Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer

Used for many years when I was in my early 20s and it was great on young skin. Did a good job at minimising pores and sat well under most makeup. It didn't irritate my sensitive skin or have much of a fragrance

I love smashbox, but sadly I did not love this. I get samples of it with my halo powder, so used it a couple of times, but didn't love the texture. I've never been a fan of those silicone based products, it just feels thick and like I've got a mask on (I hate heavy products on my face. Why I use only bb cream or mineral powder). It did work well if I applied the halo powder directly onto the primer, in that it sat well and stuck in place, but it didn't work well with a bb over the top. I felt like it made my skin too filmy and slippery. As I said, adore smashbox, but I don't like these kind of primers. I prefer light, hydrating ones like Murad acne and shine or Naploleon Perdis auto pilot.

I suppose when you see consistenctly amazing reviews for a product, you expect a lot from it, and for the price of this product, boy did i expect a lot.

Firstly, the packaging is simple and understated. It comes in a clear plastic tube with a black lid. Nothing special, but its whats on the inside that really counts right?

So this primer is a silicon based primer, which typically is not my favourite primer to use. Anyway, a little bit goes a long way and applies smoothly to my skin. I won't lie, its feels really nice on my skin, and when i touch my face it literally feels silky sooth. My foundation and product sit nicely on this primer, and when i leave the house i feel like my face isn't looking too bad.

I deserve a slap on the hand, but yes i am one of those people who touch my face during the day. Not heaps or anything but when i feel uncomfortable or have an itch. Anyway around lunch time every time i use this, around my nose starts to feel.. oily? Its weird because this isn't usually a sport that is overly oily even though it is near my oily t zone, and when i look in the mirror, my whole t-zone had a slight oily glaze over it. Yuck. I have to say my maeup of my cheeks did last for most the day, but everywhere else.. nope not at all

I suppose this wasn't a result i expected from a oil free primer, but t i wasn't impressed. I would say this primer would be better from dry & normal skin types where as my skin type is combination dry and it does not work for me.

I got a mini size of this in a Smashbox mini bestsellers kit and was so excited to try it! However, it's not really as good as I though it would be. I've used similar primers, but this one just seems to disappear and makes my skin feel a bit sticky. I wouldn't pay full price for it.

There is so much hype over this product so I was expecting it to be fantastic and couldn't wait to get it! I was sold the luminizing one by the sales assistant and can't say I have been impressed. It's way too shimmery for me and it seems greasy. It doesn't stop my makeup from moving. It gives my skin a muddy type appearance and affects the color of the foundation I apply on top so it looks like I'm wearing the wrong shade foundation. I've tried using less and more but it hasn't produced flawless results yet.

Honestly I didn't notice a difference to the wear of my foundation using this primer. I have mostly combo skin and I don't often suffer from a super oily face. I just don't think the product did anything. My foundation still seemed to sit the same.

The packaging is boring and doesn't say "I cost $70"

The only nice thing about this primer is the texture, it leaves the skin feeling soft and a little goes a long way.

Save your money, I have had better results from $20 primers.

On my most recent Sephora order I popped in one of there 100point perks (you get points for every $ you spend which you can then use to buy samples etc). This time it was this Smashbox Primer in a 7.1ml size. I have tried this a few times before in the smaller size, and I think I tried the green colour correcting one at some stage but really I found it extremely similar to the normal one.

The packaging is really simple. Just a clear tube with black writing on and a black lid. I do like though that you can see how much you have used and how much you have left.

Basically it is a clear silicone type primer. It does smooth onto the skin really easily and leaves your skin feeling really smooth before applying your foundation. You also don't need very much to apply to your skin either which is great considering the price. My foundation sits on top of it nicely and it looks fab at the start. Unfortunately though it doesn't do what I want it to do. My foundation really doesn't seem to last any longer with this than it does without it.

If you are after trying a primer like this I think I would advise starting with the elf primer. They feel incredibly similar but the elf one is massively cheaper.

Was so keen to try this as I'd heard great things about it but it turns out it was a massive waste of money as it just didnt do it for me. Didnt like the texture of the primer, didnt like the way it sat on my skin and didnt like how it sat under my makeup either! Id describe it a bit like putting teflon on your face.. so nothing will stick to it and your foundation ends up looking patchy - YUCK!