40 Days and 40 Nights of Primers

Primer #21

Today's primer comes from one of the most popular cosmetic lines in the world, one with which I have had a love-hate relationship for many years. Right now it is love again with MAC Cosmetics and it is mostly due to Annieytown. We make sure we are at the counters now for every launch of every collection, and we ooh and ahh and test and compare and usually buy, too. Although MAC is well-known for its creativity in color stories, I have not heard too much positive buzz about skincare or foundations. But, this is research and every line gets a fair chance.

MAC's Prep + Prime is a newer product in this line, and our friendly SA supplied me with a nice generous sample pot. Prep + Prime comes in a black pump bottle, but it is easy to control the amount that is dispensed. This milky-white, thick liquid smooths so easily on the skin that it surprised me. I thought that due to the texture of the product that it would take longer to achieve an even application, but it seems to melt into the skin on contact and it dries faster than just about any other primer I have tried so far. I checked the application in a magnifying mirror to see about any pore-and-line filling properties, any mattifying results, and what a surprise! I saw glitter! Yes, the teeniest, finest, micro-particles, but there it was, a rainbow of sparkle on my face! To be sure, this was invisible in a regular mirror, but showed up in magnification. Well, I love shimmer and sparkle, and I was pleased to see this.

On with the foundation! My La Prairie smoothed on like a dream. I believe that it took even less of the La Prairie to completely cover my face than it usually does. If you have this foundation, you know that it takes the smallest amount to cover the entire face. With Prep + Prime I bet my jar of La Prairie foundation would last two years! The Prep + Prime glittery particles do not show through the foundation. My La Prairie felt and looked more matte than usual, and although the P + P did not totally fill in pores or lines, I think that it did help to diffuse light and therefore give an appearance of softening. It felt a bit 'tight' but not in an unpleasant way. My oily t-zone did not need a blot or a powdering all day, because this product really seems to hold back the oil. My foundation stayed true-to-color and did not wear off unevenly nor did it crack or settle.

I am delighted with Prep + Prime and would give it a very high rating but I have to take off a point due to the container. It's black. OK, MAC, black is the base of your entire display area and your trademark color, but I do prefer to be able to see how much product is in my container. Prep + Prime is a fine product and a pleasant surprise.
Product rating, 8.

Review by Cavewoman