Last year was the year I took my primers seriously. I have soooo many primers, but I found I was only using them for special occasions or particularly long days. I never made them a regular part of my makeup routine until the summer of last year when I realized that a good primer could prevent my foundation from breaking down or make my skin glow by the end of the day instead of look greasy. There was a time when there was only one kind of makeup primer and it was the kind that had so much silicone in it that yes, it made your pores blurry, but made your skin so smooth that it was almost unnatural. Thank goodness for the variety of primers now that feel are closer to skincare than they are to makeup!
When it comes to skincare, Clarins is one of those older beauty houses I trust and at 64 years in the business, when they come out with a makeup product, I tend to trust the formulations and ingredients a bit more than some brunette millennial. Coming in 6 shades, the Clarins SOS Primers are colour-correcting, lightweight, oil-free and feel more like a moisturizer than they do your typical primer.
When it comes to skincare, Clarins is one of those older beauty houses I trust and at 64 years in the business, when they come out with a makeup product, I tend to trust the formulations and ingredients a bit more than some brunette millennial. Coming in 6 shades, the Clarins SOS Primers are colour-correcting, lightweight, oil-free and feel more like a moisturizer than they do your typical primer.
PR samples
All of the SOS Primers contain a "High Lumitech complex" which serves to correct, illuminate and revive the overall complexion while optically diffusing and blurring imperfections. That part sounds like magic to me, but what I can attest to is that these primers go on very comfortably without disturbing your moisturizer underneath.
I have been using both the Green* and Universal Light* ($39.00 CDN) shades as I have broken capillaries and redness on my cheeks and prefer the rest of my face to look "lit from within" so I apply a half pump of Green on my cheeks and a full pump of Universal Light everywhere else. You can mix and match all 6 primers to achieve the complexion you want or use just one - it's up to you!
You can see that Universal Light has a pearly white finish while the green has a more matte finish. When I first used the green primer I was surprised at how green it actually was as I don't normally colour correct anything with makeup (I am far too lazy), but thankfully it blended out nicely into the rest of my skin. I like that now I have a green colour corrector in the form of both a primer and corrector. Yay for multi-tasking products!
While these primers still both contain silicones, they certainly don't feel quite as "slippy" as classic ones like Benefit Porefessional or Smashbox Photofinish. They still create a smooth surface to the skin, but one that feels more natural. *Bonus* they also have a delightful light floral scent!
Final verdict: The more important question is did these work better than what I had already? I think it depends what your makeup routine is like. If I had a heavier makeup routine or maybe a more textured skin finish, then I probably would stick to the classic heavy silicone primers. I generally go for a more natural finish and have fairly good skin so the texture of the SOS Primers in addition to the radiance and color-correcting features I get suit my routine more. As I have gotten older, skincare should come first and I can see these being a product I use well into my 40s (aaaaahh!) especially once I start drying up like a prune!
Available at Clarins counters and Shoppers Drug Mart
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