Welcome to our first blog wars post!
As we're at the beginning it's only fitting to start with primers. Primers can make or break your entire look, and there are quite a few out there. We'll be going over both face and eye primers in this post as they are both equally important.
At the end of each blog wars post we will tell you which product we love most.
Ready to find out which primers are worth the praise?
Face Primers:
Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer | $52
Amanda: Yes, this is the most expensive primer on the list. No, I do not want to pay this much for a primer. Yet there is a reason this primer is my favorite and the first primer listed when you look at face primers on Sephora's website. This primer is weightless silk on my skin. It evens out my skin and cancels any redness I may have from washing my face. It is the best at keeping me matte throughout the day, and it even has an SPF! This primer also contains dimethicone, but it's at the end of the ingredients list so I get the benefits of it without the nasty side effects.
Ashleigh: When Amanda first started using this I thought she was crazy. $52 for a primer? I think um... no. But then I got a sample of it using points with Sephora and now I hoard it and call it "The Precious." How much do I love it now? Well it doesn't sound quite so crazy to pay $72 for the jumbo size, because hey! If 1 oz costs $52 then getting 2 oz for $72 is a freaking STEAL. Just a note, you can get a .33 oz size of this for only $18 on the Sephora website and a little does go a long way so if you want to try it, look into that!
Ashleigh: When Amanda first started using this I thought she was crazy. $52 for a primer? I think um... no. But then I got a sample of it using points with Sephora and now I hoard it and call it "The Precious." How much do I love it now? Well it doesn't sound quite so crazy to pay $72 for the jumbo size, because hey! If 1 oz costs $52 then getting 2 oz for $72 is a freaking STEAL. Just a note, you can get a .33 oz size of this for only $18 on the Sephora website and a little does go a long way so if you want to try it, look into that!
Smashbox Photo Finish Primers | $36
Amanda: This primer caused me to break out even though I was using the oil free version. It's performance was good, but not worth the blemishes.
Ashleigh: Meh. That is all.
Ashleigh: Meh. That is all.
Benefit The POREfessional | $31
Amanda: This tinted primer is probably the one I've heard the most positive feedback on. I got a sample with 100 of my Sephora points sometime last year if I remember correctly. I literally threw the sample tube at my mirror when I was done applying my makeup. By the time my makeup was done I was already a shiny hot mess! I looked online and found out not only does this contain dimethicone but a lot of it, and in various forms. It's sad because I was so excited to try it and have it be my holy grail like it is for so many others.
Ashleigh: This product used to stay in my purse because the only thing I found it good for was for touching up my makeup throughout the day. The tint of it helped mask the makeup that was breaking down on my nose. Now I use Mally Poreless Face Defender and this product is stuffed at the back of a drawer somewhere.
Ashleigh: This product used to stay in my purse because the only thing I found it good for was for touching up my makeup throughout the day. The tint of it helped mask the makeup that was breaking down on my nose. Now I use Mally Poreless Face Defender and this product is stuffed at the back of a drawer somewhere.
BareMinerals Prime Time | $24
Amanda: This is not a bad primer. It keeps makeup in place, reduces shine, and feels smooth on application. HOWEVER, I find this primer *only* works with it's own brand's foundations. I have tried many brands and various formulas (powder, liquid, cream, cream to powder, etc.) and it's like I never used a primer at all. If you use BareMinerals, great! Look no further for a primer, but if you don't I would not purchase this. Remember, this is just how the primer works on my skin, if it works for you with other foundations I'm jealous!
Dr. Brandt Pores No More | $45
Amanda: I wanted to love this primer, due to it's claims and user reviews, but I really really don't like it. Thankfully I got a sample of this primer in one of my subscription boxes so I didn't spend the $45 on it to just turn around and return it. This primer did not make my pores no more. It caused product to settle into fine lines, and it dried my skin out to the point it started to flake. Trust me, drying my skin out to that extent is hard to do, let alone after only one use! If you have severe oily skin syndrome this would be a great primer for you, but it's not for me.
Too Faced Primed and Poreless | $30
Amanda: Normally primers with dimethicone early on the ingredient list cause me to produce excess oil but this one does not. I assume it is due to the retinol in this product and that helps balance things out. This primer does have a tint to it, so I guess you could wear it alone if you wanted to. I really like this primer and the way it works, but it's just not *as* good as the Hourglass primer. Due to the large cost difference ($30 vs $52) I do go back and forth between the two.
