From Dullness to Visible Pores, This Product Can Solve (Almost) Every Skin Concern
Sadaf Razi is Adore Beauty's Senior Beauty Editor.
She's a former fashion editor (who worked at various glossy mags) and stylist-turned digital beauty and lifestyle writer. She has been in the lifestyle/media industry for over 10 years and her work has also been featured on international covers like Elle France and Vanity Fair Mexico.
Some of her fave Adore Beauty products include Cicaplast B5, CeraVe Cleansing Oil and Lancôme Renergie Triple Serum.
Make Up For Ever's relaunched Step 1 Primers deliver targeted correction across nine formulas, promising up to 24 hours of transfer and water resistant wear while tackling oil, visible pores, dullness and ashy tones. Sadaf Razi tests textures and wear, explains key ingredients and shows which primer suits each skin concern plus her multi prime routine and verdict on the $62 price point.
Top Insights From This Guide
- Choose Step 1 Shine Control for oily, shiny T zone and visible pores.
- Multi prime by applying Shine Control to forehead, chin and nose, Dullness Eraser elsewhere.
- All nine primers contain glycerin, spherical powders and light reflecting pearls for hydration and blur.
- Primers promise 24 hours of wear and are water and transfer resistant, makeup lasted to 7pm in testing.
If you are unsure which primer to buy, this piece helps you match one of the nine Step 1 formulas to your specific concern, shows how to multi prime for mixed skin, explains the key ingredients that give hydration and blur, and tests wear so you can decide if the $62 pick is worth it.
Primers sometimes get a bad rap, but I refuse to wear makeup without one.
For me, there’s no point doing my makeup if I don't lay down a primer first. It gives my skin a more polished look, makes my makeup sit better and, most importantly, helps it last the whole day.
Traditionally, primers were mostly marketed to those of us with oily skin, combination skin, visible pores and a shiny T-zone. But did you know there's a brand new primer that can solve (almost) every skin concern?
From hydration, luminosity and mattifying, to anti-redness and dullness erasing, the newly re-launched Make Up For Ever Step 1 Primers are some of the most inclusive face products I've seen, catering to every single skin tone and type.
Keep scrolling for everything you need to know about this pretty special product, and how it can help enhance your skin and makeup.
What Are the Make Up For Ever Step 1 Primers?
Foundations and concealers have come a long way with diversifying their shade ranges (but there's still more work to be done), but until now, I don't think I'd ever seen skincare/primer products made for a diverse range of skin concerns.
Because not only do we all have our skin concerns related to our skin type (think enlarged pores, dryness and pigmentation), but different skin tones can also manage unique concerns like redness, sallowness, greyness, yellowness and ashy tones.
Skin isn't one size fits all. Enter, the Make Up For Ever Step 1 Primers.
The new range includes NINE primers - three 'skin perfecters' and six 'colour correctors' - that promise to correct just about every skin concern out there, and for a whopping 24 hours.
All the formulas contain glycerin (great for hydration), spherical powders (for the blurring effect), Peruvian ginseng and light-reflecting pearls for radiance, and polymers that form a light film to make your makeup last. Plus, they're transfer and water-resistant, and can be worn with or without makeup.
My Make Up Forever Step 1 Primer Review.
My two main skin concerns are:
- A T-zone that gets shinier than a celebrity red carpet dress.
- Dullness of my skin tone.
So, I decided to multi-prime to treat both concerns, applying MAKE UP FOR EVER Step 1 Shine Control Primer 30ml to my forehead, chin and nose, and MAKE UP FOR EVER Step 1 Dullness Eraser Primer 30ml on the rest of my face.
The primers have a lovely, soft, perfume-y scent (not your typical product-y smell). The Dullness Eraser has a creamy, whipped texture so it takes a little longer to fully absorb into the skin and work its magic.
While not obvious, I noticed a difference in my skin tone when using the yellow primer.
It instantly took away the dullness and gave my complexion a subtle radiance and clear, even tone. The mattifying formula didn't compromise on radiance, and gave my face an airbrushed feel that's perfect for applying makeup on top of.
But did the primers live up to their long-lasting promise?
Here’s how my makeup looked on the same day at 1pm and 7pm, several hours after I applied it in the morning.
The greasy forehead usually beaming by the afternoon (and in photos) was gone. Impressed is an understatement.
I think Shine Control is the perfect primer for summer when we tend to get sweatier and oiler. I also gave the primers a whirl the next day in humid, muggy weather, and they helped my makeup stay in place just as well.
To me, this is worth the $62 price point. If you have oily skin but still want to look glowy (not shiny), then this primer would be my pick for you.
Which Primer Is Right for You?
Confused about which primer is the right one for your skin tone and concerns?
Don't be overwhelmed, this handy chart makes it really bloody easy to find your perfect primer match.
Finally, here's a recap of every Step 1 primer and what it can do for you. Click on the primer that sounds up your alley to see real before and after photos showing how it works on the skin.
Skin Perfecters:
- MAKE UP FOR EVER Step 1 Shine Control Primer 30ml – Absorbs oil, mattifies skin, leaves a velvet finish, refines skin texture. Good for oily skin types and people with visible pores.
- MAKE UP FOR EVER Step 1 Pore Minimizer Primer 30ml – Reduces the appearance of pores, refines skin texture, blurs fine lines. Good for people with sebum issues, irregularities in the skin and large pores.
- MAKE UP FOR EVER Step 1 Hydra Booster Primer 30ml – Hydrates, plumps and softens skin, delivers a luminous finish. Good for dry skin types, and people who have dry patches or rough skin texture.
Colour Correctors:
- MAKE UP FOR EVER Step 1 Redness Correcting Primer 30ml – Counteracts the appearance of redness, rosacea and blemishes.
- MAKE UP FOR EVER Step 1 Tone Up Perfector Primer 30ml – Helps tone up yellowish pigmentation, best for cool skin tones.
- MAKE UP FOR EVER Step 1 Yellowness Neutraliser Primer 30ml – Helps even out and neutralise yellowish and ash-toned complexions.
- MAKE UP FOR EVER Step 1 Fresh Brightener Primer 30ml – Gives dull skin a fresh and healthy-looking glow.
- MAKE UP FOR EVER Step 1 Dullness Eraser Primer 30ml – Great for brown spots, blue circles and dullness. Delivers a radiant complexion.
- MAKE UP FOR EVER Step 1 Greyness Reducer Primer 30ml – Great for dark skin tones, helps with ashy skin, hyperpigmentation, dark circles. Erases greyness, delivers radiant skin.
Want to find out more about how to use primers for better makeup? Check out our primer YouTube tutorial below!
