Benefit Stay Flawless 15-Hour Primer

I have a review for you today of Benefit’s Stay Flawless 15-Hour Primer. I was really sceptical about this product. During the summer, when my makeup is melting off, primer is a godsend, but it doesn’t’ make my makeup last too much longer. Maybe a couple hours at most. And 15 hours is a loooong time.

This product ($32USD) is pretty okay. I’m not sure that it’s perfect, but it did an acceptable job. It didn’t stand up for fifteen hours. It made it to about 12. Normally I can make it about eight hours before I need a touch-up, so this was an improvement. It was also on a hot and humid summer day, so I wasn’t really expecting miracles. Like I said, okay, not exceptional.

Although beige in colour (pretty close to my skin tone), it applies clear, without leaving a chalky or grey finish. This makes it suitable for darker complected girls, even though it wouldn’t seem like it at first.

I like that it comes in a handy twist up stick. You can apply it directly to the face, and you don’t need to massage it in. It’s quick and convenient. I also love its consistency. It’s sheer, dries quickly, and isn’t greasy, which is an issue that I had with the much-beloved Smashbox primers. I could actually feel it set my foundation as well, which made me think it was working well. Kind of like when you use a setting spray and you just know that it worked.

For best results, chemistry suggests that you use a silicone-based foundation because this is a silicone-based primer. I noticed that some other bloggers were complaining about how their foundation got cakey when they used this, and I think it’s probably because of that. Also, I had better results after I let it dry on my skin. It doesn’t take long, so give it that extra second to sit before putting the foundation over it.

If you’re looking to try a primer, I do like this one. I think it will work really well as the weather starts to cool off and we head into September. If you’re looking for a budget-friendly primer that works not quite as well, but still does the job, I suggest Revlon’s Photoready Perfecting Primer. Like I said, it’s not as good, but it costs less and the bottle will last longer.

Do you have a favourite primer? Is the weather so hot that your face is falling off where you are?