Ahh.. makeup primers. For the longest time the only primers that worked with my skin were those silicone-heavy, mattifying formulas that kept my oily skin at bay.
Now that my skin is less oily and more on the dry side, I can’t get away with using some of my past favorites like Benefit’s Porefessional or Smashbox Photofinish. MAC Prep + Prime Skin still contains silicones, but it doesn’t come with that powdery, slimy texture. It actually feels and looks more like a smoothing serum/moisturizer on my skin. Compared to other heavy primers I’ve used, this feels very lightweight, it’s odorless and does not accentuate dry patches on my skin.
MAC Prep + Prime Skin works great at prepping the skin for foundation and creating smooth and velvety base. Even though my skin is still a bit dry irritated from the Retin-A use, I can still get just a little oily around my T-zone and this is the only primer that fits the needs of both my oily and dry bits. As far as its effectiveness on improving the longevity of makeup, it definitely does help it last a bit longer since it helps with both minor oiliness and dryness.
I would say that this works best with normal/combo and dry skin types. I definitely do not see myself using this back in my “oily” days, as I don’t think it would be mattifying enough. Also, If you happen to have large pores, you’d probably not get along with MAC Prep + Prime Skin- it definitely lacks some of those “blurring” properties that Benefit’s Porefessional or Smashbox Photofinish have. This does, however, work great with my skin at the moment and it’s pretty much the only primer that hasn’t irritated my skin, or make it look really dry and patchy after applying foundation. I’ve also been loving MAC’s Strobe Cream as a primer lately as well- it seriously works amazing with dry skin.
Do you guys have any other primer recommendations that would suit dry and sensitive skin?
