Hey everyone!

Welcome to my brand new site! Okay, so it’s still the same website, but a new design! If you are a frequent reader of mine hopefully you noticed the change. There are still a couple of things that need to be adjusted but I totally love it!! What do you think?

Anyways, today I am comparing Primer vs. Primer Water. What are the differences and which one will work of you? Keep reading to learn more.

Primer Vs. Primer Water

Okay so the primer on the left is the Prime Shield primer by Milani, this primer is made for oily skin with large pores… me. For purposes of this post we are going to call this a “solid” primer

The primer on the right is the Photo Finish Primer Water by Smashbox, it is used to hydrate skin for hours.

Before we get any further, this isn’t a review on these particular primers, this is a comparison between the two different types of primer.

The Differences:

“Solid” Primer:

• Has a gel/thin lotion like consistency
• Comes in a handy squeeze tube
• Blendable with fingers or a brush
• Blurs large pores or fine lines
• Leaves skin feeling very soft
• Mattifies face
• Used only before makeup application

Primer Water:

• Has a water like consistency
• Has a spray nozzle
• You spray it on your face and where it lays it stays, you don’t blend it out
• Hydrates the skin
• Provides radiance
• Can be used later in the day to refresh makeup

Which one should you use?

You should use a “Solid” Primer:

If you have…

• Oily skin
• Large pores
• Fine Lines
• Facial Imperfections that you want to blur out
• If you want your makeup to stay in place
• If your skin has texture to it and you want to have a more even smooth skin tone and texture.

You should use a Primer Water:

• If you have dry skin
• If your pores aren’t visible
• If you want your makeup to glow
• If you want to tone down a lot of your powder products
• If you like to refresh you makeup throughout the day
• If you like a nice cooling refreshing sensation on your face

If you have normal skin you can use either one you want.

Final Thoughts:

For me personally, I prefer the “solid” primer because it does everything I need it to do. I have very oily skin so putting a mattifying primer that hides large pores on my skin before my foundation really helps my makeup stay in place and not become so greasy. If I just relied on the Primer Water my pores would show through my foundation, and my skin would be oily very early in the day. The Primer Water is great for me on days where I feel like my skin is looking a little dull or drier than normal. Also like I mentioned above if my makeup is looking a little cakey, a few spritz of Primer Water and it seriously meshes it all together to look flawless.

Do you use a primer? Which one do works for your skin?