Top 10 Primers for Oily / Combination Skin
I remember back when primers first came out and a lot of people said they don't do anything - that they are just an extra, unnecessary step. Now, I feel like so many brands have brought out amazing primers, both in the drugstore and high-end, that you can find a primer to do so many different things - whether that is blurring pores, mattifying, illuminating, colour correcting or extending the wear of your foundation. I have a mixture of primers here, which are some of my personal favourites and I feel like my foundation looks better when I am wearing them, in comparison to not wearing a primer. I do use a primer every day under my foundation and I like to mix up which one I use, depending on which foundation I am using or what I feel my skin needs that day.
1. Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water - £22.00
- This is one of my favourite primers and I've mentioned it before on a blog post. I didn't expect to love this as much as I did - I thought, it's just very expensive water in a spray bottle, but it is so much more than that! It's so easy to apply, it sinks in quickly and leaves a slightly tacky base for foundation to adhere to. I feel like it blurs my pores and leaves my foundation looking flawless! It's also very refreshing to use when you've just woken up. It leaves my skin feeling hydrated and a little goes a long way, so although it is slightly pricier, it lasts a really long time! You get 116ml of product in the bottle and the spray nozzle gives you a nice mist that isn't too powerful.
2. The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser - £9.00
- If you've read my blog before, you will know that I love all things Body Shop and one of my favourite ranges is the Tea Tree range. This is one of my favourite primers because it feels really cooling and refreshing on the skin, it does blur my pores and I feel like it stops my skin from breaking out. The formula feels like a gel / cream, so doesn't feel siliconey and it sinks in quickly. It does have a strong tea tree oil scent, which I personally like, but once you apply foundation over the top, the scent goes. I've used up a tube of this already and repurchased it. You get 30ml of product in the squeeze tube, which is about the same amount as most drugstore primers.
3. Primark P.S Pro Anti-Blemish Primer - £5.00
- The first time I tried this primer, it became one of my favourites immediately. It has gel formula, which is not silicone based at all and it has a fresh, minty, aloe vera scent. It sinks in quickly and feels really refreshing on the skin. It doesn't feel fully matte but it doesn't feel dewy either - it just gives you a smooth base to apply foundation onto. I'm not sure if this actually helps my skin, but it definitely doesn't break me out. This also contains salicylic acid, witch hazel and aloe vera, which are all great ingredients if you have acne prone skin. I do feel like it blurs pores and keeps my oils at bay. For £5, I would definitely recommend this primer! You get 30ml of product in the squeeze tube.
4. Jouer Cosmetics Anti-Blemish Matte Primer - £29.00
- I hadn't heard many people talking about this primer, except for my favourite YouTuber - ThaTaylaa, who has oily / combination, acne prone skin (just like me) and raves about this primer! This primer feels like a cream to apply and you don't have to use much to cover your face. It has a very slight minty scent and leaves my skin feeling semi-matte. It doesn't dry out my skin and in the times I've used this, it hasn't made my skin break out. This primer contains salicylic acid, which my skin absolutely loves and is the main ingredient that keeps my acne at bay. You get 30ml of product in the squeeze tube.
5. Barry M Flawless Colour Correcting Primer - £5.99
- So because I have acne prone skin and Rosacea (horrible combination), I have a lot of redness in my face. I usually use full coverage foundations to cover this up, but I saw this primer had amazing reviews on Superdrug and Boots' website, so I thought I would try this for myself. It's got quite a thick, gel / silicone consistency and is quite a green colour! However, when you rub it in, the green disappears and it does colour correct slightly. This primer leaves your skin feeling very smooth and it glides onto your skin. It sinks in relatively quickly and does cancel out some of the redness. You get 30ml of product and it comes with a pump.
6. Seventeen Miracle Matte Primer - £4.99
- I was reluctant to try this primer, based on the negative reviews it has on Boots.com, however, I can say I do not agree with any of the negative reviews! This primer is super mattifying - more so than the other matte primers in this list. It does feel slightly siliconey to apply and you need to be careful not to rub it in too much! It dries down super quickly, and if you move it around on your skin too much, it starts to ball up - which is where most of the negative reviews come from! If you are gentle and rub it in quickly, without moving the product around, it gives you a super smooth base that is instantly very matte. This is great to use with dewier foundations if you want a more matte finish or if your skin is prone to getting oily throughout the day. This is a great primer for under £5! You get 15ml of product and a little bit goes a long way.
