Is the expensive primer worth it? Make-up Review Series: Primer Edition

I believe I wrote in a prior post about wanting to do reviews on every product I can remember using. I'm going to start with primers. I've tried mainly just these four primers, so it made for a less overwhelming place to start. Plus if you use one it's the first make-up item you probably use on you face. Hence I'm starting at the very beginning :)

So here we go from left to right:

Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Pre-Foundation Skin Primer: This was the first primer I ever tried. I expected it to work miracles. I bought it about 4 years ago, it was before drug store brands really started making primers. I had read in magazines how primers would smooth your skin, reduce pore size, and improve your foundation's appearance and staying power. 

 I really liked this product, but it never met all of those expectations for me. It was almost like a lotion. I felt like it was very good for my skin and that it helped my foundation go on smoother. I didn't ever notice much of a difference though in my foundation appearing better on my skin with this product nor did I feel that the foundation lasted longer.


Pros:
felt good on my skin
moisturized
smooth texture/smooth foundation application

Cons:
didn't see much improvement in foundation performance with product
expensive


Overall:
4/5 stars



Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer Light: I tried this once I ran out of the auto pilot primer. Boy are they different! The auto pilot is more of a lotion like moisturizing primer. This is more of a mattifying gel/silicone like primer. I chose this one at Ulta because I felt the auto pilot maybe didn't do miracles because it was too much like a moisturizer. I also had (still have) oily skin at the time and felt this would help combat that and hence make my foundation last longer.

From the beginning I did not like how drying this was. It was very silky/powdery, which was nice in a way, but it was also a little too drying, even for my oily skin. Maybe if I would have gotten the regular version this would have helped. I also felt like my foundation and it did not get along well together. It was hard to get this applied evenly enough for it to be a good even base for under my foundation. For me this product was a struggle to use and I never mastered how to make it work for me.

Pros:
silky finish

Cons:
drying
expensive
did not work with my foundation well


Overall:
2.5/5 stars




Benefit the POREfessional Pore Minimizing Makeup Primer: I got this is in the fa la la flawless kit they did last year at Christmas. I had heard great things about its ability to shrink pores especially.

It was very, very silky and went from the gel to the dry product really really quickly, which made it difficult for me to blend it and apply it evenly. I never saw it do anything really with my pores, my foundation still applied over my pores basically the same.

Pros:
silky finish

Cons:
drying (not so great on combo skin)
not poreless
expensive
hard to apply

Overall:
2.5/5 stars



e.l.f. Studio Mineral Infused Face Primer: I tried this about two years ago. I ordered it online and it is the only one of these primers that I have repurchased and that I would repurchase.

This was also slightly drying as it is a gel primer. It applied very silkily but I was able to feel like I could apply it evenly before it dried. I noticed a slight difference with foundation application and wear. The bottle does not come with a ton of product.

Pros:
silky finish
cheap
easy to apply
not as drying as other gel primers
improves foundation application, wear and longevity somewhat

Cons:
not a large amount of product
somewhat drying
not a huge difference in foundation appearance

Overall:
3.5/5 stars



The bottom line is that the only one of these I would repurchase today would be the elf primer. I haven't noticed a huge difference with primers and I do not feel they are worth large amounts of money. I actually like the auto pilot primer better, but not enough to pay the price to buy more of it. Out of the three gel primers, I actually liked the elf primer the best. Most online reviews of the elf primer are as favorable as reviews of the smashbox and benefit primer so I must not be the only one who feels it is a good product.



Thanks for reading!!

Do you feel primer makes a difference?  Comment below if you want to share your opinion :)