I spend 99% of my time running late. It’s not that I don’t care or that I think anyone else's time is less important than my own; it’s just that I am hugely ambitious about how long it takes me to leave the house. This means that I am almost always rushing – moving at a pace that you’d probably call a reasonable jog rather than walking.
As you can imagine, this doesn’t make for pristine-looking makeup. I’ll optimistically apply it in the morning, but my best foundation, or even the best waterproof foundation, has a job on its hands trying to cling on as I hurtle around - especially given that my skin is naturally oily. It’s a bit like trying to balance a pea on top of a freight train.
I’ve tried all of the best primers in the hope of finding something that can hold onto my base for even just a little bit longer, and I eventually found one that delivers. Lucky for me, it’s not any of the fancy, budget-stretching buys, but this cheap and cheerful formula that costs just £10.
Why this budget primer is the only thing that keeps my base in place
Even if you’re much better at timekeeping than me, you’ll probably still know the frustration of looking in the mirror at 2pm to see there’s no makeup left on your face. What you need to avoid this is a primer that grips your foundation like velcro and holds it tight.
RRP: £10
The best thing about e.l.f. Power Grip Primer is the texture. It’s a super sticky, syrup-textured gel that initially feels very wet and looks very shiny but dries down to become slightly tacky within about 30 seconds.
It’s not mattifying, so it doesn’t have that powdery texture that can cause your foundation to roll and bobble so your base sits nicely on the top. The finish is slightly dewy but not overly so. If you have oily skin like mine, then you’ll probably want to top your finished look with a dusting of powder, but you’ll be able to forgo that if your skin is on the drier side.
Jess wearing her (well-loved) e.l.f. Power Grip Primer without (L) and with (R) makeup
And that’s the magic of this product in a nutshell. It doesn’t have any active ingredients promising to transform your skin; it just does what it promises on the tube really, really well. My makeup easily lasts for a full 12 hours with this underneath it, and I’m grateful not to have to add “re-apply makeup” to my already oversubscribed to-do list.
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