All About Primers + Mini Review of MUFE Step 1 Primers

Hey all! Let’s talk about primers. What is a primer and why do you need one? Basically a primer is a base for foundation or face makeup. It acts as a barrier between your skin and your makeup. Depending on your skin’s concerns, a primer can be used to address those problems. Primers can be used to address texture, large pores, redness, you name it, there’s a primer for it. Primers can be layered, and I will address that later in the post. 

My main concern is my large pores and oily skin so I like to go for primers that will help to fill in my pores and help to control my oils and currently I have 4 primers in my stash. 

Unfortunately all of the primers are on the higher end but I know there are a lot of drugstore primers that work just as well so I will try to provide dupes to all of these primers. 

First primer I’m going to talk about is the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer ($54) this is the most expensive primer I have ever bought. It costs a lot more than almost all of my foundations! This primer is supposed to help to smooth texture, control oil, create a smooth base for makeup application and extend the wear of your makeup. It does all it claims except for the pores filling bit, which it doesn’t really excel at. I also don’t find that it controls my oils but in its defense, I’m very oily 😂 it has a lotion-y consistency and is easy to apply. It’s a good enough primer, but I definitely won’t be repurchasing when I run out. My bottle has lasted me over a year so it does end up a pretty good value for money. 

Drugstore dupe: NYX Angel Veil primer. 

Next on this list is the Becca Ever Matte Poreless Priming Perfector. If you’ve been reading my blog you know this is HG status for me. I love love love this primer. It claims to be pore filling, mattifying and help to extend the wear of your makeup and it does all of it and more. It’s a little tricky to apply but once you get the hang of it, it’s an amazing product. When I wear this I’m like oily skin who? 😂😂 of course I do get oily after a while but definitely helps to keep me matte for a really long time and whenever I  don’t wear this, I definitely notice that my oils come through more quickly. A lot of people used to compare this primer to the Kiko Mat Base Corrector primer but that has since been discontinued so if I find a drugstore dupe to this primer I will update this post.

Now on to the review of the MUFE Step one primers. Makeup Forever released 10 primers to target every skin concern you could possibly have, and I knew immediately that I would have to pick two of them up. Reviews were favourable so finally I picked up two of the Step One primers; Mattifying and Smoothing. 

I picked these up in the travel size because it seemed like the smarter thing to do. 15ml/0.5g of product = $17 30ml/1 oz of product = $37; two travel size: $17+$17 = $34. Get it? Lol the cheapie in me had to pick up the travel size because two of it would still be cheaper than one full size primer. I’m getting off topic here. Let’s get back on track. The mattifying primer comes in a dark grey tube and the the smoothing primer comes in a lighter grey tube. They both have a very precise tip applicator (which I forgot to photograph, sorry!) which dispenses very little product at a time, which is good, because it helps to prevent waste. 

The consistency of the smoothing primer is very similar to the Benefit Porefessional which I used to have but have since sold because I thought wasn’t worth the money. It even smells similar to the Porefessional. It’s tinted; but it doesn’t leave me looking ashy, thankfully. The brand describes this as a satiny, non – oily formula that evens out skin texture by minimizing pores, wrinkles and fine lines. Skin looks resurfaced and perfectly smooth for a flawless makeup all day long. I don’t have any wrinkles or a lot of fine lines so I can’t say how it works on them but I do have rather large pores on the sides of my nose. I wouldn’t say it makes my pores look resurfaced but it doesn’t give them a soft focused effect which makes them look like they’re barely even there. And as an added bonus, it helps to keep my oils in check to an extent in the areas in which I apply it. 

The mattifying primer is clear, and is of a slightly thick consistency, just like the Becca Ever Matte. This primer is described as the answer to unwanted shine, fighting against excess oil to ensure a matter makeup result. I do find that it does help to keep my oils in check. It’s not as fussy to apply as the Becca primer and it works just as well. I do think the Becca primer works controls oil a smidge bit longer but it’s not a significant differences. 

Remember I said earlier that primers could be layered? Let’s talk a lot more about that. I use a lot of my primers together. For instance I apply my Hourglass primer to my entire face and apply my Becca primer to my tzone where I’m the most oily (which also has the added benefit of pore minimizing), or I use my Step one mattifying to my tzone to control oil and the smoothing primer to my pores to help minimise the appearance of them.  

A lot of primers rely on silicones to give them a smooth texture; a lot of primers that apply smoothly or claim to be pore filling contain a lot of silicones. However two out of my four primers do not contain silicones and that’s amazing to find, especially for people who either are allergic to silicone or do not like silicone – laden primers. Becca Ever Matte primer and the Makeup Forever Step one madoes not contain silicones: the primary oil controlling ingredient is Enantia Chlorantha bark extract, while the mattifying Step One primers contains a specific Sebustop Vegetal Complex. 

While a lot of silicone primers have some slip to it, my two primers that contain silicones do not have the same consistency. The Hourglass primer is lotion – y while the Step one smoothing is of a thicker consistency. 

I will definitely repurchase the two Step One primers and might even pick up the full size next time. The Becca Ever Matte is love. I will definitely be repurchasing and as for Hourglass, it’s a no for me bruh! 

Ultimately it’s up to you to decide the best primer for your skin concerns and for your preference. I suggest that you do a lot of research and go for what best suits you. 

Thank you for reading xx 

what is your favourite primer? Have you tried any of these? Share your thoughts with me. 

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