A lightweight primer that hydrates: The Benefit Porefessional Matte Rescue Gel

SkincareFoundation

May 13

The original POREfessional Primer is one of Benefit Cosmetics' all-time best-sellers. It's a silicone primer that smoothes skin and blurs pores instantly but honestly? It doesn't work for me. I don't have big pores to deal with in the first place, and I find the formula of the Porefessional gives me tiny bumps that are sadly unwelcome.

Perhaps I'm not alone in my lukewarm feelings towards Benefit's star primer, because they made what is IMHO a much better version: the POREfessional Matte Rescue Gel (P1, 600). This new product has the same insta-blurring and mattifying effect of the original Porefessional sans the heavy, clogging feel. It feels fresh and lightweight upon initial application, and holds down makeup pretty well throughout the day!

This bluish gel is more than just a mattifying primer, however. It's actually pretty hydrating since its top three ingredients are water, glycerin (we wrote an article about it), and propanediol (a humectant and solvent to reduce the viscosity of a formula). It has alcohol which explains the cooling feel but it's lower down the ingredients line. This makes for a good uber light moisturizer if you have very oily skin, but not so much if you have dry skin.

As a primer, it makes skin matte as soon as it dries. I've found that my makeup looks more flawless and doesn't move as much when I wear it, but in terms of oil control it is not exceptional. It's just okay. I still need to blot every couple of hours especially when it's humid.

Overall, I think the Benefit POREfessional Matte Rescue Gel is a great buy if you need something that mattifies and hydrates your super oily skin at the same time. You'll get shiny, but this primer does hold makeup well and makes foundation look more flawless than usual. It has 50ml of product in the tube which is quite a lot - that's about as much as an average moisturizer!

If you have dry skin, you can stick to your normal moisturizer and cream primer. ^_^ Let me know what you think, as always! Do you think this primer is for you?