Never Let Them See You Shine by Philosophy: A Primer Review

This is an oil and shine control product from the Philosophy line. It provides a velvet-like finish to the face. It quickly goes matte and does seem to cling to the foundation in a satisfying way. There is no morphing of the color shade throughout the day. There is some wear and tear. My makeup did not appear fresh after an 8 hour workday. My chin really seemed to take some "extra hits" even with careful attention paid to that spot. It contains some "cones" such as dimethicone and a dimethicone crosspolymer. There is panax ginseng root extract along with non-chemical sounding bark extract and rice bran. During my testing I never experience any acne flare ups or skin irritations. This is pretty good for a silicon primer. I have recently moved away from silicon primers due to skin dryness. This formula is not drying but it also did not give me the superior results that a silicon themed primer does.

My verdict is mixed. I did not think it performed like Smashbox or Face Time but it was fair. Nothing to gush or diss over. But there is something about Never Let Them See You Shine that I could not stand. The scent is a strong and slightly stomach turning lavender. In the morning it would catch me off guard and start a gagging reflex. This is a fresh laundry smell on steroids. This is a huge drawback for me. I love scent in some makeup products. There is nothing like a rose scented blush from Chanel or a loose powder from Caron.

But a primer should be scentless. What do you think about makeup products being scented? Let us know in the comments.

Never Let Them See You Shine retails for $20 @ http://www.philosophy.com/

Credit: Blogdorf Goodman

Disclaimer: A press sample of this product was provided by Philosophy