylene Glycol, Salicornia Herbacea Extract, Copper Tripeptide-1,  Chlorphenesin, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, VP/VA Copolymer, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, C12-14 Pareth-7, Amodimethicone,  Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance/Parfum, Citronellol, Limonene, Hexyl Cinnamal, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Linalool. MAY CONTAIN / PEUT CONTENIR (+/-): Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Zinc Oxide (CI 77947), Chromium Hydroxide Green (CI 77289), Ultramarines (CI 77007). <F001>"(1)

The old packaging comes with a handy pump, but the new packaging is in a squeeze tube. The packaging is quite big, but it's really robust so it would be great for travel.

This primer is an off white/blue tone. It has quite a thin formula and leaves a white cast on the skin. You can see the difference between the right side of my hand that has been primed and let side that hasn't!

This primer is really awful for dry skin. It sits in any pores, fine lines or any dry patches of skin, and it makes my skin look drier than it actually is! You can see how dry it makes the top of my hand in the above swatches, not cool.

I find this primer SO hard to blend into the skin, it took my so long to get this primer even across my skin, and it still sat in my pores and fine lines like nobody's business! I read a couple of reviews while writing this post that agreed that this primer sat on top of the skin, but the reviews had that down as a pro rather than a con, which isn't my thought at all. I didn't find that this primer made my BB Cream last any longer than usual, it also made it harder to apply the BB Cream evenly!

This primer made my BB Cream sit on top of my skin in the weirdest way, it made any dry skin look drier, and my pores look insanely large. I don't find that this primer makes my skin look good at all, and it made no difference to the longevity of my BB Cream.

What I Love

- Great robust packaging and pump

 
What I Don't Love

- Annoying and time consuming to blend

- Accentuates dry skin, pores and fine lines

- Leaves a ghostly white cast

- Makes products sit on top of the skin, mask-like

Final Thoughts

Unsurprisingly (since this is a Fail Review) I really don't like this primer! I think that the product looks deceptively smooth and lovely when it's first pumped out, but when I try to blend it into my skin it just doesn't work! It leaves an odd white cast on my face which I don't actually mind so much, but it makes my foundation/BB Cream sit on top of my skin like a mask, and that's something that I do not like. It accentuates any flaky dry skin, fine lines or pores, so I have no idea why they would call this an HD Photogenic Primer!

I would probably recommend this Primer for super oily skinned Princesses because it does leave a matte finish, but I would not recommend it for anyone that has dry skin, fine lines and deep pores!