Thursday, March 10, 2011

fundamentals...a primer.

Primer helps your make-up to last longer, smooths fine lines, and fills in pores, giving you a seemingly marble visage. This is very important if you like to sport a perfect deadly pale look as I do. Primer has been by far one of the hardest components of my make-up kit to find a healthy version of. I have tried almost every one Sephora has to offer. My favorite product was Smashboxes Photo Finish, but it's filled with all sorts of beasty ingredients. I loved how it made my skin feel though, and it filled every little crack and crevice like spackle! Here are some of the products I tried on my pilgrimage to primer perfection...


Bare Escentuals Prime Time Oil Control Foundation Primer
  • Price: $21 for 1oz.
  • Can be found at Sephora.com or BareEscentuals.com
  • First impressions: Yay it doesn't have silicone!
  • Cons: Pricey for just an ounce. Isn't as silky or smooth as products with silicones.
  • Pros: It has witch hazel and other anti acneic ingredients.
Prime time worked fairly well. I could still see some imperfections after I applied my powder however.











    Korres Vitamin E/Silicone Free Face Primer
    • Price: $28 for 1.01oz.
    • Can be found at Sephora.com and KorresUSA.com
    • First impression: I like the minimalist packaging.
    • Cons: Takes a long time to rub in. Felt almost soapy.
    • Pros: Is silicone free.
    Overall this primer took some getting used to. It seemed to froth up on my skin almost like soap and took a good while to rub in completely. I gave it several tries. but it didn't manage to impress.






     Korres Quercetin and Oak Age Reversing Primer

    • Price: $33 for 1.01 oz.
    • Can be found at Sephora.com and KorresUSA.com
    • First impression: Felt a little silkier than the regular primer.
    • Cons: Didn't help foundation glide on.
    • Pros: Is silicone free.
    The texture of this primer made me hope it would be better than Korres original formula. Once I put it on and got it all rubbed in it went sticky and my foundation wouldn't glide on how I like. I tried it on another occasion and got a little better result. Still not worth the price for such mediocre performance.






     Vapour Organic Beauty Stratus Soft Focus Instant Skin Perfector

    • Price: $54
    • Can be found at vapourbeauty.com
    • First impression: Pricey!
    • Cons: The price.
    • Pros: Feels just like Photo Finish!! Comes in a few different shades.
    This primer is so silky! It smooths without feeling as heavy as my beloved Photo Finish. This was an unexpected bonus, especially when layering so many products as I do to get my palest pale when going out. So pleased to have found something just as good as, if not better than, Smashbox and without all the crap!







    Vapour Organic Beauty Stratus Instant Skin Perfector

    • Price: $44
    • Can be found at vapourbeauty.com
    • First Impression: A convenient stick form!
    • Cons: A little harder to blend than the cream form.
    • Pros: Can apply stick directly to face.
    Haven't much negative to say about the stick form of this primer other than I have a little more trouble blending it on my nose. I'm sure some practice will eliminate any issues.

      2 comments:

      1. What's the issue with silicon? Honestly, it's been about 15 years since I wore makeup, so I don't know.

        BTW, do any of these products list ALL the ingredients? I never quite believe them when they say "nontoxic" or such.

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      2. Most cosmetic silicones are petroleum derived. Steph at BnB has a good article about them here http://www.bubbleandbee.com/Chemical%20Database.html
        I checked all these product ingredients while I was evaluating them because I don't trust cosmetic company claims either. They have to list all their ingredients somewhere. If they aren't on their website then they are usually on the packaging. When I am researching healthy products a big tip off to their being not so great is the site will make the ingredients list hard to find, or list only "key" ingredients and not everything inside the product. That's why I love Vapour Organic. They list everything inside their products on their site in plain view. You also should check your favorite products formulas from time to time because they can change and add something not so great. :/

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