Fail or Holy Grail Review: Etude House Face Blur Primer

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about the Etude House Face Blur Primer! After a little research I found out that instead of buying the Etude House Beauty Shot Face Blur Primer like I had intended, I actually bought the one without the Beauty Shot aspect. Sadly, this primer didn't work out for me for multiple reasons, but I still want to try out the Beauty Shot primer because I hear really good things about it!

Review: Stylenanda 3CE Back To Baby Glow Beam

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about the Stylenanda 3CE Back To Baby Glow Beams! I saw a Youtuber using this product (and I was sure it was Pony, but was actually U:na!) and I just loved the look it gave her, so I decided to pick up both colours of this hydrating primer!

East VS West Review: Benefit Porefessional VS Innifree No Sebum Blur Primer

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be comparing Benefit Porefessional to the Innisfree No Sebum Blur Primer! I used to love using the Benefit Porefessional, but I haven't used it in so long, I think I just forgot about it really because I find it quite hard to get silicone based primers to work well with a lot of foundations as they don't really mix well with water based foundations.

Review: Innisfree No Sebum Blur Primer

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about the Innisfree No Sebum Blur Primer! I picked up this primer because I've seen a lot of positive reviews on it and it seemed like a fun product to try out!

First Impression: Lailly 7 Seconds Make Up Booster

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about the Lailly 7 Seconds Make Up Booster!

What Does It Do?

"This miraculous 7 Seconds Makeup Booster creates a perfect canvas for foundation application with this silky, lightweight blend of strawberry, raspberry, acai berry and blueberry extracts. Worn alone or under foundation, this makeup booster helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines, pores and imperfections for flawless and bright skin with a velvety smooth finish. It also enhances foundation adherence and make makeup application last longer."(1)

First Impression: Lioele Secret Rich Pore Balm

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about the Lioele Secret Rich Pore Balm! This is supposed to be a pore smoothing primer that is very similar to the Benefit Porefessional!

What Does It Do?

"Pressed balm primer with great coverage of enlarged pore, lines, or skin imperfections. Specialized in sebum control. Lioele Secret Pore Rich Balm is a smooth photo finish primer. It helps minimize pores and fine lines allowing skin to become soft and smooth for an improved foundation/bb cream application. The balm contains new technology to diffuse light by mattifying the face to reduce shine, so foundation/bb cream application can be easier to apply and last even longer. It is made of various ingredients that can increase skin elasticity for a firmer and more youthful appearance."(1)

Review: LUSH Feeling Younger Skin Tint

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about LUSH's Feeling Younger Skin Tint! This tint is recommended for Princesses wanting that MAC Strobe Cream Glow, but don't want to support companies that test on animals or want a cheaper product.

First Impression: Mecca Cosmetica Lit From Within

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about the Mecca Cosmetica Lit From Within Primer! I was given this primer while purchasing an Hourglass product from Mecca in Auckland and was excited to see what it was like!

What Does It Do?

"Beauty sleep in a bottle, this product is an all-time skin brightening favourite. The ultra-fine, light diffusing formula revives dull skin whilst perfectly priming the complexion for a flawless foundation application. 

Lit From Within Illuminating Primer brightens and revives fatigued skin whilst perfectly priming and prepping the complexion for a flawless foundation application. With ultra-fine light diffusing particles and antioxidant protection, this instant skin beautifier glides on smoothly for visible radiance and sleep-defying luminosity. Our all-time favourite beauty booster, this must-have product leaves you prepped, primed and ready to glow.

Ingredients

Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Cyclopentasiloxane, Polyacrylamide, Dimethicone, Mica, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Phenoxyethanol, Laureth-7, Fragrance (Parfum), Potassium Sorbate, Benzyl Alcohol, Citric Acid, Allantoin, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Punica Grantum Fruit Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Carmine (CI 75470), Iron Oxides (CI 77489,CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499)."(1)

Review: Benefit POREfessional

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about Benefit's POREfessional! I purchased this ages ago and have been using it super sparingly since it's a pretty pricey primer!

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!

Review: Revlon Photoready Color Correcting Primer

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about the Revlon Photoready Color Correcting Primer! I picked up this primer a wee while ago because I was looking for a cheaper alternative to the Benefit Porefessional (which my face loves, but my wallet not so much)!

