Korres Face Primer - Review

A long while ago, when the Naked palette from Urban Decay was still sold with the dual-ended liner pencil, I grabbed one from sephora.com. Because I hate paying for shipping, I also picked a sweet deal they had for 2 Korres primer tubes (each containing 0.34 fl oz of primer) for $12.00. Recently, as I combed through my stash for the billionth time, I realized I hadn't tried either primer. In my never-ending quest to use everything I own, and finish some products, I decided to try this primer out.

This primer is available at Sephora, and retails in the full size tube for $28.00. For your money, you get 1.01 fl oz. This primer has some pretty big claims behind it:

Rich in skin-soothing botanicals and Vitamin E, this 99 percent natural formula refines skin texture without silicone, minimizes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and reduces pore size. Your skin will be primed and ready for a makeup application.

Sounds awesome, right? The only problem is that most primers make the same types of claims regarding fine lines and wrinkles, pore size, etc. So, really, the only thing that makes this primer different, to my eyes, is the lack of silicone. For oily-skinned gals like myself, silicone can be the only thing keeping us semi-matte throughout the day. I didn't really expect much from this product, but I was somewhat pleasantly surprised.

I like that Korres didn't try a cutesy name for this product. I mean, if you're looking for a face primer, why not buy the tube that says "Face Primer," right? Anyway, the tube is pretty nice. It feels like that metalized plastic, so it has some heft to it. The primer itself is a thick lotion, almost a light cream consistency. It melts beautifully into the skin, however. The scent reminds me a bit of the Vitamin Enriched Face Base from Bobbi Brown, as does the consistency. Like the Face Base, the scent is unnoticeable once you have applied the product.


Does it do anything it claims to? I guess my pores were not as noticeable, but I don't have fine lines or wrinkles (yet), so I can't speak to that. Did my make look nice for a long period of time? I supposed. My foundation (Tarte's Amazonian Clay Full Coverage blah blah foundation) easily stayed put all day on my oily face. This primer didn't do anything about my oily skin, though. I was a grease-ball after a few hours, but nothing broke down, which is fine. I think if I had blotted, I wouldn't have had any oil issues. 


Would I buy this again? Probably. I can't help but feel like this is a less expensive version of the Bobbi Brown Face Base, and it's packaged a bit more conveniently. At the same time, I would like to find a primer that suits my needs (namely, preventing oiliness). I think this would be a fabulous primer for normal or slightly dry skin types, because Vitamin E is great for your skin and this also contains jojoba oil, and glycerin (a humectant). 


Ingredients:


Aqua (Water), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Melissa Officinalis Distillate* (Melissa Officinalis Flower/Leaf/Stem Water*), Dicaprylyl Ether, Cetearyl Alcohol, Coco- Caprylate/Caprate, Glyceryl Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Benzyl Alcohol, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Peel Oil*, Simmondsia Chinensis Oil* (Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*), Limonene, Xanthan Gum, Cellulose Gum, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Glycerin, Tocopherol, Sodium Phytate, Betaine, Citric Acid, Leontopodium Alpinum Flower/Leaf Extract*, Honey, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Alcohol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Laminaria Ochroleuca Extract, Linalool, Pectin.