Primers Help Oily Complexions, But Which One Works Best?
As someone who suffers from oily skin and acne, foundation primer is a necessity. Not only does primer contain waxes and polymers that provide a smooth canvas for flawless application, it creates a bond between the skin and foundation that helps makeup last all day (which is essential since I don’t touch up throughout the day). One ingredient, the silica (or silica-type ingredient), also helps to control shine.
Like most people, I am a serial cheater when it comes to beauty products, using a product for a few weeks or months until another one catches my eye with prettier packaging or a miraculous new claim. Until this experiment, when it came to foundation primers, I was as loyal as they came. I’ve been using the same primer for the past two years but when I finished up my latest bottle, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to test out some new primers. Picking out the different primers to test was easy, but finding one that actually achieved my laundry list of requirements wasn’t: It had to minimize the appearance of pores and acne scars, control shine, provide a smooth base for foundation, spread easily (since I like to apply with my fingertips), and lend major staying power to my makeup. Click through the slideshow to see which primer came out on top.
Not recommended:
Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch This makeup base has a whipped consistency and left my skin baby smooth. It contains ac...
Not recommended:
Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch This makeup base has a whipped consistency and left my skin baby smooth. It contains acacia micro pearls which filled in and smoothed over my pores and acne scars to provide a soft-focus effect, leaving my skin looking more radiant than it has in years. Unfortunately, while it made my makeup look great on application, it melted away after about six hours, leaving my face a greasy mess.
Photo: Courtesy photo
Not recommended:
Laura Mercier Foundation Primer Radiance This illuminating primer did nothing for me in terms of prepping the skin for makeup a...
Not recommended:
Laura Mercier Foundation Primer Radiance This illuminating primer did nothing for me in terms of prepping the skin for makeup application or extending the life of my foundation. And because I use a full-coverage foundation, the ‘radiance’ was imperceptible. This will be better for those lucky people who are looking to enhance their skin rather than correct it.
Photo: Courtesy photo
Not recommended:
Sunday Riley Effortless Breathable Tinted Primer This is a super-lightweight mousse (I didn’t feel like I had anything on) that...
Not recommended:
Sunday Riley Effortless Breathable Tinted Primer This is a super-lightweight mousse (I didn’t feel like I had anything on) that dries to a satin finish. Like the Laura Mercier, it didn’t do much to help with pores or foundation staying power. It works better as a tinted moisturizer, minimizing the redness around my nose and brightening my skin. Since it’s only available in limited shades, those with darker skin tones are out of luck.
Photo: Courtesy photo
Not recommended:
L’Oreal Studio Secrets Professional Magic Perfecting Base I love a good drugstore beauty find but this was not that. Although i...
Not recommended:
L’Oreal Studio Secrets Professional Magic Perfecting Base I love a good drugstore beauty find but this was not that. Although it did a great job smoothing out my skin and providing a nice base for makeup, it felt really heavy on my skin and didn’t help my makeup last any longer than usual. The texture was also really thick — more like a putty than a mousse — which made it harder to spread on my skin. I felt like I was wasting a lot of it, which is a bummer considering how small the pot is.
Photo: Courtesy photo
Recommend With Reservations:
Nars Pro-Prime Light Optimizing Primer This formula helped my makeup stay put and did provide a subtle sheen to ski...
Recommend With Reservations:
Nars Pro-Prime Light Optimizing Primer This formula helped my makeup stay put and did provide a subtle sheen to skin, but did little to smooth and even out the surface of my skin. The primer has a pleasant cinnamon scent, which fades soon after the soft balm is applied to skin.
Photo: Courtesy photo
Recommend With Reservations:
Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer SPF20 With Dermaxyl Complex This primer seemed more lightweight than previo...
Recommend With Reservations:
Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer SPF20 With Dermaxyl Complex This primer seemed more lightweight than previous Smashbox versions I had tried, but was still thick enough that it seemed to fill in my pores and acne scars. It went on a little greasy but dried down to a satin finish that kept my makeup intact for most of the day. But by day's end, I saw my T-zone was getting shiny.
Photo: Courtesy photo
Recommend With Reservations:
NIP+FAB Viper Venom Wrinkle Fix I can’t vouch for the anti-aging properties in this primer because I don't have wri...
Recommend With Reservations:
NIP+FAB Viper Venom Wrinkle Fix I can’t vouch for the anti-aging properties in this primer because I don't have wrinkles, but it did leave my skin feeling smooth. It also minimized the appearance of my pores. It does have a noticeable herbal smell (I guess it’s what viper venom smells like?) that I didn’t mind, but those with sensitive noses might want to steer clear. Although it left my face shine-free for eight-plus hours, it dried tacky and felt heavy on my skin all day.
Photo: Courtesy photo
Recommended:
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Primer A makeup artist friend of mine recommended this primer to me, so I knew right off the bat th...
Recommended:
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Primer A makeup artist friend of mine recommended this primer to me, so I knew right off the bat that it was going to be good, but I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did. The clear gel primer reminded me of a serum — it spread easily over my skin and felt super-hydrating — although it did take a minute for it to set. It didn’t make my pores look any smaller, but it did achieve the herculean feat of helping my makeup last for over fifteen hours.
Photo: Courtesy photo
Recommended:
Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer This primer has been my mainstay for the past two years and, after this test, now I understand why. T...
Recommended:
Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer This primer has been my mainstay for the past two years and, after this test, now I understand why. The milky consistency spreads easily over the skin but dries down to a powdery finish that helps my foundation go on super smooth. It doesn’t do much to minimize pores, but the water-resistant primer keeeps my T-zone matte and my cosmetics in place all day.
Photo: Courtesy photo
Highly Recommended:
By Terry Hyaluronic Hydra-Primer This primer has a cooling effect which left my skin feeling refreshed, soft, and smooth. No...
Highly Recommended:
By Terry Hyaluronic Hydra-Primer This primer has a cooling effect which left my skin feeling refreshed, soft, and smooth. Not only did this primer keep my skin feeling hydrated, I was particularly impressed with the staying power it lent to my foundation.
Photo: Courtesy photo
Highly Recommended:
Becca Ever-Matte Poreless Priming Perfector This primer was the thickest of the bunch, which made it great for minimizing po...
Highly Recommended:
Becca Ever-Matte Poreless Priming Perfector This primer was the thickest of the bunch, which made it great for minimizing pores, yet harder to smooth onto the skin. Warming it up in my palms for a few seconds made for a more seamless application. It left the skin with a super-matte finish and I was able to forego my usual finishing powder. Even without the powder, my makeup lasted the whole day.
Photo: Courtesy photo
All-Around Winner:
Too Faced Primed & Poreless Skin Smoothing Face Primer The holy grail of primers, the creamy formula spread easily and l...
All-Around Winner:
Too Faced Primed & Poreless Skin Smoothing Face Primer The holy grail of primers, the creamy formula spread easily and left my skin feeling baby-smooth and my pores looking practically nonexistent. It had a fleshy tint that dried clear, which somehow left my skin brighter and more even. (This allowed me to use a lighter hand when applying foundation.) Sometimes I find that mattifying primers leave my skin looking dry after a few hours, but this primer kept my complexion looking fresh all day while still keeping shine in check.
Photo: Courtesy photo
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