BLOGMAS DAY 4: PRIMER

So todaaaaaay, we talk about Primer. Looking at the picture that gave me the idea to do all these posts, I figured I would list off a few primers I’ve been extra disappointed with this year. I gots some product photos today to show you so you’ll actually know what I’m talking about because I’ve sort of needed to high jack product photos from google for all the other posts I’ve put up on my blog (oops).

The first one I wanted to talk about was the Cover FX Blemish Treatment primer. I believe it was a friend of mine that gifted me this (Alicia, maybe?) and I remember I thought that it would be my saviour when my skin broke out. Needless to say, it did absolute squat for me. It has 0.5% Salicylic acid and its first listed ingredient is water, but It did nothing for me when it came to moisturizing my skin. The reviews and description on the Sephora website states that it’s supposed to “allow your blemishes to breathe under makeup” and blah blah blah, but I was more convinced that this was a gimmick when my skin continued to look the exact same, even when I used the primer with no makeup over top. The description online also states that it’s fragrance-free…. I beg to differ lmao.  Let me know, have any of you tried this product? I still have a bit of use out of the product in terms of time-to-expiry but let me know… How do you make this witchcraft work for you? You can purchase the Cover FX Blemish Treatment Primer HERE.

The Second primer I wanted to talk about was the Too Faced Hangover RX Primer. To be honest with you, I had soOooooo many high hopes for this guy. I see Nicole Guerreiro use it all the time (well, I mean she used to I’m not too sure anymore) but I remember for a long while, it was a constant part of her prep routine avant-foundation, and at the time I couldn’t justify paying the $40 it costs at Sephora, but the moment I saw that it was an 100 point perk, I snatched one right away. I know I could have gone in and asked for a sample but, I felt happier that I actually had something visually appealing to take a picture of. The primer itself wasn’t all that moisturizing on my skin, and THE SMELL OF COCONUTS. I’m not too big a fan to be quite honest with you, I could tolerate the slight sent of coconuts that comes from the Huda Beauty Liquid Lipsticks and the Too Faced Born this way concealer but, MAN. I just couldn’t with this one. It lingered around way too long for my liking and I just don’t like it. Instant regret. Could have spent that 100 points on something more valuable, you know. *sigh* but if you can get past all the things that I have to complain about, I feel you’d love this primer. You can purchase it on the Sephora website HERE.

Thirdly in my list of failed primers, is something that I thought I could skip out on, but the moment I realized its claim to “prime and illuminate”, I had to mention it. The Loreal Magic Lumi Illuminator… Man. I purchased the darker of the two shades just because I was tanned and thought it would be a dupe for the Gleam by Melanie Mills primer that Sonjdra Deluxe always uses… Which is odd that I’d even make that assumption because I haven’t even tried that primer but anyway. I am curious to know WHO has performed whatever wizardry to make this thing work. Because its luminosity is there, but the moment I realized how ginormous my pores looked right after, I aborted all missions and never used it again. You can find this guy at your local drugstore, all photos are listed below.

And last, but certainly not least… The infamous Nivea Men Aftershave Balm. Nikkie Tutorials was the founder of this hack, and I’m not going to lie- it worked for me for a long while. And then I started reading the (sometimes helpful, sometimes annoying) comments of social media dermatologists on Instagram and on YouTube pretty much BEGGING everyone to stop using this hack. I’m kind of upset that I didn’t listen earlier, because I’m 95% sure that this primer (having used it as religiously as I had been) is one of the main reasons why my skin has been such a pain in the ass lately. If you’re still brave enough, you can find this product in the Men’s Shaving aisle in your local drugstore.

And that’s that! I hope you have enjoyed this long, lengthy post. I feel out of all the products I’ve plopped on my face this year, Primers have definitely outnumbered everything else for more reasons than one. One, because I clearly haven’t realized that I should be saving my money, and two- because my skin’s been changing so much this year, I’ve needed to find the primers that can work with my misfortune.

Thank you so much for tuning back in, I’ll talk to you guys tomorrow.
-M

PS, pls enjoy my struggle trying to be a product photog master with a very stubborn kitty.