Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water review

When it comes to primers, Smashbox Cosmetics know more than a thing or two about prepping the skin to make sure we have a beautiful canvas to apply our foundation to. My all time favourite primer, and one I feel every woman should buy at least once, is the original Photo Finish primer. It is beyond doubt the best primer I have ever tried. So when Smashbox announced that they were releasing a new member of the primer family, my interest was more than raised. The latest addition to their primer range is the highly anticipated Photo Finish Primer water.

The Smashbox Primer water is said to hydrate your skin, add radiance, create a sheer canvas to apply makeup to and wake up your skin and makeup throughout the day, all with a quick spritz . A very tall order indeed and sadly one that I don’t think the Photo Finish primer water lives up to.

Ok don’t get me wrong, it is not all bad. If like me you’re skin needs a bit of a jump start in the morning, then a quick spritz of the primer water will indeed wake your skin up. A spray of mist instantly freshens up your skin and makes you feel a little more alert. There is a hint of radiance added to the skin, as Smashbox claim, but nothing that you would notice all that much. The primer water does a good job of freshening up the skin, but personally, as I like to use it before I apply my moisturiser, I find I am really just using it like I would any other face mist!

The primer water contains an interesting array of ingredients, such as caffeine and is silicone, oil, and alcohol-free. It is said to be packed full of electrolytes to help restore moisture to the skin. It is also fragranced, which some people won’t like, but I personally find lovely. There isn’t any added benefits to the fragrance, but I find that it makes the mist feel even more refreshing.

Sadly that is where the pros of the Primer water end. If I am honest, I just don’t get this primer water. To me it is nothing more than a facial mist and an expensive one at that. Yes it feels lovely to spray your skin with the primer water before you begin your makeup, but at €24 it really needs to do more than that.

Smashbox have marketed the primer water as more than just a facial mist. It is said to be a primer, a mist to set your makeup and also the pick me up your makeup needs throughout the day. I had such high hopes when I heard it did all of these things, but it just fell short for me.

The primer water is said to act like a primer to apply before your makeup, but there is no way this is a primer.  I still needed to use a primer to keep my foundation in place, as with just the primer water on it’s own, my foundation moved.

As a setting spray it fails miserably. If you’re looking for a product to set your foundation for the day, this is certainly not that product .

I did find it good for freshening up my makeup throughout the day, so thumbs up there, but it didn’t hydrate my skin as promised.

If you’re looking for a nice facial mist, then yes the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer water is lovely, but it really is no different than any other facial spray that you can pick up in your local pharmacy. In fact, I find it quite similar to Mac fix plus. I will continue to use it until I run out, but I sadly won’t be restocking. If you’re looking for a seriously amazing primer, then you need to check our the original Photo finish primer.