Remember that gorgeous LOVE collection Smashbox sent me? Well it came along with two other goodies, namely their Photo Finish foundation primer SPF 20 with Dermaxyl complex (R370) and Photo Finish Hydrating under eye primer (R320).

In regards to the foundation primer, I’ve never been a huge fan of silicone-based primers*. They just don’t sit well with my oily T-section. You see, while silicone initially perfects and mattifies, my ‘oilies’ eventually well up beneath it and then everything shifts and ends up looking like crap. Smashbox’s formula, however, is actually nice and light in that it’s not RIDDLED with silicone, but contains just enough to ensure your make-up glides on like silk. With a little blotting powder on my T-section throughout the day (which is something I use regardless of what I’m using) I totally made it work.

As far as application goes, I slap on my daily moisturiser and then dot the teensiest amount of primer on my forehead, nose, chin and cheeks and use my fingertips to smooth it into my skin. I then do the same with my foundation but use a sponge to spread it out, marvelling at how it literally glides across my skin like swans on a like. Seriously. I even made a point of using the trickiest, droogest, most paste-like foundation I own and I might as well as been using Giorgio Armani’s Luminous Silk.

I also love that it’s got an SPF of 20. The sun is evil, okay? We need all the help we can get. As far as the Dermaxyl complex goes, it’s a mix of peptides that promise to help smooth out wrinkles in a similar way to retinol but without the potential for irritation.

Anyway, as for the under eye primer, it’s all kinds of fabulous; a regte gem for anyone who struggles with a concealer that ends up creasing up beneath or around their eyes.

I wore it to gym underneath my beloved Lancôme Effa-cernes concealer and it caused it to sit vas without a single drop of creasage. Also, thanks to light reflecting pigments, it visibly brightens up the area around your eyes. You can put it on and look in the mirror and move your head from side to side and you can actually see the difference it makes. Mind you, I’m saying it merely brightens up the area. If you’ve got moerse dark rings and baggage under your eyes you’re still going to want to use a concealer to pack those bietse away.

Other notable ingredients/promises? Caffiene to soothe and depuff, biloba extra to combat dark circles, vitamin C to even out your skin tone and fend off fine lines and a ‘HydraLok complex’ to seal in hydration. I have no clue what the latter is but see the product does contain hydrating Shea butter and algae. It was hard to test its hydrating ability as I don’t struggle with dryness in my eye area.

So! Keep an eye out for Smashbox’s new primers at selected Woolworths, Foschini and Edgars stores. And while you’re at the counter take a look at their eye shadows. Their formulas are beyond fabulous.

Love, love

Leigh

*For the record, Smashbox also offer a Photo Finish Light foundation primer. I’ve yet to use it but just thought I’d put it out there. If you’ve got oil prone skin like me and really want to use a primer, it would be worth considering this one over the anti-aging formula. And if you try it, let me know what you think. I see it’s gotten nice reviews on Makeupally.com.