My very first primer was the Smashbox Photo Finish Light and I finished the whole bottle after 3 years. Since then I have tried other brands and that's when I learned that there are different types of primers for different needs/purposes.
Primers prep the skin prior to foundation application. I believe I have mentioned some of the benefits of using a primer in my review of e.l.f.'s Mineral Infused Face Primer.
So I got this new primer from NYX which is the HD Studio Photogenic Primer and it reminded me so much of Make Up For Ever's HD Primer. Thought they might be the same at a fraction of the price. Gave it a chance and brought it home with me. =)
Ok, they are not the same. This primer looks like my Duo eyelash adhesive hehehe =P It is a very opaque white primer with a slight blue tint. The first time I tried it I made a very big mistake of putting too much all over my face. I ended up looking shiny with all sorts of white cast on my face. Lessons learned: do not apply too much and blend this immediately before it dries. And it dries up fast! What I noticed is that it becomes sticky when it starts to dry and when this happens it will be very difficult to blend thus making the white color show through my foundation.
Here is a dot of primer against direct sunlight
I love the packaging. I guess this is what really made me pick this one up because it reminded me so much of MUFE HD primer. Plus, I'm a sucker for things marked with HD. =P The pump actually dispenses more product than what I need so I have to be very careful not to press all the way.
Blended primer against direct sunlight
Determined to make this product work and not waste money I have mastered the dot system which is an effective way of applying just enough and blending it properly. What I do is take a dot of primer then dab on my T-zone first then cheeks and lastly my chin. I then blend it out using my fingers which I find more effective than a brush (It is because of the sticky texture that makes it difficult to blend with a brush). If I need some more then I'll just take another dot... sorry if using this word sounds silly but I find it's the best way to describe the teeny tiny amount. =P
Finally, I was able to crack down this primer hehehe... To my surprise it actually photographs beautifully. It is also very effective in terms of keeping my olies at bay and making my foundation last longer. As for the HD part, it also improves the texture of the skin as shown in the image above. It has actually diminished the appearance of fine lines on the back of my hand.
It can be troublesome at first and patience is required but I believe this is a very good primer at a very inexpensive price of PhP600. =) xoxo
I never tried any NYX primers. I like my smashbox photofinish primer
ReplyDeleteHi Steph! I love Smashbox Photo Finish Primer as well but it's too expensive here in the Phils. So I'm still trying out other brands both expensive and not so expensive ones but to date Smashbox and MUFE are still at the top of my list. This one from NYX is not so bad for it's price. =)
ReplyDeleteSmashbox photo finish is one of my favourites too, i havent been able to find another primer which competes with it yet x
ReplyDeletewww.belleamourx.blogspot.co.uk
i picked this one up too because it reminded me of MUFE's primer. very much the same at first glance. :)
ReplyDeleteand true, it dries up too fast, no, extremely fast. :) i use my fingers when i apply this primer because it's hard to even it out if i use a brush. but it registers well on photos, much to my surprise, with just a "dot" of an amount. :)
great blog. i followed. :)
Smashbox Photo Finish Light primer was good until I met NYX HD Studio Photogenic Primer XD
ReplyDelete~Pauline @Kallony
Hi Pauline :) Thank you for reading my blog posts :) And yup I agree with you, I like NYX HD primer for doing the same thing as Smashbox Photo Finish primer minus the expensive price tag :)
ReplyDelete