WHETHER your makeup looks dry, oily, or doesn’t stay on long enough, primer is usually the answer.
It’s not flashy or glamorous, but it makes a world of difference.
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This week I am trying three new products.
Budget
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L’ORÉAL Paris Prime Lab 24h Matte Setter Primer, £11.99, 35ml, boots. com: Matte skin is back – and judging by the spring/summer catwalks, by a large margin.
Instead of throwing out your foundation for a new one, adding a matte primer can instantly reduce shine and help boost the staying power of more radiant bases.
L’Oreal Paris is one of my favorite high street brands, so I had high hopes for this brand, which launched last month.
Fortunately, it lived up to my expectations and then some.
The lightweight formula blurs imperfections and helps reduce oil production without feeling drying or heavy, and it doesn’t get under my skin come up with which can often be a problem with similar products.
It is definitely a 10/10 for me, but I will not be wearing it every day as I still prefer a more shimmery skin finish.
Mid range
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CIATE London Dewy Skin Vitamin C Glass Glow Primer, £28, 30ml, lookfantastic.com: When this primer’s foundation counterpart launched two years ago, I was hooked.
It was the first so-called “skin tone” that gave me enough coverage to make the time and effort I put into applying it worth it – so many don’t have nearly enough coverage, which feels like a waste of time. money.
So when this landed on my desk I was pretty sure I would like it.
The vitamin C works long-lasting to even out discoloration, and the formula is super hydrating, so I found I could skip my moisturizer underneath.
The glow isn’t quite glassy so if you want that extra luminous finish you might be disappointed.
Moreover, I noticed that it did not extend the wear time of my makeup any longer than usual skin care do.
But it is a wonderful product to use and feels more expensive than the price tag.
Luxury
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DIOR Forever Glow Veil, £40, 30ml, boots. com: While this falls under the makeup category, the high-tech skincare ingredients like glycerin, squalane, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin E, as well as tons of flower extracts, almost make it a hybrid product.
And it comes with a 24-hour moisture claim that even some specialty day creams don’t live up to.
While I can’t say I lasted all day and night to test that, my skin feels much plumper and smoother when I use the primer.
I’ve tried it with multiple foundations, and they all look better with this underneath.
Plus, it helps disguise the dry skin on my cheeks without feeling rubbery or dusty.
It’s not often you find a hydrating primer that helps your makeup stay on longer, as nourishing ingredients normally break down the pigments in makeup, but this ticks all the boxes.
Choice of the week
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I am a big fan of Bootsown-brand skincare, and this week it launched a new product in its vitamin C range.
Boots Vitamin C PRO, £6, is the most powerful product to date and promises to brighten skin in just seven days.
This month it also introduced a “save up to half price on the brands you love” promotion.
Using customer survey data, the store has identified the most popular brands with customers and offers offers of up to 50 percent off those lines, including Soap & Glory, Dove and Maybelline.