I was recently on the hunt for a primer that would keep my make up looking good all day, but without the 'slip' of normal silicone primers. With my combination skin it can be a battle to even out the texture while keeping shine at bay, so when I came across Revlon's lightweight Photoready Perfecting Primer for £11.99 in Boots I thought it would be a brilliant choice to add to my growing counter-top collection. The Photoready Primer promises to diffuse light to minimise imperfections, fill pores and fine lines, and soften skin to create a smooth base so foundation glides on evenly. It also promises to smooth the complexion and even out skin tone with its subtle pink tint. Tested at first on my hand, this primer felt silky but not heavy, lighter than the usual thick silicone gels and seemed to add radiance to the skin. Unfortunately for me, on my face it's another story and after giving it a final test run at an all day event a few weeks ago this has been sadly demoted to my drawer of disappointing products.
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The Revlon Photoready Primer is a very light pink lotion that spreads across the face evenly after moisturiser and blurs pores to leave my skin with a matte finish. Applying foundation over the primer, I noticed it drags slightly with an almost rubbery feeling resistance. I need more than usual in problem areas and my skin has a dullness through the foundation that makes blemishes look more obvious and difficult to cover. After my foundation has set when using this product, my pores are no longer blurred and minimised; one of the things I like about primers is that they fill in the larger pores around my nose and centre of my face to reduce their appearance, so I was disappointed that the effect with the Photoready Primer was so short lived.
Due to the dragging and 'rubbery', feeling I had the impression that Revlon’s primer would be locking my foundation onto my skin in order to make it last longer. I definitely feel that it initially mattifies my skin, so thought it would prevent the oil coming through that creates shine and makes my base wear off. However, as the day wears on with this product I can feel my skin starting to get oily, my foundation feels much heavier on my skin, and it doesn't come as much of a surprise when I look in the mirror 5 hours after applying my makeup to find myself shiny, patchy and my concealer looking cakey. Unfortunately I was really unimpressed with this product - I didn't feel it lived up to its claims of diffusing light, minimising flaws or creating an even base for foundation and definitely didn't make my make up last longer than normal. Maybe on normal skin that gets just a touch of shine this primer would work well, but for me, unluckily, it didn't deliver what I expected.
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Revlon Photoready Perfecting Primer available in stores nationwide priced £11.99
Written by Kirsty Paterson
@taupeandpearl![]()
The Revlon Photoready Primer is a very light pink lotion that spreads across the face evenly after moisturiser and blurs pores to leave my skin with a matte finish. Applying foundation over the primer, I noticed it drags slightly with an almost rubbery feeling resistance. I need more than usual in problem areas and my skin has a dullness through the foundation that makes blemishes look more obvious and difficult to cover. After my foundation has set when using this product, my pores are no longer blurred and minimised; one of the things I like about primers is that they fill in the larger pores around my nose and centre of my face to reduce their appearance, so I was disappointed that the effect with the Photoready Primer was so short lived.
Due to the dragging and 'rubbery', feeling I had the impression that Revlon’s primer would be locking my foundation onto my skin in order to make it last longer. I definitely feel that it initially mattifies my skin, so thought it would prevent the oil coming through that creates shine and makes my base wear off. However, as the day wears on with this product I can feel my skin starting to get oily, my foundation feels much heavier on my skin, and it doesn't come as much of a surprise when I look in the mirror 5 hours after applying my makeup to find myself shiny, patchy and my concealer looking cakey. Unfortunately I was really unimpressed with this product - I didn't feel it lived up to its claims of diffusing light, minimising flaws or creating an even base for foundation and definitely didn't make my make up last longer than normal. Maybe on normal skin that gets just a touch of shine this primer would work well, but for me, unluckily, it didn't deliver what I expected.
Revlon Photoready Perfecting Primer available in stores nationwide priced £11.99
Written by Kirsty Paterson
@taupeandpearl