I'm still on the fence with this one. I like the Smashbox PPL primer because it makes my foundation look very smooth and it's a nice base, but it smells weird and doesn't keep the oiliness at bay for more than an hour--sometimes two if I'm lucky. I purchased this last week and have been trying different ways of using this to find the most effective. The technique that seems to work the best is applying this both before AND after my foundation. Currently hitting the six hour mark and only have a little bit of shine peeking through. One warning, though, is that this can make your foundation more difficult to apply because it does leave a VERY matte finish initially. I'd suggest giving it 5 minutes or so to sit on your face before you try to apply any product over top. Overall I do think this is effective and I would probably buy it again, but it depends on how much use I can get out of this tube. Since I do use it both as a primer and to blot, I feel like I use a lot of product each day. But if I can get 6 months or so out of this tube, I'll be ecstatic.
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EDIT: I've recently repurchased the PPL primer because this is just way too difficult to use under foundation. I now carry this in my makeup bag for touchups during the day. Still relatively effective, but I find it can't hold up well to the outside elements. It's magic if I'm indoors for the majority of the day, but on days when I'm outside this is virtually ineffective. *sigh* I'll keep my rating the same, though, because this will be lovely for most occasions--especially nights out.

One more thing--this product can be extremely difficult to find in stores. I've tried all three Sephora stores in my area and the local Ulta and none of them carried it. It may just be easier to order it online instead of searching high and low.

i purchased this product last week and will definately be re-purchasing. I have very oily skin and work in a warm office. I apply make-up at 7.30am and usually by 10am i am shiny. The MUA at Smashbox told be to squeeze a pea size amount onto my hand rub it until it goes into a smooth, clear gel and then dab it onto my tzone. So far so good. Foundation application took a little longer but its worth it. I set my makeup with Bare Escentual Mineral Veil and can honestly say for the last week i have stayed matte until i finish work at 5.30pm. Definatley recommend for people with very oily skin, i have tried numerous products that cost alot more than this one and this is the ony one that has worked!

I love this -- it's really the only primer that actually extends the wear of my makeup on my BEYOND oily skin. If you have dry patches, avoid applying this product there, but elsewhere, you're fine. A little of this goes a very long way, so, don't over apply. After using it for about a week, you really learn exactly how much your skin needs. It's an essential for me if I expect my foundation to last more than 6 hours. Totally repurchase. Oh, and it's the same ingredients as the Urban Decay DeSlick in a tube, however, it's 1oz versus UD's .67oz and cheaper than UD's.

I absolutley love this product. Like many others who reviewed this primer, I suffer from extreme oiliness all over my face. I agree that this will not keep you completely matte throughtout the day, however it does an awesome job of keeping your makeup in place all day long. We all know the pain at the end of the day when our foundation is completley gone... You might have to blot or powder once or twice during the day, but I am very content with that. For those who had hard time applying foundation over it I suggest using a beauty blender to apply foundation, gently dabbing it against the skin. Yes, you do have to work pretty fast to apply the primer all over your face beacause it does dry quickly. I would suggest to spread it all over and then pad it down. I will definitely repurchase

I tried this product once, only on my t-zone. I slathered on a little bit on my forehead, and spread it onto my nose. Then I tried unsuccessfully to apply my foundation over it - the anti-shine product made my forehead an extremely uneven surface and made it difficult to apply any product over it. It was difficult to get my foundation to buff into place evenly.

It didn't seem to control shine on my nose. But that may be because I didn't put much on my nose, or it rubbed off when I was blending in my foundation. However, I was shocked to see my forehead completely matte for an entire day. Believe me, this NEVER happens, and I tried it on a smewhat hot day when I was literally sweating. I didn't think it was possible to sweat on my forehead while still remaining matte - this product accomplishes that.

As amazing as this was, I am unsure about prolonged use of it, because when I took off my makeup later that day, I had red bumps all over my forehead. Since this was the only new product, it was probably the culprit. A shame, really, considering how well it controlled my oil.

I bought this in hopes that it would be the miraculous solution to my uber greasy skin (not just in my t zone.. and it usually greases up within the hour or less depending on weather and exercising etc) but unfortuntely its not. It decreases the shine and slows it down a bit but thats about it. I've tried it under my foundation and over it (when used over, i found that my foundation looks uneven and a little seperated) but neither application methods seemed to have worked... If anything changes, i'll edit this review!

EDIT: It's still no miracle product for me but i've tried to use it on my entire face underneath foundation because i had a job interview and i didn't want to look oily. It worked fine BUT it had this tackiness to it which felt uncomfortable and unnatural on my face. For that reason, i wouldn't use it everyday - it's easier for me to just blot occasionally instead!

All girls with oily or combination skin should try this product! Its the best thing I have tried.Get it and forget all T zone problems!

AMAZING!!! I have really oily skin that starts to shine after a couple hours. This is the best product I've found for oil control. I use this as the first thing I put on my skin after cleansing, then I put primer over it. I only use it on the really oily spots and it works amazing! It's pretty pricey but considering you don't need that much it's worth the price. It usually lasts me 4-6 months and I use it a couple times a week. It would probably only last someone 2 or 3 months if they used it everyday. Couldn't live without it!!!

So far this seems to be the best primer for my oily skin, I only use it on weekends when I go out, otherwise I stick with others.
I find it a bit difficult to spread all over my face, but once it's spread, my face feels smooth and squicky matte. I kind of like the watery but at the same time sticky feel while spreading it all over, and then bam!...dry skin.
It goes on clear and I cannot detect any scent.
My foundation (ELDW) is a bit more difficult to apply on top of this, it does not glide as easily, but it really sticks to this base and looks flawless.
And the best thing, the oil doesn't show for a few hours, and when it does, it shows up more like a glow than shine.I blot and I'm ready to go for yet another few hours.
It has never broken me out, and the tube will last for a very long time as one only has to use very little to cover the whole face.
IME this primer is way better than Murad Mattifying Lotion, probably because my face doesn't like SPF and will always produce oil in the presence of spf ingredients.
I didn't give this a five only because it still doesn't manage to keep me matte the whole day (although I wonder if anything can do that).

This is amazing. I had oily skin when I was a teenager and never knew what to use. Then it went away and I felt blessed! But I started using Retin A recently and for some reason it has made my skin as oily and shiny as ever! I would put on my foundation and by the time I was done with my eye makeup I would be shiny! So I bought this with some trepidation due to cost, but it is a miracle product! I put it on and am completely shine free for at least 5 hours!!! And even then I am only a little shiny-not enough to repowder-just blot a little! I love this and wish I knew about it when I was younger!!!