I’d heard about this Benefit The POREfessional Primer for what felt like forever but had never been particularly driven to buy it. Judging from the name I had assumed it’s main purpose was to blur the skin and while I do have some enlarged pores it’s not my main skin concern.
As it turned out, I ended up receiving this as a free sample with a purchase so I didn’t have to buy it at all. Granted the sample was a small size of course however there was enough in the tube for me to get about five days out of it which I was quite happy about.
During my days with this primer I tried it with a different foundation/concealer each day and various setting sprays, powders etc. What I found by the end was that this primer essentially just laid down a smooth base for makeup to go over the top of. I wouldn’t say that I noticed it concealing my pores or improving my skin texture, I do think I saw a slight improvement in reducing my shiny skin but that was about it.
It had a similar effect to silicone primers however to me it didn’t feel as artificial as some others I’ve experienced. In terms of how it worked with various makeup types, I would say it played nicely with most of the products I paired it with. Most of the foundations would blend out nicely however there were a couple of times where it would be a little patchy and not quite as smooth as I would like to see.
Benefit Cosmetics The POREfessional Face Primer Swatched
My Experience
Overall I would say that it was a nice enough primer however in terms of it minimising pores and skin texture I didn’t see that, only a slight bit of oil control. It did put down a smooth base for foundations and concealer to work on top of however there were a couple of times when they would blend out a little patchy.
In the end it’s not a bad primer but it’s just not good enough that I’d spend my money on what I consider an expensive product. The main thing this primer did was smooth my skin, however in terms of oil control and pore minimising I could only see some light improvement in both categories.