Tarte Clean Slate Poreless 12-Hr Primer | $30
Amanda: This is an amazing primer. It feels like velvet on my skin and my makeup applies beautifully over it. The only downside for me is (again) the amount of dimethicone in the primer. It is a silicone based primer, so that is to be expected. I just find that I have to have a *very* dry skin day in the dead of winter for this to work effectively and not turn me into an oil bomb.
Ashleigh: This is my go to primer, I love it. I use a product underneath it to help prevent becoming oily throughout the day so I don't find I have the problems with it that Amanda does. Also, because it's silicone based it just makes my skin super smooth and I love how easily makeup applies.
Eyeshadow Primers:
Ashleigh: This is my go to primer, I love it. I use a product underneath it to help prevent becoming oily throughout the day so I don't find I have the problems with it that Amanda does. Also, because it's silicone based it just makes my skin super smooth and I love how easily makeup applies.
Eyeshadow Primers:
Urban Decay Primer Potion | $20
Amanda: I really do love this primer. It works, it's weightless, and has great staying power. If you're not an ingredient "snob" like I am there is nothing wrong with this primer. If you are however, you will be disappointed to know that the Original and Sin formulas have parabens. Eden and Greed do not, but I personally don't like the finish of either of those formulas. If you do, more power to you!
Ashleigh: This is pretty much my every day eye primer. I rarely use anything else because with my eye primer I pretty much stick to the the mantra "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!" My eyelids get SUPER oily (TMI?) and this is one of few things that stick up to it. I pair this with MAC Paintpot in Painterly and my eyeshadow doesn't move at all.
Ashleigh: This is pretty much my every day eye primer. I rarely use anything else because with my eye primer I pretty much stick to the the mantra "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!" My eyelids get SUPER oily (TMI?) and this is one of few things that stick up to it. I pair this with MAC Paintpot in Painterly and my eyeshadow doesn't move at all.
Too Faced Shadow Insurance | $20
Amanda: The only, and I mean ONLY con to this product is you have to massage the tube when you first use it to ensure there is no product separation. The consistency is creamy, but not so thick that it causes blending/creasing issues. It feels weightless on my lids. Not only does my eyeshadow last all day, but the colors seem to be more vibrant/really pop. I used to use Urban Decay Primer Potion religiously even though it contained parabens, but now that I've been using this product I doubt my Primer Potion will ever get used again. This product has multiple finishes, from champagne to yellow for color correction so there is something for everyone.
Ashleigh: I don't know if it's the tubes I have, but no matter what I do mine have crazy separation and it's just a hot mess. No thank you.
Amanda: The only, and I mean ONLY con to this product is you have to massage the tube when you first use it to ensure there is no product separation. The consistency is creamy, but not so thick that it causes blending/creasing issues. It feels weightless on my lids. Not only does my eyeshadow last all day, but the colors seem to be more vibrant/really pop. I used to use Urban Decay Primer Potion religiously even though it contained parabens, but now that I've been using this product I doubt my Primer Potion will ever get used again. This product has multiple finishes, from champagne to yellow for color correction so there is something for everyone.
Ashleigh: I don't know if it's the tubes I have, but no matter what I do mine have crazy separation and it's just a hot mess. No thank you.
Benefit Stay Don't Stray | $26
Amanda: Stay Don't Stray is the most expensive eye primer on this list. It comes in two shades, light/medium and medium/deep. It doubles as an under eye concealer as well. Recently Benefit changed both the formula and the applicator, so this review is on the most recent version. I *hate* this reformulated primer. The consistency is like water and the coverage is very sheer. Sheer coverage is not an issue with an eye primer, but as an under eye concealer it's worthless. I am not fond of the applicator either. As a wand if you don't put the product on the back of your hand and use a brush to apply you run the risk of the wand building up with bacteria. Yuck! I usually like Benefit products but this one is just junk in my eyes.
Ashleigh: I had a sample of this. I put it on my lids, did my base color on one eye, and then promptly took it all off. In the time it took me to get more eyeshadow on my brush to put my base color on my second eye, my first one had creased. No. Thank. You.
Amanda: Stay Don't Stray is the most expensive eye primer on this list. It comes in two shades, light/medium and medium/deep. It doubles as an under eye concealer as well. Recently Benefit changed both the formula and the applicator, so this review is on the most recent version. I *hate* this reformulated primer. The consistency is like water and the coverage is very sheer. Sheer coverage is not an issue with an eye primer, but as an under eye concealer it's worthless. I am not fond of the applicator either. As a wand if you don't put the product on the back of your hand and use a brush to apply you run the risk of the wand building up with bacteria. Yuck! I usually like Benefit products but this one is just junk in my eyes.