7. L'Oreal Lumi Magique Primer - £10.99
- I do usually prefer a mattifying primer, as I have combination skin, however, this is a great primer for those days you feel like adding an extra glow to your skin. I use this especially if I have a foundation that is 'too matte' for my liking - such as the Kat Von D Lock It Foundation and the Marc Jacobs Remarcable Foundation. It feels slightly siliconey, but sort of like a cream at the same time. It adds a glow to your skin, with a slight hint of glitter but nothing too extreme! It sinks in quickly and gives a smooth base to apply foundation onto. If you like the glowy look, this is definitely a primer you need to try! You get 20ml of product in the tube and it comes with a pump.
8. Benefit Porefessional Matte Rescue Primer - £23.50 (full sized)
- I'm sure you've all heard the hype around the Benefit Porefessional Primers! Because I have oily/ combination skin, I wanted to try the 'Matte Rescue' version, so I purchased the travel sized tube (£10.50) to see if it was any good. The formula is a gel consistency and doesn't feel overly silicone based. It does glide onto the skin and it blurs my pores, but it doesn't leave my skin feeling super matte - unlike the Seventeen primer. I do like this primer, but I probably wouldn't pay for the full sized tube as I have drugstore priced primers that are just as good, however, if you are looking for a higher end primer, this would be a good one to go with. You get 15ml of product in the travel sized version and 50ml in the full sized tube.
9. Rimmel Match Perfection Fix & Perfect Primer - £6.99
- This has great reviews on Boots.com so I thought I would try it for myself a few months back. The formula is like silicone / cream, which glides onto the skin and sinks in relatively quickly. It does have a slight chemical scent to it. It claims to smooth, resurface, brighten, mattify and protect. I can't say that I notice it brighten my skin at all, but it does smooth the skin and leaves it looking completely pore-less. It doesn't stay matte all day on me, but if I want to keep my skin matte I would go to one of my mattifying primers. You get 30ml of product in the tube.
10. L'Oreal Infallible Matte Priming Base - £8.99
- This is a silicone based primer, which is not usually my favourite (as you can tell by the other primers on this list!) but I do love this primer and have already repurchased it. It leaves your skin feeling matte, but not dry and it gives you a very smooth base to apply foundation onto. I feel like it blurs the pores on my skin, even before I've applied foundation, I can see a visible difference. You don't need to use a lot of this to cover your face. Because I have acne prone skin, silicone primers often break me out but this one doesn't, which is one of the reasons I love it. I don't think it extends the wear of my foundation, but it does leave my foundation looking better than without a primer. You get 35ml of product in the squeeze tube.
Let me know in the comments section if you've tried any of these primers or if you have another personal favourite!
Sarah (aka. Pale Princess) x
1. Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water - £22.00
- This is one of my favourite primers and I've mentioned it before on a blog post. I didn't expect to love this as much as I did - I thought, it's just very expensive water in a spray bottle, but it is so much more than that! It's so easy to apply, it sinks in quickly and leaves a slightly tacky base for foundation to adhere to. I feel like it blurs my pores and leaves my foundation looking flawless! It's also very refreshing to use when you've just woken up. It leaves my skin feeling hydrated and a little goes a long way, so although it is slightly pricier, it lasts a really long time! You get 116ml of product in the bottle and the spray nozzle gives you a nice mist that isn't too powerful.
2. The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser - £9.00
- If you've read my blog before, you will know that I love all things Body Shop and one of my favourite ranges is the Tea Tree range. This is one of my favourite primers because it feels really cooling and refreshing on the skin, it does blur my pores and I feel like it stops my skin from breaking out. The formula feels like a gel / cream, so doesn't feel siliconey and it sinks in quickly. It does have a strong tea tree oil scent, which I personally like, but once you apply foundation over the top, the scent goes. I've used up a tube of this already and repurchased it. You get 30ml of product in the squeeze tube, which is about the same amount as most drugstore primers.
3. Primark P.S Pro Anti-Blemish Primer - £5.00
- The first time I tried this primer, it became one of my favourites immediately. It has gel formula, which is not silicone based at all and it has a fresh, minty, aloe vera scent. It sinks in quickly and feels really refreshing on the skin. It doesn't feel fully matte but it doesn't feel dewy either - it just gives you a smooth base to apply foundation onto. I'm not sure if this actually helps my skin, but it definitely doesn't break me out. This also contains salicylic acid, witch hazel and aloe vera, which are all great ingredients if you have acne prone skin. I do feel like it blurs pores and keeps my oils at bay. For £5, I would definitely recommend this primer! You get 30ml of product in the squeeze tube.
