Product Review: Primer Roundup

I've tried a couple of different primer's this month. Some I like, some... eh, not so much. Primer is one of the most important things in my makeup bag, I never go without. I will tell you this, I think that a good primer is more essential to a beauty routine than a "good" (i.e. expensive) foundation. I've been using drugstore foundation for about a year now and thanks to good primer, I can't complain.

1. Revlon PhotoReady Color Correcting Primer

I've been using Revlon's Perfecting Primer for a couple of months now, and I give it rave reviews! CVS was out of the Perfecting Primer on one of my trips, so I picked up the Color Correcting Primer instead. My honest opinion on this product? It works exactly the same as the Perfecting Primer. I haven't noticed a single difference. This could be construed as good or bad. Good, in the fact that this is an awesome primer. As with the Perfecting Primer, I blot my face late in the day and I never have to retouch with powder. My makeup stays perfect all day. This primer works good under normal foundation and I've also found it works good under BB cream too. Bad, in the fact that I haven't noticed any difference as to color correction. Maybe my skin doesn't need color correction, I'm not even sure what that means. The verdict? If the store is out of the Perfecting Primer, I will be buying this instead. It works just as good as the Perfecting Primer.

2. Revlon PhotoReady Eye Primer + Brightener

Here is my eye primer routine: I swipe my regular primer over my eyes, wait a minute, and then apply concealer over that (I like L'Oreal True Match concealer). I've been doing this for years. I got a really good deal on this eye primer with coupons, so I decided to give it a try. As an eye primer, this sucks. My normal routine works much better at keeping my eyeshadow crease free and intensifying the pigments in my eyeshadow. However, I've been using this under my eyes as a brightener and this I love! I apply it before my foundation, it has a creamy consistency that doesn't settle into the fine lines under my eyes. It also covers what shadows I do have, and really does brighten the area. The verdict? I'm torn. This is expensive without sales and coupons, and it really doesn't work like it's supposed to. If I get a really good deal on this again, I probably will pick up more for my routine. I don't think I will be seeking this out again, however.

3. L'Oreal Magic Lumi Primer

This was my least favorite product I tried. I'm not sure why they are trying to market this as primer, but to me it seems more like a liquid highlighter than a primer. The consistency is very thin when you put it on your fingers, and just looking at you can see it's full of shimmer. I'm all for using highlighter on parts of your face, but I'm not interesting in looking like a disco ball. Once I realized how much shimmer was in this product, I didn't use it on my whole face. I used it on parts of my face as a highlighter. It works good for this purpose, but I'm partial to a powder highlighter that I can use a brush to apply. I can put the highlighter on more accurately with a brush. I did use this one day like a cream eyeshadow that I put under a nude eyeshadow and I got a pretty, natural effect. The verdict? I will not be buying this again. I suspect it will take me quite a while to use this tiny bottle since I don't use liquid highlighter very often.