*Milk; LORAC aquaPRIME™ (review)

Product description: A revolutionary water-based makeup primer. Moisturizes and prepares your skin for silky smooth makeup application with a lightweight, colorless gel texture that's oil-, fragrance-, and silicone-free.

aquaPRIME™ contains sodium hyaluronate, which hydrates and helps diminish the appearance of fine lines, creating an ultra smooth canvas for perfect, long-lasting, luminous makeup.

Retail price: $30 for 1.35 oz (40 ml)

I was immediately sold after reading the product description. Best of all, it's not only oil-, fragrance-, and silicone-free, this primer is also free of parabens! The product promises to keep your skin moisturized and to help make up last longer. Keep reading to find out if they were able to keep their promise!


The product

The texture of the primer resembles that of a moisturizing serum. It is very lightweight and slightly runny. The best way to describe the consistency is that it is thicker than water, but lighter than a gel (moisturizer). It feels very refreshing and soothing on my dry skin.

Although it claims to hydrate, it is still a primer and therefore does not really 'absorb' into the skin. Rather, it feels as if it 'coats' the skin making it feel and appear smoother. Unlike most primers which contain silicone, it does not feel as if it is suffocating your pores. The last thing you want is a heavy feeling primer and then having to apply layers of make up on top of it.

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Polysorbate 20, Triethanolamine, Phenoxyethanol, Methylisothiazolinone, Di-Sodium EDTA.

The primer comes in a tube with an pump which is great for sanitary purposes, but I often have difficulty dispensing the product as the pump does not have a attached hose to reach the product as per usual. Instead you need to hold the tube so that the pump is facing down in order for the product to flow downwards.

The verdict

This primer definately helps with making my foundation last longer. I am currenly using a cleansing milk and a cotton pad to remove my face make up and I can easily tell how much foundation I have left on my face as I wipe with my cotton pad.

Obviously the lasting power differs depending on your skin type and the weather conditions in your country. It has not been very hot and humid in the Netherlands, so I can't say much for those who live in places with more extreme weather conditions.

Although it has hydrating properties, it does not substitute a regular moisturizer. I do not feel that it makes a huge difference as far as hydration goes, but it certainly does not make my skin any drier.

The only negative things I can think of to say about this product is that it does not have any color correcting properties. It does not do anything in terms of brightening or evening out the skintone. aquaPRIME™ also does not offer any sun protection, so I always have to wear a seperate sunscreen underneath it, but it does not bother me too much as the primer itself is so lightweight.

Rating: 4/5


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*Milk; Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch (review)

I've been meaning to write a haul post but the majority of the things hasn't arrived yet. Hopefully it will arrive soon cause I ran out of some skincare products and foundation. I feel desperate!

One of the items I bought in the past couple of weeks is the 'Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch' make up base. I decided to buy it after reading a lot of good reviews on the Sephora website.



Description

Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch

This modern, magic makeup base with innovative line-filling technology instantly banishes lines, wrinkles, and enlarged pores with acacia micro pearls to reveal a complexion that's near perfect.

Apply over your daytime moisturizer, concentrating on areas that are finely lined or less than smooth. Can also be mixed with foundation.

The product

The make up base is like pink and has a soft, almost mousse like texture. It may seem thick in the jar, but once applied to the face; it melts right into the skin. I love how smooth this makes my skin feel, but I still have my doubts whether or not this is my HG primer.

In terms of making my foundation last longer, I still think my 'MAC Prep + Prime SPF50' does a better job. I've never tried the 'MAC Line Filler Base', but the 'Clarins Instant Smooth Perfect Touch' does an amazing job at smoothing out the complexion. The pores around my nose look less noticable when I apply this. When using this, make sure you allow it to settle for about 1 ~ 2 minutes.

Another thing that I like is that even though this primer does not have any color correcting properties, it still gives my skin an extra glow. My skin looks a lot more luminous than with any other primer that I own. ♥





The verdict

I absolutely don't regret buying this product even though it retails for $30 USD for only 15ml of product. A little definitely goes a long way. This would no doubt be my HG primer if only it had some kind of SPF in it. Also, I find that it does not make my foundation adhere better to my skin. So would I repurchase it? Yes, I would. It makes my complexion look absolutely radiant! If you have any kind of fine lines, enlarged pores or dry patches on your face, I would highly recommend this product to you.

Rating: 4.5/5

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*Milk; Banila Co. Prime Primer Mineral (review)

Ah, my first product review and it is going to be about the 'Banila Co. Prime Primer Mineral'.

Banila Co. is a Korean brand and the primers are one of its most popular products. Unfortunately, all information given on their website is in Korean so I pretty much know as little about the company as you guys do. ^^;


The primer comes in three different versions. There is 'Prime Primer Matte' which is for oily skin, the regular 'Prime Primer' which is for normal/combination skin and of course, the 'Prime Primer Mineral', which is for dry skin types.


Packaging.



The primer comes in a glass bottle with a pump dispenser and contains 30ml of product.

The product.

I was surprised to find that the primer was lavender colored since it was not mentioned in the product description and it looked white in the provided photos. I was quite pleased since I wanted to try a lavender primer anyways cause Fuzkittie keeps raving about how it helps brighten up your complexion.

Now the scent might be a problem since it is quite heavy. Personally, it doesn't bother me too much cause it is quite a nice floral fragrance, but if you dislike (strongly) scented products, then this might not be for you.

The consistency is relatively thick, especially compared to the 'Make Up For Ever HD Primer' which is slighly runny. (The consistency may vary depending on the type of the Banila Co. primer) After I applied it, I can clearly notice that my skintone looks brighter and more even. It also leaves the skin feeling smoother, it feels somewhat similar to 'Prep + Prime' by MAC.







It is quite difficult to tell from the picture, but in person you can tell that it looks brighter.

What I really like about this product is that it makes my skin look more luminous and dewy even after I apply my foundation. Normally my foundation can look a bit powdery because my skin is dry.

I would say that this would work really well during the winter time since it does feel more hydrating than the 'MUFE HD Primer' but it's maybe a bit too thick for the summer, especially since I have to put on my sunscreen underneath it.

The verdict.

Overall, I quite like this product but it is a bit hard to rate it since I do not have any other lavender colored primer to compare it with. In terms of brightening the skin and making my foundation last I am quite pleased, therefore I'll give it a 4 out of 5.

Pros: Brightens and smoothes out the skin. Is quite hydrating. Comes in different versions to match skintype.
Cons: Relatively hard to find. Strong scent. Does not contain SPF. All information is given in Korean.

Rating: 4/5

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