"Lightweight primer smoothes skin while evening out skin tone with color correcting pigments that neutralize redness and uneven color. Wear alone or under foundation.Revlon’s NEW primers are lightweight primers that soften skin and diffuse light to help minimize flaws and even out skin texture. It creates a perfect canvas so that your foundation will glide on more evenly and smoothly. Primers can be worn alone or under foundation, and are oil free, talc free, fragrance free, paraben free."(1)

This primer has a pink colour which dissipates quite quickly when I blend it into my skin. It leaves my skin feeling silky, albeit slightly slippery after application.

For these photos I primed just the left side of my face. This primer claims to colour correct, but I honestly see no colour correction in any of these photos, also a pink tone isn't usually used in colour correction so I'm not sure what it's expecting to do!

I can't see much of a difference between the primed side and the non primed side in these photos!

I didn't find that this primer really did anything for my skin at all. It didn't really help my pores look any smoother, it certainly didn't do any colour correcting and when I had oily skin it didn't help at all with that aspect either!
 

What I Love

- Nice packaging, I love the pump!

What I Don't Love

- I believe it was quite expensive

- Doesn't colour correct

- Doesn't help oil control

- Doesn't really help smooth pores and lines

Final Thoughts

I'm not really sure who to recommend this product to as I don't really find that it does anything at all! I do like the packaging, you can see how much product is in the glass bottle and it comes with a hygienic pump. But, I just don't find that it does anything for my pores, fine lines or anything at all for oil control.

Review: E.L.F Studio Mineral Infused Face Primer - Brightening Lavender

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about the E.L.F Studio Mineral Infused Face Primer in the shade Brightening Lavender! It seems like E.L.F have updated the name of this product since I purchased mine, but it's not an updated formula, so let's get going!

"Transform your face into a flawless and smooth canvas with the Mineral Infused Face Primer. Developed to combat against excess oil, flaky dryness, enlarged pores and fine lines. This clear multipurpose skin primer will prepare your skin so makeup goes on evenly for a long lasting satin finish.

Features a new and improved air pump! For best results, you may need to pump the component several times before product dispenses.

Recommended uses:
Tone Adjusting Green is ideal for minimizing redness and correcting blotchy skin.
Brightening Lavender is ideal for uneven skin tones and to brighten dull or yellow tones.
Radiant Glow (contains shimmer) is ideal for creating a luminizing effect on dark spots and uneven skin tones."(1)

The packaging of this product is very devious, there's much less product than there appears to be, and it's hard to tell when you're running out! This primer has an air pump mechanism which ensures that you use almost 100% of the product.

This primer has a light Lavender colour when it's initially pumped out, but is quite colourless when blended out. I don't really notice it brightening my skin tone at all when it's applied, it also doesn't really counteract and yellow tones on my skin. It has an interesting silicone texture which makes my face feel a really slippery, it doesn't sink into the skin either so the slippery feeling stays on the top of my skin. It doesn't fill pores or smooth dry skin either. 

I don't find that this primer helps my foundation or BB Cream last any longer than it usually would, and it didn't help it appear any smoother over dry skin or pores. I thought that this primer didn't do very much but also really did no harm until I trialled it on one half of my face. I found then that this primer stops product from being blended properly into/onto my face because it retains the slippery feeling, the product just keeps sliding around and cake-ing  up in crevices. Not a good look!

What I Love

- Inexpensive ($10-15NZD)
- Air pump uses almost 100% of product

What I Don't Love

- Purple tone doesn't do anything
- Leaves a slippery residue on the face
- Slippery residue makes products hard to blend
- Deceiving packaging makes it hard to tell when you're running out

Final Thoughts

Initially I thought this primer didn't do anything spectacular, but also didn't really have many negative aspects. Now after trialling this on only half my face I can see that it's just so much harder to blend, doens't make my skin look any better or brighter, and cakes up in the crevices of my face (nose, eyes, lips) due to the difficult blending. I've already used up half of my bottle, but I won't bother using it any more in all honesty, it doesn't do anything good to my skin!

I wouldn't really recommend this primer to anyone as even though it's inexpensive, it doesn't really do anything apart from make your blending job harder.