Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Primer

Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Primer

Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Primer - Slightly Blended

Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Primer - Blended into skin

Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Primer is an oil free primer designed to seal in moisture and help to quench dry skin by using a desert plant extract called Hydraplex. Smashbox also say that this primer will help to fill in open pores and smooth over fine lines.

After writing about the Bourjois Happy Light Luminous Serum Primer here and mentioning the lovely Smashbox Hydrating Primer, I thought I should probably write a full review and was surprised I already hadn't as this primer is fantastic! If you've read my Bourjois review, you'll know that the primer is only a 15ml bottle for £10.99, whereas this one is £27 for 30ml - only a £5.02 difference which I think is very, very good for a premium brand. Also, the Clinique Primers work out cheaper for 30ml (£20) than the Bourjois offering; this just goes to show that you do need to pay attention to prices and container sizes!

As you can see from the photos, I have used quite a lot of this Smashbox Primer (this is my second tube) and is my go-to-primer to boost my dry and dehydrated skin. A tiny amount goes such a long way, so a tube like this lasts a good 3 - 4 months, although I don't use it everyday as I don't feel the likes of going to college need a primer - I just put on the basics and go. Texture wise, it is a blue gel that is extremely cooling on application and sort of melts into the skin, drying to a soft, non-tacky finish.

The hydration it adds to my skin is great and even at the end of a long day, my skin still feels hydrated and soft. With regards to the filling in open pores and smoothing over fine lines, I can't really say I have noticed a difference with the Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Primer and think that if it's fine lines and open pores you're worried about, you'd probably need to opt for another primer, possibly one that is silicone based to fill in the pores and fine lines. When wearing the Hydrating Primer my makeup doesn't tend to last any longer than normal, but it does stop it from going patchy and clumping up, especially around my cheeks.

Once I've finished this tube, I will be purchasing another one, although I'll be waiting for the special offers on that are available at Boots as I like my extra advantage card points! I really like the look of the Luminizing Primer too, especially for summer. You can find the Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Primer on the Boots website and also in certain stores at Smashbox counters.

Laura xx

     

Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer - A Review

Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer | £15 | Boots

When wearing eyeshadows, even Maybelline's Colour Tattoos, after a few hours, the colour creases and sits in the lines on my lid and fades dramatically; I can't wear eyeshadow without a primer.

I first started using a primer around 10 years ago, which was the Benefit FY Eye (I'm not sure if they still even make this?), then I moved onto the ELF Eyelid primer when the Benefit one got too expensive. Out of the two, the Benefit one was my favourite because it didn't dry out in the pot, went on really well without dragging my eyelid and helped to prolong my eyeshadow wear. The ELF one, I didn't find particularly great. It dried out really quickly, the lid didn't seem to screw tightly shut and it just seemed to disappear into my lid when I blended it in.

The Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer goes onto my lids smoothly, it doesn't drag and the consistency is really nice - not too thin and not too thick. It also helps my eyeshadow pigment to stick to my eyes and increases the vibrancy of the eyeshadows. I've used this at 8am in the morning and by 5pm, my eyeshadow is still staying strong - maybe a few little creases and a slight loss of pigment, but without using it, my eyeshadow looks terrible within two hours.

Which eyeshadow primers have you tried?

 Laura xx