Pros:
-Philosophy always delivers luxurious products
-Creamy
-Light scent

Cons:
-Skin became shiny within a couple hours
-Makeup would not stay put
-Felt like an additonal moisturizer

Overall, I would not purchase this product again since it did not perform well for my skin type and texture.

Normally I love Philosophy products, but I must say I was disappointed with this one. I have combination skin (so not even super oily) but it was really the shine control aspect I was after and this product unfortunately failed to deliver. Having spent £25.00 on it, I was unimpressed.....

When I first tried this product a couple of months ago, I wasn't too into it. However, having given it another try recently, I've grown to really like it.

The formula reminds me of glue... the kind you use in elementary school lol You know, the white Elmer's stuff? Except this feels a little more gooey. It glides on really well but you seriously have to make sure your face is properly moisturized. Before, I had an issue with this primer not blending in well. However, these days I've been moisturizing a lot better and it definitely makes a difference. This does a pretty good job of making your skin really smooth, which helps give your face a pretty, flawless finish when everything is done!

Two things I especially love about this primer are the oil control and the lasting power. The oil control is really great. I've never used anything that keep my combination-oily skin 100% oil-free throughout the day, but this is definitely one of the good ones. Although I still blot now and then, I am absolutely a lot better off with this primer. The lasting power, too, is great. Out of the numerous products I've tried, this is number one in terms of keeping my make-up on until late, late into the night. As someone with rather oily skin, the idea of my foundation staying on all day seems like an impossible feat. That is, until I tried this primer. Seriously, I can go from something like 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. and my make-up will still look good instead of melting away!

The smell is okay. It's not bad at all but it's not really something I'm falling over. I don't really pay attention to it. I have no issues with the tube the product comes in, either. The price isn't amazing, but it's pretty nice at $25 USD, considering that sometimes nice primers can be $30+.

The only issue I have with this product is that it takes some adjusting to. For one, you really need to wait about 3 minutes before putting on your foundation. It truly impacts how your make-up sticks to it. For another, after you wait a few minutes, you have to be careful with how you apply your products. They have to be blended in quickly, and this applies for both foundation and blush. If you use, for example, liquid foundation, it will stick and dry quickly (even hydrating, glossy formulas). Blush, too, you have to work with. If you brush it on in a certain shape, you can't really fade the edges out, so you have to make sure to be light-handed from the get-go.

EDIT
I still like this primer but the difficulty of applying make-up over it is getting a bit annoying :(

I don't use this product anymore, but I still highly recommend it.
Let me explain.
I use to hate foundation and refused to use it. This was the perfect alternative from me then. It gave me a smooth lovely surface, without that greasy foundation feeling. I have since found foundations that work for my skin type, and have not used this in awhile. However I think it is a quality product.

I have very problematic skin, with cystic and deep acne. I applied this product after moisturizing my skin, and then let it set for a couple of minutes as I went about getting ready for a party. Afterwards, I applied the Studio Tech foundation from MAC, and really, all my spot vanished !!
My skin appeared smooth and the makeup stayed perfect even after a good 6 hours had passed. I would definately recomment this as a primer.

This is my current primer....still searching. I dont like that it has silicone in it....I was using Tarte's Recreate, but it was too hydrating...
I like "the present", but the cones in it cause the oil I produce to just sit on face as a layer....anyway, its better for me than smashbox...

This product didn't work for me at all :( It only left my skin super smooth...but that only lasted for like 10 minutes. It also broke me out a little. I really wanted it to work but I had to return it.

I was looking for a new primer since I ran out of my Make Up Forever one a long time ago and decided to try this one from Philosophy. I went to Ulta without anything in mind and the lady suggested this one for me, she put some on the back of my hand and I loved the way it made my hand feel and look. Since the back of my hands can get pretty dry, I liked how it filled in the little dry cracks on the back of my hand and looked so moist! So I was sold, it was considerably cheaper ($25) than the ones I were looking at from Benefit & Smash box and came with more or just as much amount of product.

However, the results were a different story... The direction tells you to apply this right after all your skincare routine then wait 2 full minutes for the product to soak in and seal the moisturizer before applying your foundation. So, I waited (more than 2 minutes actually) and then applied my usual foundation (Make Up Forever HD foundation in #127) with a synthetic brush. I didn't notice anything too special, as it claims to make your skin look "flawless" and "air-brushed."But I DID notice some flaking around my eye area, cakey-ness around my nose, and uneven application on my nose.

This problem was still there even when I tried applying the foundation with my hands instead of the brush and even tried to apply less of the product to prevent the "flaking" and the "peeling." None of those methods worked for me, I thought it would get better throughout the day and it did just a little.

Personally, I think my foundation looks better when I apply it without this "primer."

PROS:
1. It smells nice, like lavender
2. The soothing properties in the product apparently helps calm your skin at night
3. A little goes a long way, you don't need too much

CONS:
1. It peels off your face if you rub the foundation in too much
2. Doesn't really help your face look flawless or air-brushed
3. Cakes around your nose and under my eye
4. Hard to apply evenly around the nose
5. It didn't really help me control my oil
6. No SPF / sun protection continued >>

I have very oily skin...but it does need to be moisturized...so I use shea butter on my skin at night after cleaning, by morning it is all absorbed, and i can wash my face again (usually Murad or Dr. Bronners Tea Trea Oil soap) and my skin not be dry. I use this as my "moisturizer" in the morning prior to makeup application. I does fill in "holes" minimally, but for those of you that wear makeup, and have very oily skin, its just moisturizing enough to calm the skin, and base your makeup. I find that I am less oily throughout the day using this routine (as opposed to a regular moisturizer) and my makeup may stay on a little longer than usual (not that I can tell because I do not touch up during the day, only sparingly if I plan on going out after work). Overall...I think it does its job...I have a friend that has very dry skin, and she uses this after moisturizer, and she absolutely loves it as well, perfect for no makeup, or makeup wearers.


It claims that it will reduce some redness so your skin looks like you have makeup on, I cannot comment on this because my skin does not get red very often.


I think I have pretty sensitive skin (if I dont follow my cleaning routine) and this as NEVER broken me out....ive also used tons of different makeup techniques and brands, and it works seamlessly with all of them.


It sucks that its $25 a pop...but when I run out I will def repurchase because its great for everyday use...with that said...I dont use it everyday because I swtich between like 5 different makeup routines.
continued >>

I think this is a primer worth trying if you have oily or acne prone skin. It's supposed to be best under powder makeup but I wear it over Estee Lauder's Doublewear (which I also often mix with Illuminare's liquid mineral foundation), and I've still gotten a good finish with it.

If you've got big pores or even shallow acne scars, this stuff is REALLY good at smoothing over those little crevices. In fact, a couple of months ago I had this awful little depression in my face that I just could not cover, but I'd dip a toothpick in this stuff and I'd fill it in with that, then after it dried I'd layer on the makeup and it actually worked (this was the deepest acne scar I've ever had, but it was probably still considered shallow, and when I tried this technique with the real shallow ones it didn't work so well). Also, I don't wear powder, so this stuff gives my makeup way longer staying power and it definitely seems to keep the shine from overwhelming my face.

One thing I noticed though, is that this stuff dried out and irritated my skin when I was on accutane, so I would definitely test it first if you have sensitive or dry skin (lavender is a known irritant).