MAC PREP + PRIME SKIN BASE VISAGE

I hope everyone's starting to feel very festive as December is here! I think I'm still under the illusion that somehow we're still in July or something, as it cannot possibly already be the end of the year! I recently included the MAC Skin Base Visage in a haul post and after using it everyday since, I've decided to share my thoughts as it's a good'un and perfect for this horrible cold weather. 

I had heard good reviews from Jaclyn Hill and Casey Holmes about one of the MAC Prep and Prime primers, however I hadn't properly found out each one, so when I went into MAC I just went with what I preferred the look of, which consequently wasn't actually the one either of them recommended. (Jaclyn recommended Natural Radiance Skin Base Visage and Casey recommended Skin Refined Zone Treatment).  Anyway, the Prep + Prime Skin Base Visage that I chose is supposed to calm and soothe the skin, blot away excess oil and even out skin redness, which as a result will improve your foundation application. It contains a lot of fruit extracts, such as grape and also contains green tea and caffeine and obviously a lot of other stuff that I have no idea about. 

Packaging

What's not to love; black + lots of pretty glitter? It has a pump application which unlike most pumps, actually gives just the right amount of product in one or two pumps, so you wont be wasting any product. There is 30ml in the tube, which may not seem a lot, however you don't need much so it appears to be lasting well. 

Texture & Application

The product inside is white with pretty little shimmer pieces. It's a creamy but light weight texture that glides over the skin so easily. It leaves the skin feeling very soft, smooth and fresh. It's also great for this time of year when our poor skin is generally getting drier due to the cold weather, as it feels really moisturising too. The shimmer pieces add a very subtle radiance to the face which is really nice and definitely not overpowering as it is so subtle and just gives a nice and natural glow to your make-up. 

Product Claims

The product claims to calm and soothe the skin, which I would definitely agree with as it leaves the skin feeling hydrated and very smooth. It also claims to blot away excess oil, which I would agree with for myself, however this time of year my skin has become a lot less oily than it was in the summer so it's only the T-zone that is a little oily. I do think that it gets rid of any shiny-ness that I have before I apply it and I don't seem to get as oily during the day, however my skin isn't majorly oily anyway so I don't know if this would be the case for those of you with oily skin. I don't have much in the way of skin redness so I can't comment on that claim, but it definitely does make for better foundation application. 

Longevity of Make-up

The first few times that I used this product, I remember looking in the mirror at my make-up, after a long day at uni or work and my make-up looked nearly identical to when I had applied it. I do think it definitely helps your make-up look great through out the day and after using the primer I do feel like my make-up now stays on a lot longer than before, when I was using different primers. 

And a not so good note...

One issue that I have found recently is that the primer doesn't seem to help much in the way of the pores on my nose... eeww... My foundation application doesn't seem as smooth in that one area as it does on the rest of my face, so I have now started to use Benefit's Porefessional on my nose. This may not be due to the primer but it is the only bad thing that I have noticed since using the primer. 

It is priced at £20.50, which is a lot, but I think it is the best primer that I have ever used and I will definitely be repurchasing this product or something very similar, especially for the colder months, when my skin really needs the added hydration and radiance. 

Have you tried this product or any of the other Prep + Prime range?