Seven primers tested on oily, dehydrated skin: Best and worst!

Heena

6 years ago

Seven primers tested on oily, dehydrated skin: Best and worst!

I always have had a love/hate relationship with primers. I love how they blur the size of my pores, make my skin feel silky soft and extend the wear time of my makeup but also hate how the best ones cause breakouts on my skin. Also, I’m very moody when it comes to primers. So, I could go on not wearing primers for six months and then, use them consistently for the next six months.

Anyhooo

These are the primers I have worn on and off for the last 1-3 years:

Hylamide HA blur primer:

This stuff is amazing! It has a very thick consistency with low spread ability. However, it does an job at reducing pore size and smoothening the skin to help foundation glide on well without adhering to dry patches. But I don’t use it in summer as I find it quite heavy and it makes my oily skin oilier. If you have a dry skin type with a lot of pores to fill in, you might like it.

Price: AUD23.95 for 30ml

Is it available in India? No

Miss Claire Studio perfect professional primer: No, it doesn’t fill in the pores. No, it doesn’t do anything for redness. No, it doesn’t extends the wear time of makeup by very long hours. But what it does is create a smooth finish after you’re done with your skincare products so that you need less foundation to get a neat finish. It also delays my foundation from disintegrating around my T-zone by some time. It wouldn’t exaggerate dry patches but also won’t do anything for them. Also, I wore it for an entire week without getting any reaction on my acne prone skin.

If you have an oily skin type, don’t rely on it to lend extra hours to your makeup in hot and humid weather. But if you decide to wear it on days when you mostly have to be under AC, it will work.

Price: Rs.450 for 30ml

Is it available in India? Yes, offline and online both. I purchased mine from Amazon HERE.

Smashbox photo finish primer water: People either love it or hate it. I belong to the latter category. Interesting concept, dud performance. The only thing I love about it is the VERY FINE MIST! If I happen to change my views on it in winters, I will update this post.

Price: Rs.2,650

Is it available in India? Yes

Deciem The Ordinary High Spreadability Fluid Primer:

This primer’s texture is also thick but lesser than Hylamide HA blur. It doesn’t do much to reduce the pore size but is more hydrating as compared to Hylamide HA blur. It also feels pretty light-weight and extends the wear time of my makeup in summer.

My main issues with it are related to packaging and that it doesn’t work well when worn with powder foundations. It piles.

Price: USD7.90

Is it available in India? No but you can buy it from CultBeauty

Maybelline master primer blur + smooth: This primer has a creamy consistency and is white in colour. It gets absorbed quickly and does a decent job at blurring pores. However, it has no mattifying properties. It’s best used for water-based base formulas.

Price: Rs.650

Kiko Milano Skin Trainer CC Blur 02 Medium:

This one has a light tint but offers no coverage. If you have an oily skin type minus large pores, I say try it. Because it’s pretty light-weight and controls oil well. I don’t like it much because it flares up the dry patches on my skin. I have an oily skin which is also prone to dehydration.

Price: Rs.2,070

Is it available in India? Yes

Smashbox photo finish oil free foundation primer: This is one primer I could get away with in summer as well in winter provided my skin is well hydrated. It is the only primer I own which gives me the best results in terms of how long my makeup wears for. I don’t know how it would work on very textured skin but for me it fills in pores and creates a smooth layer and has just the right consistency for my makeup to adhere to.

But BUT!

If I wear it for more than 2 days in a row, my skin breaks out badly. Yes, this is what I have deduced from experimenting with it multiples times. This is why I always buy the smaller version and reserve it only for days I really need it.

Price: Rs.1,600 for 15ml

Is it available in India? Yes, but online and offline on Sephora

Hope you liked this post on primers. Do you use primers? Which is your favourite one?