New from Smashbox, the photo finish radiance primer is a luxurious, dewy primer, rich in glowing potential! Packaged in a chic angular box, this 30ml pot won’t look out of place on the sassiest of dressing tables with it’s glass-eqsue appearance. Smashbox tells me that their goal was to recreate that golden-hour glow – the time just before the sun sets and an instgram-like sun cast sets faces alight…
I have open pores across my nose, and tend to opt for a more poly-filler type primer, so I was a little hesitant about how something to luminescent would sit on my skin. The consistency is thick, but it sinks beautifully into skin, with hyaluronic acid and shea butter for an instant hit of moisture, which promises to last all day. The primer has a calming, cooling effect when applied, and left my skin feeling genuinely radiant. Microfine amber and bronze pearls help to create that warm glow, as well as even out skin tone. There is a hint of colour, so for pale skinned gals like me, make sure to blend out well around the neck like.
A happy hack I’ve discovered along the way with this primer is to apply it with my Real Techniques beauty sponge, rather than my fingers. I found you get a beautifully even finish, especially around the neck, and it also dampens your sponge just enough for perfect foundation application without having to bother wetting your sponge each time. I realise that sounds incredibly lazy, because that’s exactly what it is! While this is a wicked little time saver, definitely still carve the time out once a week if you can, to thoroughly clean your make-up sponge and brushes.
So how does it wear? I’m seriously so impressed with this formula, and have been happily reaching for it each day at my dressing table. My foundation applies seamlessly, for an airbrushed finish. Leave un-powdered and the glowy finish can be seen, or add a dusting of powder for a no-budge flawless face. I’ve even been wearing this alone, with just a touch of concealer for any problem zones as it gives such a luminescent lift to skin, it’s like wearing a veil of highlight. The 30ml pot costs £30, and can be picked up easily at boots here.