All things considered, The Ordinary primer would be a fantastic primer at twice the price. Yet seeing as it’s less than £4, this is an absolute bargain.
With properties that work for most skin types and the fact that it does actually do what it claims to do, which is to blur pores, we recommend trying The Ordinary primer.
It’s especially a must-buy for people with oily/combination skin due to its ability to keep the slick at bay for longer, and therefore adding to the longevity of your makeup.
At the very least, if The Ordinary primer doesn’t work for you, you’ve only spent what you would have done buying a large cup of high-street coffee. And if it does work, you just can’t put a price on flawless skin.
| Cult Beauty | £3.90 |
| Boots | £3.90 |
| ASOS | £4 |
The Ordinary has become a cult favourite in recent years, offering affordable and accessible skincare and makeup to all, and one of it’s most popular products is its High-Adherence Silicone primer.
As its name suggests, the primer contains silicone and grips onto your makeup so it “adheres” to your face.
According to the brand, this is achieved via so-called “advanced adaptive silicone particles” that blur the look of imperfections – including fine lines and enlarged pores – and which create a smooth base for your foundation and other skincare products.
It also has a non-greasy formula, free from alcohol and oil, to leave your complexion free from shine. All for just £3.90. But does this cheap price mean you have to make sacrifices?
FURTHER READING: What does primer do? An expert explains the one rule you MUST follow if you want flawless makeup
The Ordinary primer comes in one size – 30ml. Not the largest of tubes, but not the smallest either. It’s cruelty-free, vegan and is not fragranced, making it suitable for a wide range of skin types.
The benefit of it coming in a small-ish tube is that this primer is travel-friendly – not that many of us are travelling very far these days – but it also means it takes up little space on your dressing table. Plus, a little goes a long way with this primer.
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In fact, the first thing we noticed about The Ordinary primer was how smoothly it went on, and how a very small amount left our entire face feeling silky and almost velvety to the touch.
The closest we’ve come to this feeling and texture in the past has been with the Smashbox Photo Finish primer. A silicone-based primer that similarly comes in a 30ml tube, yet charges £29 for the privilege.
FURTHER READING: The best The Ordinary products for all your skincare concerns – from large pores to redness, wrinkles and acne
You don’t need to rub this primer particularly hard into the skin, as it forms a light film over the surface. This means pores are instantly blurred, as promised, and fine lines are filled. It’s not powerful enough to blur out more deep-set wrinkles, but we’ve yet to come across a primer that does and for this price, we can’t really complain!
We were also super impressed by the way this primer mattified our skin without making it look dull – which is common. Even after we applied a matte foundation on top, the skin looked smooth with a hint of natural radiance.
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We applied the MAC Studio Fix foundation on top of The Ordinary primer.
This foundation has good staying power, anyway, but it tends to melt off a little by early evening.
Using it with High Adherence primer saw it last well into the evening, right up until we came to take our makeup off before bed.
Part of this is because the primer grips hold of the makeup, but it’s also because it controls sebum and shine so effectively. There’s no oil slick on our face for the makeup to run down, which helps keep it in place.
The downside is that silicone primers do have a habit of causing skin problems if used repeatedly, for too long.
The benefits you get from a primer creating a thin, sealed layer on your face is that this also stops any moisture reaching it. Over time, this can cause dry patches, fine lines and wrinkles.
Silicone primers can also trap dirt and dead skin cells in the pores and unless you’re cleansing properly every night, this can lead to blemishes and breakouts as well as enlarged pores, which can make oily skin worse.
You should also be aware that to get the best from this primer, you need to use it with a silicone-based foundation.
Using a water-based foundation on a silicone primer lessens the effect somewhat and can almost curdle on the face, causing skin to look cakey.
You can read more about this in our What’s really in your foundation? guide, as well as our What does primer do?.
The beauty of using a silicone primer, though, is that it can be worn under makeup or on its own.
This is the premise that the recently released Becca Zero foundation is based upon; using silicone in a clear formula to create a flawless layer on the skin without the need for anything tinted or pigmented.
All things considered, The Ordinary primer would be a fantastic primer at twice the price, so seeing as it’s less than £4, this is an absolute bargain. Even with some of the issues that accompany silicone-based primers.
With properties that work for most skin types and the fact that it does actually do what it claims to do, which is to blur pores, we recommend trying The Ordinary primer.
It’s especially a must buy for those with oily/combination skin due to its ability to keep the slick at bay for longer, and therefore adding to the longevity of your makeup. We’ve also used this as an eyeshadow primer.
At the very least, if The Ordinary primer doesn’t work for you, you’ve only spent what you would have done buying a large cup of high-street coffee. And if it does work, you just can’t put a price on flawless skin.
Buy now from Cult Beauty
