Monday 3 February 2014

Baby Skin vs. The Porefessional


Benefit The Porefessional - £24.50
Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser - £7.99



Primers are not something I was particularly experienced with up until the last few months, in which my interest was piqued by a few products which I was excited to try. I was fascinated by the boasts and claims which some brands used to advertise their primers. Of course I am referring to face primers, as I had been using eye primers for a few years. UDPP had already become a staple product for me.

I had heard of Benefit's bestseller product, The Porefessional, claimed to be the most popular primer in the country, but I was reluctant to splurge for a while. Noticeable pores had never been an issue for me until about a year ago, probably due to the fact that my skin had become really awful, and my acne was at its worst ever stage. After several trips to my local counter, and lots of testing of the product on my hand, I eventually gave in and bought it. I have to say that it is, unfortunately for my bank account, worth the money. For such a small tube (22ml), as I said, I was very apprehensive about spending more than £1 per ml! But it really is fantastic. I found that it took a few times of me using the primer for me to actually get the technique right. I realise that this sounds slightly bizarre, but it definitely works better if you pat it in, rather than rubbing in circular motions as I had been doing. The main problem I had had with this primer was that if you applied it in this way, it kind of went 'bitty'. I hope somebody at least understands what I mean by this. It's kind of like when you are rubbing in lotion. Basically, the primer formed tiny little balls, rather than actually smoothing onto the skin. However, when applied properly, it is really an amazing product for blurring any pores or imperfections.

As soon as I heard that Maybelline were expanding their Baby range from lips to skin, I was intrigued. Upon realising that its primary purpose was intended to be similar to that of the Benefit primer, I ran out and bought it almost straight away. Yes, I was that keen. First of all, I feel that the packaging is definitely a signal of how the brand were attempting to imitate its Benefit counterpart. It is in a similar sized tube, with a similar colour scheme. The tube contains the same amount of product as The Porefessional, but for about a third of the price. This was the main incentive for me, naturally, as I was keen to see if it did as good a job.


The formula of the two products is quite different. On the left here, is Baby Skin. It is a clear gel, silicone substance, one of the most common formulas for primers. Although I haven't properly tested any other drugstore primers, I have certainly done a few in-store hand swatches, and this definitely has a similar feeling. When on the face, I also think that it feels fairly similar to Smashbox's bestseller Photo Finish primer. The Porefessional, as you can see, is flesh-coloured, but would work for any skin tone, as the colour virtually disappears when the product is blended out. As I said, Baby Skin definitely has that silicone feeling, which a lot of people don't seem to like in primers, but I don't actually mind it myself. The Benefit primer also has this same, ultra-smooth, silicone smoothness when blended out, but I do feel that it isn't quite as unpleasant as the Baby Skin may feel to some people. The Maybelline primer actually verges on making your skin feel slightly greasy and slimy, which is a bit of a down-point of the product. I think that this could definitely be a turn-off for some people. However, in terms of what the product claims to do to your face, I was actually pleasantly surprised. It is definitely an 'Instant Pore' blurrer (made up a word), but maybe not an eraser. I definitely saw results as soon as applying the product to my face. I think so many drugstore primers fail to do what they claim to, which is why the primer market is so dominated by high-end brands these days. But this product definitely exceeded my expectations. It doesn't do such a good job as The Porefessional of minimizing the appearance of pores and imperfections, but it does make a difference. I never expected it to be on the same scale as the more expensive alternative, but it is better than I had hoped. At a fraction of the price, I think this primer may stay in my collection for a while, as more of an everyday product. I'll be able to keep using the Benefit product for more special occasions, and hopefully won't run out of it as soon!

Overall, I would definitely recommend Baby Skin for anyone who has a problem with visible pores, and doesn't want to fork out for higher end products.

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