For the dry, dull, and flaky: Lancome La Base Pro Hydra Glow
This is me again falling for anything with "glow", "illuminating", "brightening", and/or "radiance" on the packaging. I would really rather have blemished skin than dull skin, if I had to choose. Blemishes can be stomped away by concealers but skin that looks gray and stressed is a bit harder to correct!
So today we come to the Lancome La Base Pro Hydra Glow (~P1,900). This is a primer slash moisturizer slash glow faker for those who have complexions that have seen better days. This is best for dry to normal skin but I find that my combi skin still enjoys the hydrating and brightening finish it gives. Beware if you're truly oily though; this might make your makeup slide off earlier than usual.
The texture of the La Base Pro Hydra Glow is very thin with a slight slip to it. I don't know how it manages to hydrate my skin but it does; after taking off my makeup at the end of the day, my skin feels plump and supple. Without this primer my face is normally a bit brittle and drained after wearing makeup all day.
That being said I love how this makes my foundation - already awesome in its own right - even more awesome-looking. I keep staring at my face whenever I wear this because I can't believe my skin is as nice as it appears! I mean of course I know it's a crafty combination of the Lancome primer, a heavy duty concealer, and a perfecting foundation. But still, I get so many compliments!
I mean, seriously.
I'm not wearing any liquid foundation here ha, just the primer, a MAC concealer, and a Shiseido powder foundation. Didn't edit my skin except to brighten the photo. Crazy!
The downside is that if I don't let the primer dry completely before applying makeup, my base cakes. Also in really humid weather I get shinier than usual. The Hydra Glow is really best for dry/normal skin, and in cooler weather. Not to say it sucks. It just has limitations and ideal conditions for use like any other product.
Overall, I quite like the Lancome La Base Pro Hydra Glow because it makes my skin look super natural and hydrates it well. I will continue to use this but perhaps only around my cheek area to fake the effect of brighter skin. Try it if you're dry, dull, and flaky!