So this Primer is a little pricey (for a primer), but after Michael James recommended it, I had to try it! I managed to pick this primer up through Asos.com (huge shoutout to the great guys over at Asos) for around £19.
I just want to say, this is probably the best primer I have ever tired, and works AMAZING for my skin. So the concept of this primer is that is keeps your face matte throughout the day, underneath make-up whilst doing all the other things primers do (evening out skin tone, filling in pores, making make up look more flawless) and it does them all brilliantly.
The minute I started using this primer, I noticed a HUGE difference in my make-up. It looked better, and cleaner, and made my face feel great.
Unlike most other primers, the Illamasqua primer isn't Silicone based, so it's not going to get inside your pores and clog them up with the bad stuff. With acne prone skin, I've noticed my skin improve a lot when I'm wearing make-up thanks to this great primer.
On the matte front, noting is going to keep your face 100% matte, 100% of the time, but this primer puts up a fight. Of course, obvious zones don't stay matte for long (T zone, nose, chin), but I found the rest of my face still matte after about 10 hours of wearing the make up working in a hot environment, and I only needed to odd blot of my face to get excess of. It really does stop your face melting. My skin is combination, so my oily areas don't have the best results, but my dryer areas stay matte all day.
For me, Primer is the main part of any make up routine, because it preps the skin, and a good primer can mean the difference between a good face, and a botched face.
Something I don't like about this product though, is the shape of the bottle. It's almost impossible to squeeze (you kind of just let the primer drip out), and because you can't squeeze it, it's hard to get the last bits out of the bottle, which is annoying because I'm coming to the end of my current bottle (need to place an order for some more I think).
This primer has definitely made me want to try other Illamasqua products, and I would literally recommend this to anyone who wants a matte finish.
This primer has definitely made me want to try other Illamasqua products, and I would literally recommend this to anyone who wants a matte finish.
Rating: 8/10 (Lost a point for the flawed bottle design).
Check out the Michael James video that made me buy the primer: