Maybelline The Smoother Instant Anti-Age Primer

I never paid much attention to primers until a couple of years ago, when I discovered they could magically stop my makeup from disappearing,  and could help to keep  the oilies at bay!

Today I am looking at Maybelline's Anti-Age Primer 'The Smoother'. The first thing I have to say about this product is that it contains silicones, so if you find they break you out, or if you dislike the obviously silky, siliconey feel, then this primer will not be for you. I personally really like these kinds of primers though as I feel they go some way towards smoothing out all the lumps and bumps on my skin.

The product comes in a pot which looks to be fairly minute in size, however you only need a minuscule amount to cover your entire face so I can see it lasting a while. As a personal preference, I do tend to prefer products that come in tubes rather than pots but again, that is just one of my little quirks!

The primer appears as a translucent, thick gel which is invisible when applied. It smoothes on easily, (thanks to those silicones!) and feels very light on the skin. I could hardly tell I was wearing it! It claims to reduce the appearance of pores and fine lines, and whilst I couldn't really say it fulfills either of these promises, it did make my skin feel velvety smooth.

My foundation applied smoothly too, and I did find it applied a little easier than if I had not used a primer. In terms of extending my foundation's wear, it performed adequately lasting around seven hours before I saw any evidence of wear or movement. Without primer, foundation usually only lasts a few hours on me so this definitely extended the wear time.

Verdict

For a drugstore primer, this is a good product at a great price. Is it any better than other similar drugstore products such as L'Oreal's Studio Secrets primer? I'm not sure, but it is very affordable and  certainly  performs well for it's very reasonable price.  If you are happy using silicone primers, I would suggest giving it a go!

Price - £7

Where to buy - Boots, Superdrug 

Review: Laura Mercier Foundation Primer

This came in my Laura Mercier gift set that I purchased in the Space NK sale after Christmas and being fairly new to Laura Mercier, I was excited to give it a go.

 

The size primer I have is 30ml which is pretty generous as you only need a small, pea-sized amount to cover your whole face. The full sized tube is 50ml and I could see it lasting quite a while since you don’t need to use much. It isn’t cheap but it is priced in line with other premium beauty brands and you can often get small sizes in gift sets.

Not a pea-sized amount!

 

The primer itself is very light in consistency and glides onto the skin easily. It feels very comfortable to wear, almost like a moisturiser, and dries quickly so you don’t have to wait long before applying your foundation over it.

When using this, I did find that my foundation lasted a little longer and it certainly seemed to create a much smoother base for applying it. However I did end up feeling quite oily, especially on my t-zone where I am prone to oiliness anyway, and I actually felt it made these areas worse than they would have been had I not been wearing any primer. Laura Mercier state that this primer is suitable for all skin types, which I would disagree with. In my opinion this would suit those with dry or normal skin better. From looking on the website, I see that the brand also makes a oil-free version which I think I would be more suited to, so I may give that a try.

Verdict

Whilst I appreciate that I probably do not have the correct skin type for this primer and I would have been better with the oil-free formulation, I can see how it would work well for those with dry or normal skin. I loved the fact that it seemed to be absorbed into my skin rather than sitting on the surface feeling like I am wearing a silicone mask! It did prolong the wear of my foundation and didn’t break me out but I fear that, despite what it may say on the tube, this is not for all skin types and those with oily skin should give it a miss and try the oil-free version.

3.5/5

Price – £28

Where to Buy – Space NK, Liberty, House of Fraser