Pores are funny old things. We’ve all got them - and most of us hate them in the same way that we loathe chin hair. The visible ones on the face can be a real source of embarrassment. It doesn’t matter if they are the size of pinpricks or popcorn, enlarged pores provide the perfect collection points for all sorts. It’s not just grease and grime that settle in them, makeup struggles with the imperfections too. Hence the rise and rise of pore blurring makeup primers - including a brand new one from Beauty Bay.
The Beauty Bay Pore Perfect Blurring Primer has had a very convincing launch on social media. A video marketing campaign shows some quite stunning transformations. If you’ve watched one of these ads, you will have seen obvious pores and other facial flaws blurred away in literally seconds. If the sight of a single product smoothing away our biggest beauty insecurities got your attention, it got mine too.
What did it ‘say’ to me? It said, it would make my skin look smooth and poreless. I decided I needed to know more, so I headed over to Beauty Bay’s website. That was last Thursday and, at the time, there were no customer reviews for the product. Without any feedback to base a purchase decision on, I had to be guided by the promotional material I’d been exposed to online.
About Beauty Bay Pore Perfect Blurring Primer
Sold in a 30ml jar, Beauty Bay Pore Perfect Blurring Primer retails at £12. However, at the time of writing this review, it was on offer for £10. I ordered it on a Thursday and it arrived the following Monday. There was a postage fee of £2.95.
It is described as a transparent, smoothing primer with a cloud-like texture and cooling effect. It can be used under or over makeup, as well as without makeup. The jar arrived unboxed, but with a lid seal and a handy spatula. I couldn’t wait to try it.
This product is fragrance-free and suitable for vegans. It is also cruelty-free. Ingredients include botanicals, such as clover flower extract, and humectants that support the skin's natural barrier and help it to retain moisture. The finish is shine-free and matte.
The formula, while very light, has a ‘fluffy, mashed ointment’ feel to it; the Slush Puppie of the beauty world, if you like. It’s not a cream and it’s not a mousse. To be fair to Beauty Bay, it’s quite unique for something that comes in a pot.
What are my skin concerns and what was I hoping the pore perfecting and blurring primer would help me achieve? The biggest issue I have, apart from some redness, is large pores on my nose, chin and between my eyes. My hope was that the primer would smooth them out and, basically, blur my flaws away. I was looking for picture-perfect results more than the ‘soft-focus’ finish promised by Beauty Bay. Let’s face it, we can all dream!
Using a pore perfecting primer
I chose to use the primer after cleansing and toning, and over a moisturiser. I will show you what my problem areas looked like before I tried the Beauty Bay Pore Perfect Blurring Primer - as well as after.
I used the little spoon-like spatula to pick up some of the product and applied it to the sides and bridge of my nose. The cooling sensation is real, by the way. Quite refreshing. After gently massaging the primer into the skin, I couldn’t resist a peep into a magnified mirror. I saw slight blurring, but nothing dramatic. I decided to repeat the process, because I used very little product the first time around.
The primer, while described as transparent, is off-white opaque. That’s the ‘soft-focus’, I decided as I surveyed the results of the second application. Yes, a definite blurring but I could still make out my pores.
Would my face look even better with makeup on? I used Collection Cosmetics’ Lasting Perfection foundation in a satin finish and set it with a fixing powder. The result? Not bad!
This is what my face looked like after using the primer and applying makeup, including a foundation.
So, what do I think? This product is a modern twist on original putty primers. The formula is more space-age and the results are definitely better, but it doesn’t deliver complete perfection. Having said that, I’ve got mature skin so there are a lot more ‘nasties’ to blur. On younger skin, I’m pretty sure it would inch closer to the perfection many of us seek.
Did it blur fine lines? Yes, particularly between my eyes.
Beauty Bay trialled this primer on 13 people for market research and advertising purposes. I think that is a very small sample and not enough to base product benefit statistics on.
One thing I would say is that pores are becoming a much more acceptable feature of the face. Advertising is now deliberately using shots that show pores. As well as better reflecting what nearly all of us look like, it’s a way of demonstrating that perfection isn’t actually real. It’s something we conjure up in our own minds and then attempt to achieve.
Beauty Bay Pore Perfecting Blurring Primer is one of the new-age cosmetic products that will edge more of us towards our ideals. It does work. Just don’t expect miracles.
UPDATE: I've conducted my 'wear test' on the primer this morning. The test is the same one I use for all cosmetic products - three hours of sweeping sand and at least half an hour of operating a commercial dishwasher which produces a lot of steam. (I work in a beach bar - and, yes, it's open all year round.) I applied the product at 5am (I start grafting when it's pitch black).
First up, we have a very unflattering mirror in the bar - but not today! My face looked considerably better than it does without the primer. I've just got home, six hours after applying the primer and makeup, and everything is still intact.
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