!!!Primer #32.

Look back at the primers I've reviewed since we started our Project Primer, 40 Primers In 40 Days. You'll see many honored and venerable names from great cosmetic houses such as Chanel, Dior, Guerlain and Lauder. You'll see primers from makeup artist lines such as Nars, Trish McEvoy, Lorac, and Paula Dorf. I've reviewed primers from hip, cool, trendy lines like Smashbox, Paul & Joe, and MAC. Oh, and then there was that cult thing. I'm about to take you to something completely different. I can't remember who first mentioned this product as a primer, and I can't even think of the moment when that person said to herself, "Hmmmm, this might work as a foundation primer!" But it does, and so today's review, as shocking as it may seem, is for Monistat (yes!) Soothing Care Chafing Relief Powder-Gel.

There, I said it. I put this stuff on my face in the name of research.
This Monistat product lists dimethicone as its active ingredient. The box reads "silky, breathable" and that sounded like two qualities I'd want in a good primer. I took the plunge and applied the product to my face, trying very hard to put out of my mind the weirdness of it all. This product is a cloudy, thick gel, and a small amount was all I needed to completely cover my face. Indeed it felt silky. Hmm, and breathable. My face felt neither coated nor smothered. It felt very velvety and smooth. I did detect a similarity to other silicone, pore-and-line-filling primers that I have already tested. Okay, maybe this is not so icky as I thought it would be. But the powder-gel name had me a bit worried, and I wondered if it would mattify my La Prairie. I applied my foundation over the gel, and again, as with other heavily-siliconed products, my foundation smoothed on easily and evenly. My pores appeared to be diminished in size, and the lines I am always trying to hide did indeed appear less deep. Nice!

I waited to see how the primer would affect my foundation, and checked later in the day. Yes, there was a bit of a mattifying effect, but my face didn't feel dry or tight. There was no cracking or slipping of my foundation, and no flaking around the nose area either. Later in the day, it appeared as though the primer and my foundation had sunk into my pores a bit, and I could see little dots in my pores. The area around my mouth did seem dry, but not uncomfortably so. My foundation was pretty much worn off by the end of the day, with the exception of what had sunk into my pores. Since this product probably wasn't designed to be used on the face, I can't complain that it did not perform as promised. I can, however, report that like the Clinique product I reviewed earlier in this project, the Monistat clogged my pores badly. The morning after I used it, I actually had a few breakouts on my nose and even on my cheeks! That being said, I'll stop this crazy non-primer-primer testing and take us back to the cosmetic counters tomorrow.

Product rating, 3.
Nutty-use-of-product rating, 10.

Review by Cavewoman
Disclosure: This product was purchased by the reviewer, Cavewoman.