benefit the POREfessional

Quickly minimize the appearance of pores & fine lines for smoother-than-smooth skin! Apply this silky, lightweight balm alone, under or over makeup. Translucent, oil-free formula complements all skintones and helps makeup stay put. Contains a Vitamin E derivative, known to protect skin from free radicals. (source)

Product may be used as a primer before foundation or above makeup.

I usually use my fingers to apply the product, but one may use a brush or a sponge depending on one's preference. I would have to say that I need or use about 2 1/2 squeezes of the product to cover my whole face.

LIKES:

• It smells lovely. It has a subtle and clean scent.
• Makes my skin smooth and silky.
• Did not break me out.
• Comes in a tube - hygienic. Tube dispenses the right amount of product with a gentle squeeze.
• Translucent - Does not leave a cast and blends wonderfully.
• Light weight - Does not feel heavy on the skin.
• Blurs out skin imperfections.
• Can be used as a primer and can be applied over or on top of makeup.

DISLIKES:

• Not crazy about the balmy-feel of the product although it no longer bothers me once I have it on.
• Does nothing for my skin's oiliness.
• Not cheap.
• Not long lasting - lasts up to 4 hours on my super oily skin. Keeps my oiliness at bay for around a couple or hours or so.

1. swatch
Goes on translucent and blends perfectly on the skin.

2. blending

You may notice the texture is rather balm-like from the picture above. The product is very easy to blend and apply on skin. Once applied it feels like other silicone based primers i.e. Smashbox's photo finish.

3. blended

I'm not sure if you noticed the difference but it made my skin smoother and the lines became less visible, as if the marks, pores and spots were blurred like a camera on soft focus.

benefit stay don't stray

Who doesn't love eyeshadows? We all have our favorites but we all need a decent eyeshadow primer to bring out the best in those eyeshadows and make them last for as long as we need them to! Creasing and fading eyeshadows aren't very appealing so a good eye primer is a must! There are just so many eyeshadow primers out in the market today. I have the Original UDPP and Etude House Proof 10 eye primer which I have previously compared HERE.

Benefit says:

This dual-action power primer works 360° degrees around the eyes to make concealers AND eyeshadows STAY PUT. Concealers don't crease, eyeshadows stay vibrant and true...you'll wonder how you ever lived without it! Comes in a neutral nude shade that is universally flattering and a custom airless pump that is sooo easy to use - just a dab'll do ya! Sodium Hyaluronate hydrates and fills in fine lines. Vitamins C & E help fight signs of aging.

SRP - 1,400 Php (I bought mine from Sephora.)

360° simply means you can apply it on your lower and upper eye area. What's great about this is its dual purpose for it can also conceal and brighten the under eye area. No need for a separate concealer, especially if the dark areas under your eyes and eyebags aren't that bad. 

It comes in a pump bottle which I kind of like and dislike. I like that it's hygienic but  the pump because it may tend to dispense more than I need at times. 

10.0mL 0.33 US fl. oz.

Directions:

Gently pump a small amount onto the back of your hand. Apply 3 tiny dots under your eyes with fingertips & blend. Next apply 3 dots on eyelids & blend. Let set, then apply concealers and eyeshadows as usual.

I use my fingers or apply half a pump on the back of my hand to warm up the product. I find the consistency to be a bit heavy but creamy and easy to apply.

First picture - swatch

Second picture - blending the product 

Third picture - blended on NC30 skin.

Top row - with stay don't stray

bottom row - without primer

Does it make eyeshadow pigments stand or pop out more? Well, you be the judge. :)  

I did notice thoughdoes make certain eye shadow colors more vivid as you would see from the swatches above.

Left with Benefit SDS; Right without.

Eyeshadows from Bottom to topt: Paul & Joe Eye Color B in 003 Tranquility, Lancome Radiant Smoothing Eye Shadow Duo in Velvet Corail (Darker shade), Lancome Radiant Smoothing Eye Shadow Duo in Velvet Corail (Lighter shade), Paul & Joe Pearl Powder in 04 After Glow, Urban Decay in Vanilla, Junkshow, Tainted and Deep End.

OBSERVATIONS:

- Spreadable and creamy. (Like sandwich spread. LOL! :P)

- Not greasy.

- Hygienic pump bottle.

- Can be used as an eyeshadow primer, brightener and concealer.

- Provides a good base for eyeshadow/s. 

- Makes certain eyeshadow colors stand out a bit more.

- Does what it claims and makes eyeshadows last for looooong without creasing!

NARS Pro-Prime Pore Refining Primer

NARS Pro-Prime Pore Refining Primer.

I have been using this product a lot lately as some of you may have noticed. I picked it up on my haul HERE because I was looking for a good primer. Some of you requested a review on this, so I obliged. :)

Pro-Prime™ Pore Refining Primer - Oil-Free  

What it is: An oil-free gel primer.  

