Primer is an essential part of my daily makeup routine. With having oily skin I always need to use a primer without one I would be an oily mess. My skin is sometimes combination but more often that not it is oily. I have trialed many primers and some of which have been awful. Two not mentioned in this post which I absolutely hate are the Benefit Porefessional Primer as I found it did blur pores but it didn’t stop me getting oily at all and the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer broke me out badly. Im not usually prone to breakouts but the Smashbox primer didn’t agree with my skin at all.
L’Oreal Skin Perfection Primer | £12.99 | Link
This is one I have in my stash but not to use as a primer to stop me getting oily. I keep this one for when I have a bad breakout or if I have a dry patch on my skin. This is quite a thick primer and it works perfectly on top of breakouts or dry skin to cover it and create a smooth base before foundation.
The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser | £8.50 | Link
I adore The Body Shop Tea Tree Range, I am obsessed with the Tea Tree Night Lotion. This primer is kind of hit and miss for me. It does have a strong scent of tea tree which I don’t mind, I find it smooths out skin but it isn’t the best at keeping me matte all day. If you are wanting a primer to smooth out your skin whilst helping with breakouts this will work for you.
Rimmel Stay Matte | £5.99
I am so annoyed as this is my ultimate holy grail primer but in the past week it looks like it has been discontinued. It is honestly the best primer I have ever tried for keeping me matte and also moiturised. I think you may still be able to get this on Ebay or Amazon.
Collection Primed & Ready Mattifying Primer | £4.99 | Link
This has a similar texture to the Smashbox one so I thought I would hate it but I love it. It is a gel like primer which glides over skin and blurs imperfections. It doesn’t dry matte and has a sticky texture but that helps foundation stick to it really well. It does a good job at keeping me matte for around 5 to 6 hours before I have to do a little touch up with powder.
Soap and Glory One Heck of a Blot Primer | £10.00 | Link
When I first purchased this primer I thought it was good, it has a similar texture to the Benefit Porefessional Primer but it is a pinky colour. It glides over pores which I love but after a week of using it, it didn’t keep me matte anymore. No matter what foundations or powders I try this with I get really oily within a few hours.
Urban Decay Pore Perfecting Primer | £19.50 | Link
This is one of the first ever high end products I purchased many years ago. I think this is my 4th bottle of it and I still love it. It isn’t the best primer for keeping me matte for a long time but it smooths out my skin and because of the peachy colour it slightly corrects uneven skin tones. This is definitely a dupe for the Benefit Porefessional.
L’Oreal Infallible Primer | £7.99 | Link
If you are new to my blog I will let you know how much I despise the UK L’Oreal Infallible Foundation, I hate it so much but I adore the US Version. I recently did a comparison post of the two which you can read HERE.
This primer however I am obsessed with. It is a gel like primer which does an amazing job at smoothing out my skin and blurring pores. It doesn’t dry matte and leaves a tacky base but it does stop me getting oily throughout the day. I sometimes powder around 6-7 hours after applying my makeup with this primer.
My Top Primers For Certain Skin Types:
Oily – L’Oreal Infallible Primer & Kiss Mattifying Primer
Breakout Prone – The Body Shop Tea Tree Primer & L’Oreal Skin Perfection Primer
Combination – L’Oreal Infallible Primer & Collection Mattifying Primer