In the last couple of years brands have been unveiling new primers left and right. There's a primer for everything, whether you want matte, dewy, color-corrected, or poreless skin. I'm a big believer that a good primer can significantly boost the efficacy of the foundations, BB creams or powder you apply on top so I've accumulated a number of different ones.
To get long-wearing, pore-filling properties, primers are often laden with silicones so I like to try out samples to see how my skin reacts before I purchase a full size. Here's a quick rundown of some of the primer minis I have at the moment.
YSL Touche Eclat Blur Primer* - I actually reviewed this last year after I had received the sample from Influenster. This primer claims to boost the radiance of foundations while blurring imperfections. Though the gold flecks are pretty to look at suspended in the bottle, they look like glitter particles on my face. The thin silicone texture is easy to apply onto the skin but it doesn't dramatically make my pores less noticeable. I don't find myself grabbing for this primer often which is probably a good thing since it's the most expensive of the bunch at $52 for 1 ounce.
Hourglass Ambient Light Correcting Primer in Mood Light - Color correcting was a huge trend this year so I happily traded 100 Beauty Insider points for this at Sephora when it was a perk a couple months ago. Mood Light is the pink toned correcting primer aimed at dull complexions but it sheers out so that it doesn't look weird on my yellow skin tone. The formula for this primer is quite unique in that it dries down; you can already see it beginning to set in the swatch. If you go for sheer base makeup and want something to counteract sallow skin, this is a nice product to cancel out dullness without being heavy.
Shiseido Glow Enhancing Primer - If you're partial to luminous skin, this primer will provide just that. This glowy fluid adds a healthy sheen to the skin without chunks of shimmer. I like using this makeup base in the winter when my skin is drier and less prone to looking like a greasy disco ball on its own. This primer doesn't do any favors for pores so I suggest applying this to areas of the face that you want to highlight rather than all over (especially if you're oily).
Make Up For Ever Step 1 Skin Equalizer Smoothing Base - With this primer, you can bid your pores adieu. This is extremely similar to Benefit's Porefessional but a little less expensive. This is a product where you can see results immediately - pores and wrinkles are erased or diminished after you apply your base makeup. For some reason, the half size travel tube of this primer is less expensive than the standard full size (so get the .5 ounce version).
I have a few full size and larger sample sizes of primers in my stash that I'm making my way through but I'm always keeping an eye out for new ones I want to try. Do you use a face primer regularly? Which ones are your favorite?