What it does: This gel primer instantly refines the look of pores, regulates shine, and creates a matte surface to the skin for smooth and long-wearing makeup application. Mineral Powders manage oil in the T-zone while blurring the look of pores, fine lines, and wrinkles.

The packaging is very "NARS" like in my opinion; nothing fancy, but not tacky either. It does tend to dispense a lot of product at times because it's hard to control the squeeze tube.

This is light weight compared to other primers that I have used and does not feel like it contains silicone. I would say the texture is sort of a mixture of milk and gel. :P It is thicker than milk but is thinner than most gel products that I have used. One thing that I particularly like about it is that it absorbs quickly. However, that also means that it won't give you enough time to apply it to your whole face. 

TIP: I usually do my face in sections when I use this. :D

After rubbing/patting the it will disappear and sink in to the skin.  

PROS:

- Fast absorbing and light weight. 

- No flashback - Photogenic.

- Makes makeup last longer.

- Makes fine lines and wrinkles less visible.

- has skincare benefits.

CONS:

- Expensive.

- Does nothing for my pores.

- Does not make skin smooth nor does it make foundation glide like other primers do.

NEUTRAL:

- Keeps my face matte for a while but after more than 4-6 hours it starts to get oily again.

- Smell is reminiscent of herbs but the scent dissipates after a few minutes. It does not bother me but those with very sensitive olfactory senses may find the scent bothersome.

- I broke out after I used this but I have used a lot of products at that time so I'm not sure which one broke me out.

OVERALL:

✔ means I agree with what NARS said and X means I disagree -
X -87% felt that the surface of their skin was smoothed
X -78% thought the product controlled shine all day long
✔-97% felt that this product left their skin feeling soft
X -94% felt that their skin was soothed and comforted
X - 87% thought the product made powder, blush, and bronzer application easier

I do like it, but I'm not inlove with it. I will just finish the whole tube and move on to another primer like I usually do. I am still searching for my HG primer.

Heads up NARS lovers - Robi of NARS Makati texted me and said that they are going to have a 10% discount on all NARS items for every 5,000Php worth of purchases from August 12- 14. :)

YAY! I'm finally catching up on my backlog. I can start buying makeup again.. LOL! xD
I kid, I kid. :P

Have a great week everyone!

PRODUCT REVIEW - Pureglow's Mineral Primer Serum with Red Clay and Rose Powder

Hi everyone! I thought I'd do a review of product/s that I am using since I have time on my hands. Hopefully, I won't get too lazy to update. And yes, I keep saying that I am lazy because I really am. 

So, the first product I decided to review is pureglow's mineral serum primer. :) I got it from

http://pureglow.multiply.com 

Ms. Jamie Tan the owner of the site is very helpful and accommodating - I have been purchasing stuff from her for more than a year I think. I started out with her venus and mars products and I kept ordering from her since all her products are effective and as I said, she is really nice. Having to deal with a lazy or grumpy seller is just isn't my cup of tea.

Product description from http://pureglow.multiply.com -

"PUREGLOW's MINERAL YOUTHFUL SKIN BENEFITTING PRIMER contains Rose powder, Red Clay, Olive Squalene, Silica, Vit E, Tea Trea extracts perfectly blended to make your face oil and shine free, healthy, hydrated and make your makeup stay on LONGER than you can imagine. :) The primer comes in a mauve hue but is COLORLESS upon application. It also FEELS so LIGHT on the skin!"

Here is a picture of the primer I grabbed from Ms. Jamie's site:

 (I think I'm supposed to put a picture of the product I have here but then, mine's almost empty, that's why I decided to write a review about this product anyway. I have been thinking of ordering it again.)   

I have been using this as my everday primer. I apply about two pumps of the product on my face. Even if I don't put makeup on, I still use it, because it makes my skin smooth and silky. It has an earthy mauve color, and isn't clear like some primers but I really don't mind since it comes as colorless when applied. It does make makeup application easier since my skin is smoother and the brushes and sponge just glide on whenever I use it.

It does make my makeup stay on longer and I don't get as oily as I usually do (Please note that my skin is really really oily). It also helps cover my large pores and evens out my skin. 

Pureglow's primer is also budget friendly since the 20ml bottle is only Php 335. Compared to other high-end products on the market, which I buy every now and then, Pureglow doesn't disappoint. It is fairly as competitive in terms of performance. One of the best parts is it doesn't hurt the pocket. 

The only downside to this product is the packaging :( Mine has spilled for countless times whenever I bring it with me. But then again, it's the primer inside and not the packaging that I am after.

So if I were to give it a score it would be - 4.5/5

 Sugar ^-^