little white truths

Now rather than doing face swatches, I've decided to use the back of my hand to show my issues with this product: since hands are textured, they're a great place to test things like this (foundations included) because they'll show when a product is going to eg sit in fine lines, as this does.

Here I've photographed it in direct sunlight. It's quite streaky and takes a lot of work to rub in:

Verdict

I was beginning to think Hourglass couldn't create a product that didn't work for me, but it has and this primer isn't great for my skin.

It's a bit of an odd formula in that it feels like a like cream with powder bits suspended in it, and when you try to rub it in, it takes a lot of work to achieve this and it streaks everywhere in the process. For this reason I'd recommend applying it straight after your moisturiser (when your skin is still nicely juiced), particularly if you have dry or dehydrated skin like I do.

Once it's rubbed in, my face is covered in little white dots where the primer has pooled into my pores, and it patches up around my nose and mouth where my skin is dry. I have tried the product on my chest and I don't have the same issues there (because I don't have open pores or dry skin in that area), so this may be a better product for those who don't suffer from textural issues.

Because of the little dots, this isn't a product I can wear alone and it needs to be covered with a foundation. But it would work alone if you don't have textural issues because it does make your skin look nicely bright and it does blur imperfections a tiny bit too.

The product dries down with a slightly tacky finish that feels a little powdery to the touch. I think it does make my tinted moisturiser go on smoothly and helps a small amount with coverage and radiance, but not enough that the product is worth the outlay for me. Plus I get a much better effect from the Ambient Lighting Powders - without the issues mentioned above.

Also, this isn't a hydrating product and, if anything, it makes my skin feel drier and seems to cancel out the nourishing effects of my day cream because my face always feels a little tight and uncomfortable after applying this.

In sum, this product doesn't work for me and I don't think it's suitable for people with textural issues or dry, mature skin. It's worth testing because it does look quite nice from afar, but I don't want a product that emphasises texture or makes my skin feel more dry.

Not for me.