Battle of the Primers

I had two new primers that I was going to review separately. Then when it got down to it, I decided to put all my primers up against each other. Or at least the ones I use the most against each other.

So here's the ones we'll be discussing:

• Face To Face Super Matte AntiShine
• Nivea Sensitive Post Shave Balm
• Makeup Forever Step 1 Equalizer Mattifying Primer
• Makeup Forever Step 1 Equalizer Smoothing Primer
• Bare Minerals Blemish Remedy Mattifying Prep Gel

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So first lets talk about the Face To Face Super Matte AntiShine.

This is used on stage for theater makeup. A lot of times its used by itself with a powder over top. It's also used to dab over makeup in any areas that may get shiny. Including bald areas. So therefore, I thought this would be a high potent primer. It's definitely potent. It dries completely matte. COMPLETELY MATTE. I do find however that this works best on its own with something added to it for more coverage. Using it under foundation doesn't seem to work amazingly well. My foundation actually broke apart through the day and there for I wasn't too impressed. Not to mention this is listed for nearly $28 on Frends Beauty for 0.6 oz. Which is not a lot of product. It's a chunky thicker gel formula with slight color to it (it comes in three tints). Very slight color. This is something I would use to reduce shine or spot treat but I wouldn't go for this as a primer. I can't find if this is water or silicone based. There are not a lot of reviews out for this particular product. It has very few ingredients, which I like.

 Next up Nivea Sensitive Post Shave Balm.

Everyone and their mother has been talking this. EVERYONE. I feel like this originated from Nikki Tutorials. It went off like a rocket and dang it she was right! I got this, the scent is strong, and it's not that this primer works with longevity alone but it actually keeps your bronzer, blush and other products were you placed them without getting patchy. My makeup looked more airbrushed, smoother, and close to how I first applied it without shifting or moving through out the day. I apply it with just a brush, which is how I apply most of my primers because I tend to rub the skin with my hands and it balls up and rolls off. Isn't that a lovely picture, right? This is 3.3 oz for $5-$7 depending on where you buy. Now, keep in mind I got the "sensitive" one cause that's what I seen people using. I'm not sure if the others work as well as this formula. The bottle is nice and glass and the consistency is a thin milky gel/liquid. This is silicone based but it doesn't have Dimethicone which give you that "slip" feel in a primer.

Now onto the Makeup Forever primers. 

I'm sure I've reviewed these in the past but I'm including them because I still like them and until recently, rotated between the two I had, which are the Mattifying and Smoothing primers. I used the mattifying one on my teenage clients mainly. This is a potent, POTENT, primer. It's a bit thicker formula. It has no color. It's $37 though which is steep, even for 1 oz of product. You can buy the travel size which is 0.5 oz for $17. You don't need a lot either. This is another that I work in with a brush. It can be a little heavy though especially if you're not super oily or you apply too much. It's a product that has to be played with so I recommend getting a sample at Sephora and seeing if you do in fact need the mattifying primer. I like this primer for events as well. I've used it on several brides and also it's great for proms.

The other one is the Smoothing one. This comes out as a beige type color. I work this primer in with my fingers. This is a pore filler and smooths the skin of texture issues. It works fairly well at smoothing and I like it better than the POREfessional from Benefit or other pore fillers, the only problem I have is that when you use smoothing primers for whatever reason the "silicone feel" makes my makeup slide right off or increases my oil production. Now what you need to keep in mind about primers is that silicone based primers, won't work with "water based" foundations. So these new "serum/water" like foundations that are coming out, most of them probably are water based which is why they're so thin, thus a silicone primer won't work with that. Unfortunately those are the new trend though. Just something to be mindful of.

The Smoothing Primer has silicone, the Mattifying Primer is said to not be silicone based but it looks like it does have it some but it doesn't have Dimethicone. Also some people break out from silicone primers, I tend to think its from the Dimethicone because most primers have some form of silicone in it. So if you find yourself breaking out and you don't know why, switch up your primer and see if that helps. That is if you use a primer.  

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Last is kinda a surprising choice. Its the Bare Minerals Blemish Remedy Mattifying Prep Gel.

I was sent some of this to try. It's actually really good. It's very light weight and works great at mattifying the skin. It also uses Aspen Bark and Tea Tree Oil to promote clearer skin. Which is very interesting I think. I don't know for sure how well it works with problematic skin but as far as a primer, it's really good. Great actually. It's $24 for 1 oz. It's dermatologist tested and noncomedogenic therefore it's not going to cause you black heads. So if you have acne or are prone to break outs, I'd give this a go. This is silicone based and also has Dimethicone which makes it feel very silky. Which I typically don't like but this one isn't bad.

To be considered a "silicone based" product most of the forms of silicone will be listed near the top of the ingredient list. You can google the different ingredients to look for cause there are quite a few. If they are closer to the bottom then it's probably not silicone based. Most all primers include some water, because water is what thins product out or makes them liquid people so just because it has water in it doesn't always mean it's "water based". I recommend reading the details of the product in description sections online because usually a company will put "water based" or "silicone based" in the description of their product. Especially for foundations.