4. Jouer Cosmetics Anti-Blemish Matte Primer - £29.00
- I hadn't heard many people talking about this primer, except for my favourite YouTuber - ThaTaylaa, who has oily / combination, acne prone skin (just like me) and raves about this primer! This primer feels like a cream to apply and you don't have to use much to cover your face. It has a very slight minty scent and leaves my skin feeling semi-matte. It doesn't dry out my skin and in the times I've used this, it hasn't made my skin break out. This primer contains salicylic acid, which my skin absolutely loves and is the main ingredient that keeps my acne at bay. You get 30ml of product in the squeeze tube.
5. Barry M Flawless Colour Correcting Primer - £5.99
- So because I have acne prone skin and Rosacea (horrible combination), I have a lot of redness in my face. I usually use full coverage foundations to cover this up, but I saw this primer had amazing reviews on Superdrug and Boots' website, so I thought I would try this for myself. It's got quite a thick, gel / silicone consistency and is quite a green colour! However, when you rub it in, the green disappears and it does colour correct slightly. This primer leaves your skin feeling very smooth and it glides onto your skin. It sinks in relatively quickly and does cancel out some of the redness. You get 30ml of product and it comes with a pump.
6. Seventeen Miracle Matte Primer - £4.99
- I was reluctant to try this primer, based on the negative reviews it has on Boots.com, however, I can say I do not agree with any of the negative reviews! This primer is super mattifying - more so than the other matte primers in this list. It does feel slightly siliconey to apply and you need to be careful not to rub it in too much! It dries down super quickly, and if you move it around on your skin too much, it starts to ball up - which is where most of the negative reviews come from! If you are gentle and rub it in quickly, without moving the product around, it gives you a super smooth base that is instantly very matte. This is great to use with dewier foundations if you want a more matte finish or if your skin is prone to getting oily throughout the day. This is a great primer for under £5! You get 15ml of product and a little bit goes a long way.
7. L'Oreal Lumi Magique Primer - £10.99
- I do usually prefer a mattifying primer, as I have combination skin, however, this is a great primer for those days you feel like adding an extra glow to your skin. I use this especially if I have a foundation that is 'too matte' for my liking - such as the Kat Von D Lock It Foundation and the Marc Jacobs Remarcable Foundation. It feels slightly siliconey, but sort of like a cream at the same time. It adds a glow to your skin, with a slight hint of glitter but nothing too extreme! It sinks in quickly and gives a smooth base to apply foundation onto. If you like the glowy look, this is definitely a primer you need to try! You get 20ml of product in the tube and it comes with a pump.
8. Benefit Porefessional Matte Rescue Primer - £23.50 (full sized)
- I'm sure you've all heard the hype around the Benefit Porefessional Primers! Because I have oily/ combination skin, I wanted to try the 'Matte Rescue' version, so I purchased the travel sized tube (£10.50) to see if it was any good. The formula is a gel consistency and doesn't feel overly silicone based. It does glide onto the skin and it blurs my pores, but it doesn't leave my skin feeling super matte - unlike the Seventeen primer. I do like this primer, but I probably wouldn't pay for the full sized tube as I have drugstore priced primers that are just as good, however, if you are looking for a higher end primer, this would be a good one to go with. You get 15ml of product in the travel sized version and 50ml in the full sized tube.
9. Rimmel Match Perfection Fix & Perfect Primer - £6.99
- This has great reviews on Boots.com so I thought I would try it for myself a few months back. The formula is like silicone / cream, which glides onto the skin and sinks in relatively quickly. It does have a slight chemical scent to it. It claims to smooth, resurface, brighten, mattify and protect. I can't say that I notice it brighten my skin at all, but it does smooth the skin and leaves it looking completely pore-less. It doesn't stay matte all day on me, but if I want to keep my skin matte I would go to one of my mattifying primers. You get 30ml of product in the tube.
10. L'Oreal Infallible Matte Priming Base - £8.99
- This is a silicone based primer, which is not usually my favourite (as you can tell by the other primers on this list!) but I do love this primer and have already repurchased it. It leaves your skin feeling matte, but not dry and it gives you a very smooth base to apply foundation onto. I feel like it blurs the pores on my skin, even before I've applied foundation, I can see a visible difference. You don't need to use a lot of this to cover your face. Because I have acne prone skin, silicone primers often break me out but this one doesn't, which is one of the reasons I love it. I don't think it extends the wear of my foundation, but it does leave my foundation looking better than without a primer. You get 35ml of product in the squeeze tube.
Let me know in the comments section if you've tried any of these primers or if you have another personal favourite!
Sarah (aka. Pale Princess) x
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