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Tuesday, 3 December 2013

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer and Benefit That Gal Primer

Recently I was given a couple of sample sizes of two primers I had wanted to try for a long time.  The sizes of the samples were great as you only need to use a small amount so it meant both samples lasted me a good while so I could really give them both quite a few goes!

So here they are:



As you can see both tubes have been bent and twisted to get every last ounce out!  Well a gal has to get her value for money!

So the first primer is Benefit That Gal Brightening Face Primer.  This primer is a light pink cream, its has quite a light texture.  I enjoyed applying this as it has a light feeling and didn't leave my face feeling sticky or tacky.  Benefit say this contains light reflecting pigments and it did feel like it gave me that healthy glow.  I would use my Kevyn Aucoin foundation or my Ellis Faas foundation over this and the results were great although both are really nice foundations so I can't 100% say that the primer helped that much.  

I liked this primer but I don't think I would rush out and buy it again, I will probably try another primer.  For me to repurchase a primer I really need it to make a noticeable difference and whilst this was nice enough it didn't blow me away.  However if I ever got another sample I'd happily use it (I just wouldn't spend £22.50 on a full size That Gal Primer).



The second primer is Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer.  I had wanted to try this primer for years, I had seen adverts for this for such a long time so when I bought a lipstain from Smashbox and the assistant gave me this sample I was chuffed!

At first I was really impressed.  This gel texture primer which contains vitamins A and E applies like a dream and it seemed to blur any imperfections on my skin as soon as I had applied it.  The only downside was it had that silicone feel which I am not mad about but I was willing to overlook that.

Once I had applied my foundation (again using Kevyn Aucoin and Ellis Faas) I loved the flawless finish I got and this time I felt like the primer was making a difference to the finish.  My foundation stayed in place all day  and still looked really good when I came to remove it at 10pm!  

I used this primer over about three weeks and by the time the tube was finished I had problems with my skin.  I normally get one or two hormonal spots but this breakout was bad.  I had several angry spots on my face and its only about now (a month later) that things have settled down and my skin is back to normal.  Now I can't say for certain that the Smashbox primer caused this breakout but nor can I rule it out so to stay on the safe side I shan't be purchasing a full size tube.  Its a shame in some ways as I did like the results but on the other hand I won't miss the silicone feel.



My search for the perfect primer goes on - have any of you got any recommendations?


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