Veracious Product Review: Make Up For Ever Step 1 Skin Equalizer Mattifying Primer

Hi, everyone! I love a good foundation. I don't like to discriminate between matte or dewy, sheer or fuller-coverage formulas, but my oily skin definitely has its own preferences. If it's not a fairly bulletproof base, my complexion will seek to demolish it. While I've been able to address my oily tendencies somewhat with light, gentle skin care, my skin can always use a bit of extra help, especially when facing off with more hydrating foundations. Luckily, a top-notch solution made its way to my doorstep recently in the form of Make Up For Ever's Step 1 Skin Equalizer Mattifying Primer**.

Make Up For Ever's new Step 1 Skin Equalizers come in an impressive 10 varieties, each of which addresses a specific concern related to skin texture or tone. They can be used solo or blended together to smooth and neutralize a variety of pesky skin issues (e.g., redness, sallow skin, dehydration).  

As described on the box, all varieties of the Skin Equalizers offer 3 key benefits: 1) aiding with a flawless foundation application, 2) improving the shade and finish of foundation, and 3) helping foundation wear longer on the skin. 

The Mattifying Primer** promises just what the name suggests- a solution to combat oil, enable a more matte finish, and reduce the appearance of pores. 

The primer is water- and silica-based, which definitely differentiates it from the standard silicone-laden formulas out there. My skin is ultra sensitive to silicones, so this is much appreciated! 

The Skin Equalizer range comes in a variety of colourful tubes, the Mattifying Primer** being the least colourful of the bunch. It is housed in a medium grey tube with white lettering and a precise, narrow tip. 

The texture is decidedly thick, almost paste-like, and has a pale beige hue:

Here are some shots "Before" and "After" applying the primer. As you can see, it does nothing to correct the tone of my skin (and it doesn't promise as such), but it instantly removes all hint of shine from my complexion:

Before Mattifying Primer

After Mattifying Primer

So how does this primer perform? Here are my two cents on the ups and downs:

Pros:

• The simplest, yet most important benefit- this really helps reduce oil break-through during the day!
• It doesn't seemed to have caused any breakouts or irritation on my acne-prone, sensitive skin
• While this definitely renders skin instantly matte, it neither causes nor accentuates any flaky patches
• Definitely prolongs the wear of more natural, dewy-finished foundations on my oily skin
• Water-based formula for those sensitive to silicones
• Practical, portable packaging that prevents dispensing too much product
• A little goes quite a long way!

Cons:

• Leaves a tacky and mildly uncomfortable feel on the skin, rather than the "silky smooth" feel of other primers
• This dries quite quickly on the skin, so you have to apply and blend it quickly or else things can look and feel a bit patchy
• Definitely takes the luminosity-factor of foundations down a couple of notches (at least for the first few hours). If you're aiming for a glowy finish, skip this one.

Overall, this primer is a hit! While an even application may take a bit of effort, the extra elbow grease is well worth it. It truly keeps oil at bay better than any primer I've tried! Any combination-to-oily complexion will revel at the effect, but if you're at all dry, skip this. It's heavy duty stuff! Even I might not reach for it during the colder months, but I can certainly predict that this will make its way into my daily arsenal come Summertime! I also completely appreciate that this allows me to wear just about any foundation without melting into a greasy mess by lunchtime. My foundation options have opened up!

My experience with the Step 1 Skin Equalizing Mattifying Primer** has definitely piqued my interest in the other options from the range. As my skin deals with pretty persistent redness (see evidence above), I'm eyeing up the green-tinted Redness Correcting Primer next!

Have you tried Make Up For Ever's new range of primers yet? What is your favourite primer at the moment?

** This product was sent as a PR sample for consideration and review. All opinions expressed are authentic and my own!