Ashleigh: I had a sample of this. I put it on my lids, did my base color on one eye, and then promptly took it all off. In the time it took me to get more eyeshadow on my brush to put my base color on my second eye, my first one had creased. No. Thank. You.
Smashbox 24-Hr Photo Finish | $20
Amanda: This primer reminds me a lot of the Urban Decay Primer Potion. The consistency is much thicker so application can be tricky to ensure a smooth and even coat. Due to the consistency I could feel this primer on my eyelids where the other primers were essentially weightless. The staying power was good, but for me only lasted 8 to 9 hours, far from the 24 in the product name. If you're a Smashbox fan this is a good primer, but I wouldn't use it over other products in this post just due to the weight.
Ashleigh: Again... Meh.
Ashleigh: Again... Meh.
theBalm Put A Lid On It | $18
Amanda: I would love to write a review on this product, but I am allergic to it! At first I thought it was the eyeshadow I used since it was new to me as well. A few days later I tried the primer again with eyeshadow I know I don't have problems with, and found out fairly quickly it was the primer. I was surprised I had such a bad reaction to this product as theBalm is cautious (to some degree) about ingredients. Everyone is different though! For what little time I did wear this product I had no eyeshadow creasing and the product did apply smoothly, but that's all I can tell you.
Lorac Behind the Scenes | $21
Ashleigh: I have several samples of this primer and I've gotta say it's definitely a great primer that just hardly gets used in my collection. (That might change soon, be on the lookout for a post tomorrow for some news from me!) I find it to be very similar to the Primer Potion and it is probably very close to the Shadow Insurance if I didn't get defunked tubes.
Amanda: Ashleigh is right when she said this is very close to the Shadow Insurance. It's similar in consistency and performance. Why don't I use it? It's a WHOLE $1 more. I know, it's only a dollar but when you spend $52 on a face primer...every dollar counts!
NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base | $25
Ashleigh: This primer is up there in cost on our list, but I can't help but give it a shout out. Amanda hasn't really jumped on the NARS wagon yet. (She's too distracted by the Hourglass wagon) So I'm pretty sure she hasn't tried it. It works great as a base & my ONLY complaint is that it has no color. Because it has no color it does nothing to even out my lids so I always use it with my MAC Paintpot in Painterly. Really this is hardly a complaint because I use this product even with primers that do have some color to them to even out the color on my lids.
Ashleigh's Top Face and Eye Primer:
Toss up between Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer & Tarte Clean Slate and Urban Decay Primer Potion.
Amanda's Top Face and Eye Primer:
Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer and Too Faced Shadow Insurance
That's it for our first Blog Wars post! In honor of the fading Summer our next Blog Wars post will be on bronzers!
~Ashleigh and Amanda
Amanda: I would love to write a review on this product, but I am allergic to it! At first I thought it was the eyeshadow I used since it was new to me as well. A few days later I tried the primer again with eyeshadow I know I don't have problems with, and found out fairly quickly it was the primer. I was surprised I had such a bad reaction to this product as theBalm is cautious (to some degree) about ingredients. Everyone is different though! For what little time I did wear this product I had no eyeshadow creasing and the product did apply smoothly, but that's all I can tell you.
Lorac Behind the Scenes | $21
Ashleigh: I have several samples of this primer and I've gotta say it's definitely a great primer that just hardly gets used in my collection. (That might change soon, be on the lookout for a post tomorrow for some news from me!) I find it to be very similar to the Primer Potion and it is probably very close to the Shadow Insurance if I didn't get defunked tubes.
Amanda: Ashleigh is right when she said this is very close to the Shadow Insurance. It's similar in consistency and performance. Why don't I use it? It's a WHOLE $1 more. I know, it's only a dollar but when you spend $52 on a face primer...every dollar counts!
NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base | $25
Ashleigh: This primer is up there in cost on our list, but I can't help but give it a shout out. Amanda hasn't really jumped on the NARS wagon yet. (She's too distracted by the Hourglass wagon) So I'm pretty sure she hasn't tried it. It works great as a base & my ONLY complaint is that it has no color. Because it has no color it does nothing to even out my lids so I always use it with my MAC Paintpot in Painterly. Really this is hardly a complaint because I use this product even with primers that do have some color to them to even out the color on my lids.
Ashleigh's Top Face and Eye Primer:
Toss up between Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer & Tarte Clean Slate and Urban Decay Primer Potion.
Amanda's Top Face and Eye Primer:
Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer and Too Faced Shadow Insurance
That's it for our first Blog Wars post! In honor of the fading Summer our next Blog Wars post will be on bronzers!
~Ashleigh and Amanda
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