Smashbox Photofinish Light Primer - Review

Are there any products that you feel are so hyped that they must be garbage? That everyone associates with a brand, and they promote the crap out of it, and the brand pays of it wins magazine awards? Well, Smashbox's Photofinish primer is like that to me. I don't want to like it, because I can't believe it's any good. Good products stand on their own, right? A brand doesn't need to convince us to buy it, if it really works - we'll find it, buy it, and recommend it to friends on our own.

Rant aside, I am drowning in Smashbox samples (seriously, if you haven't ordered from their website, you are missing out - 1 free deluxe sized sample with each order, 1 more if you're a Pretty Points Member, and there's Let's Do Lunch for Pretty Points Member... freebie overload!). I decided, after finishing my Korres silicone free primer, I should give these a shot, so I picked the one I felt would best suit my needs - a light-weight, nongreasy primer that will improve the wear-time of my foundation, and help prevent my oily skin from defeating my makeup by the end of the day. Here's what Smashbox says about Photofinish Light:

Our latest primer innovation! Our new oil-free, 60% water based primer is ideal for oily, acne-prone or sensitive skin. This silky blend of vitamins and antioxidants helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and pores for visibly softer skin and can be worn alone or under foundation to increase its longevity. The revolutionary formula has oil absorbers for a smooth matte finish all day, light diffusers to minimize the appearance of imperfections, and vitamin C and peptides to help even skin tone and promote collagen production for a flawless future.

I long to have a nice, luminous-yet-matte, finish. My skin, however, has other aspirations. My pores, like most people who share my oily skin type, are large, especially on my nose, and chin. I'd like to have a primer that helps minimize them. I can't really say that Photofinish Light does this. I believe it does help control oil a little, but I'm not completely matte at the end of the day. I'm pleased to see my foundation is still present on my face, and it hasn't migrated.


Photofinish Light is a white gel-textured primer that blends to clear. It does not offer any SPF value.


This primer doesn't cause my foundation to "stick" to my skin, though. It will still transfer onto my phone, hand, etc, which is sort of annoying. Photofinish Light leaves that silicone-y feel on my skin, and doesn't seem to cling to any dry areas.


A full sized tube is $36 for 1 ounce. Occasionally, QVC or Sephora will offer a larger size at a value price ($49 for 2 ounces at sephora.com). I like this well enough to consider purchasing it, once I've run out of options (which will probably take forever). I don't know if I'd run out now to buy it, though.




Ingredients:


Water (Aqua), Cyclopentasiloxane, Polysilicone-11, Butylene Glycol, Ethylene/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Carbomer, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Triethanolamine, Decyl Glucoside, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Hexylene Glycol, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Oligopeptide-10.