I love primers. I put them under every foundation and when i don’t feel like wearing foundation, I apply the prime and then dust with powder and call it good. As strange as it seems this is my actual favorite category of makeup. However I also have a habit of just putting primers i don’t like in the drawer. Unless they break me out or cause a major skin irritation, I will keep them around hoping that this next time they will work better.
While I knew there were a lot of them, after I cleared out the foundations yesterday it made the primers look that much more out of control so I went ahead and dove into the primers. It felt really good to clear things out and to be honest, I may just start my end of year declutter now. I’m sure I’ll do another one just before new years, but at least a preliminary purge is long over due. so let’s get started.
First up we have three primers I have never used.
Two of them were actually still sealed and one I think I opened to see the consistency but never used. These three are staying and I will try them out to see if i like them. Then they may or may not stay.
So on to the primers I have tried. First up we have two sample sizes. The first is the YSL Touch Eclat Blur Primer. I really love this primer. I know it looks like there is half a sample left but it is not. When you open the cap and take the wand out the product level drops to almost nil and is really hard to get out with the wand. I really like this primer and even though it is expensive, it is one that I will be adding to my collection. In truth the only reason that I kept it in the drawer was to remind me of how much i like it and to remind me to order a full size once i had whittled down my primers to a more respectable level. I really like this primer, bit this almost completely empty sample needs to go.
The second sample size leaving me is the Unicorn Glow long wear primer. This sample is alas empty. However it too is in the drawer because I want to purchase it in the full size. It is less costly than the YSL. It is only $12 retail for the full size (as opposed to YSL’s $57). It blurs well and does extend the life of the makeup worn over it. It is a very good primer actually.
The next two primers I am getting rid of because they simply don’t suit me. The Ciate Watermelon Burst Hydrating Primer is far too hydrating for my skin. The watermelon scent is lovely and it feels great against the skin but my skin is not dry enough for this primer. It is simply too moisturizing.
The Rodial Glass primer is also quite hydrating but to be completely honest it is the smell of the primer that is causing me to pass it on to a friend of mine. It is good, but it has a very menthol scent to it. If the scent dissipated quickly then I would be okay with it, but the scent lingers and I do not like the scent of menthol. Plus it is very hydrating and so it is getting passed along.
And then we have the primers that have expired. First up is the Stila Sheer Illumination Lingerie Soufflé Primer. This primer is no longer made and I don;t think it has been for quite some time. I loved it and it is down to just a film of product on the inside of the glass. I honestly kept it because I liked the container and not because there was any usable product in it. I don;t think I have actually opened the jar in 2 years let alone used what I’m sure was expired product two years ago. I just really like the jar. I will either send it to the rubbish bin or I will wash it out and use it for something else. To be honest I actually have a small succulent that might do well in this jar and look lovely in the sun room. Wheter the jar is reused or thrown away it very much needs to leave my makeup collection.
The LYS Serum Gripping Primer is not a very old product. It was an okay primer that felt like a serum but didn’t really do much gripping. It was more of a hydrating serum that was supposed to have skin care benefits. It had more use as skincare than it did as a primer to be honest. And when I went to test it before deciding to keep or get rid of, the formula had already separated. And so into the trash it goes.
Sadly the elf puff puff primer is also expired and separated. It was a really good primer and I am sad that it got buried and forgotten. I enjoyed using it and found it soothing to the skin. It was an excellent primer to wear after too much sun or if you were suffering from windburn. It is a cannabis sativa infused primer and it was just fantastic with any kind of skin irritation i had.. At some point i will repurchase this primer. My go to for Elf is the Elf putty primer. however i did finish that prime up and have not yet picked up a replacement. I meant to and probably will soon but the number of primers i had on hand made me restrain myself from repurchasing it. However it is a fabulous primer that i highly reccomend.
And finally in the expired category is the Too Faced Hangover Replenishing primer. I received this in a subscription box and I was very happy to get the chance to try it. Everyone raved about it and how fabulous it was. To me it felt like a light weight moisturizer but not a primer. But any time i looked it up everyone was saying fabulous things about it. So I held onto it thinking that if i kept trying it maybe I would see what the big deal about it was. And then after a while i stopped trying it. I think the issue is simply skin type. It may be fabulous for some but i really think that it is a product that works best with dry skin. I you have dry skin then using this to hydrate before applying makeup may help. For me it did nothing. I should have realized that in time to pass it on, but alas I did not.
And now, for the ones I am keeping. Some of these are not going to be a surprise. I have both the Liquid Silk Canvas and the Protective Silk Canvas balm Primer from Tatcha. I love both of them. I prefer the balm. It is hands down my all time favorite primer. It makes my skin look and feel good. I like the Liquid Silk canvas and while I have the travel size I will be ordering the full sized when it is empty. I do like the balm version just a little bit better though, but it is really a personal formula prefrence as they are both fantastic.
The Glamglow Super Matifying Primer is also one I am keeping in my collection. i like the primer and I like the way it works with my skin. However the packaging is really bulky and for the size of the packaging (and the price) there is not a lot of product in the container. I am about halfway through the container and I will finish it out. As much as I do like it, I probably won’t repurchase it. It is fantastic with oil control and makes a great summertime primer, but there just isn;t that much product in the package so I don’t personally feel it is worth the cost.
The Yensa Tone Up Essential Glow Primer and the Touch in sol No Poreblem primers are two that have been in my collection for ever. I have repurchased these two primers repeatedly. They are also the two i will reach for if i don;t actually feel like actually wearing any makeup. they have a slight pink tint to them which blends out with my skin and blurs the pores without looking like i have anything on. then I’ll add a little powder to control the shine and consider it job done. I really enjoy both of these products and like i said before i have lost count of the number of times I have repurchased them over the years.
If I am looking for a primer that will grip my makeup through anything that comes my way I go for the Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer. through various subscriptions I have gotten so many samples of this primer that i have never had to pick up a full size. This is the last of the samples i have though so once it is gone i will be getting the full sized version. It has a clear gel like texture so it works with any skin type and it locks makeup down tight. if I have to wear my makeup for longer than usual, this is my primer.
The Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Primer does exactly what it says. It smooths out your skin and leaves it ready for makeup. I really like the pore blurring nature of this formula. It actually has a texture very much like the Stila primer that I loved so much so it shouldn;t be a surprise I like this one.
Even though Marc Jacobs is no longer making makeup I do like this Undercover primer. it smooths and fills pores well. It is unfortunately no longer being made so I will use up my tube and let it go. But it will be nice while it lasts.
The OleHenriksen banana bright Primer is a classic and one that i will always keep around. It is especially useful for brightening the skin in the winter when i tend to look a little dried out and dull. It is one of the few hydrating primers that i really love. Perhaps it is because it focuses more on brightening.
And finally we come to the last primer currently in my collection. It is the Figs and Rouge Blurring Primer. I think it would be best to say that i am keeping it for now. It isn’t my favorite, but i want to play around with it a bit more before passing final judgement on it. And so for now it stays.
And there we have the primer declutter. I’m sure as i test out the three new ones and continue using them that more will end up empty and a few more will leave me before the year is out. But for now i am much happier now that i have eliminated some of the products from my drawer. Plus it gave me a bit of a chance to talk about primers. Hopefully you enjoyed it as well.
Ms. Mimsy Reviews 