For my most recent birthday this year in March, 2005, my Mom sent me a $30 e-gift-certificate to drugstore.com. She knows how much I enjoy online shopping, so she did well by choosing one of my favorite websites. I went browsing and discovered this mega online drugstore now carries all sorts of department store cosmetic brands, including my new favorites by Nars. Since during the warm months I usually have a problem with foundation sticking to my oily skin all day long, I decided to purchase this Nars Makeup Primer as it's easier to splurge on the more expensive Beauty products I want to try when it's someone else's money that I'm spending :-) Read on to find out more about this highly recommended facial product for serious make-up-a-holics that prepares the skin for makeup application.


~~~The Makeup Primer~~~

I actually chose this Nars Makeup Primer on a whim as I enjoyed using my new Nars Blush, Orgasm so much and wanted to try more of this brand's products. According to product advertising: NARS Makeup Primer, a new generation of under makeup products, is the most important accessory for naturally luminous skin. An airy, lightweight gel-cream formulation, Makeup Primer is the ultimate tool to soothe and pamper the skin while creating a protective base for longer lasting, natural looking foundation. Enhanced with natural botanicals, Makeup Primer takes skincare one step further by helping to reduce redness and inflammation while increasing hydration. The result is translucent, healthy looking skin. Under foundation, powder or worn alone, NARS Makeup Primer preps skin with soothing botanicals for fresh-faced beauty. Naturally scented with jasmine and geranium extracts, Makeup Primer is perfume free, oil free, non-comedogenic and safe for sensitive skins. I've always had a problem with an uneven skin tone with red undertones, so the product claims mentioned above seemed just what my skin type needed to look as flawless as possible under my foundation, powder, and blusher. The product itself both looks and feels much like a moisturizer itself, but this creamy, gel-like facial primer dries to a matte finish so that make-up has something to "stick" to. I usually apply it over a moisturizer and it only takes a few minutes at the most to dry. Then once a thin layer of this mostly unscented Nars Makeup Primer has been applied, it's time for my foundation, which happens to glide on more smoothly and evenly when this product is in place.


~~~Packaging, Price, & Availability~~~

Pick up a 1.75 ounce (49.6) white plastic tube of this Nars Makeup Primer at the Nars counter of your favorite fine department store, or online at places like sephora.com for $32 each or at drugstore.com for $30 each. I personally don't live near a Nars beauty counter, so ordering online is what I have to do when I want to try something from this Makeup Your Mind cosmetic company. The white squeeze tube itself has the large NARS logo printed in big black lettering down the front, while the product details can be found inside the box in several languages. It rests upright upon the screw-off lid so that the product is always easy to apply, even when it gets low as gravity keeps this primer near the opening for dispensing. Packaged inside a white cardboard box with similar lettering, the somewhat small tube looks rather plain in appearance but looks can often be deceiving. For inside each tube of this Nars Makeup Primer is your ticket to a smoother, more flawless looking complexion that continues to look fresh and clean for hours on end. Purchase some online today here as I did with my e-gift-certificate for the lower price:

http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp? pid=82899&catid=26866&trx=GFI-0- SRCHRN&trxp1=26866&trxp2=82899&trxp3=1&trxp4=1&btrx=BUY- GFI-0-SRCHRN


~~~Product Experience~~~

The directions for use regarding this Nars Makeup Primer couldn't be more simple to follow: Apply a thin layer of makeup primer over a moisturizer or on a clean face before using Nars concealer, foundation, or powder. As stated above, I put my oil-free moisturizer on first as even though my skin tends to be on the oily side, it's not near as oily as it's been in the past, so I'm not looking to totally dry it out. Just squeeze out a dime to nickle sized amount of this creamy white colored product onto the fingertips, which should be plenty of primer to cover the entire facial area. I don't put any under my eyes, but I smooth the primer on over the rest of my face. There's only a very slight fresh floral-like fragrance noticed during the application process, although this product could easily pass as fragrance free because it's so light and barely there. Once a thin layer has been smoothed on, it only takes a few short moments for it to fully dry, and I can see how it can be designed to be worn alone as well as my skin looks better already even before my foundation is applied. My pores appear a bit tighter while there's not near as much redness noted. My make-up base then glides on smoothly and blends easily with very little effort. It even seems like I use less foundation than normal at the same time, so this Nars Makeup Primer should mostly pay for itself in the future because of the amount of foundation saved.


~~~Ingredients~~~

Aqua (Water), Isopropyl Palmitate, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Lanolin, Triethanolamine, Methylparaben, Carbomer, Propylparaben, Dipropylene Gylcol, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Extract, Propylene Glycol, Retinyl Palmitate, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Mel (Honey), Allantoin, Butylene Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Fruit Extract, Actinidia Chinensis (Kiwi) Fruit Extract, Camellia Sinensis, Ethylparaben, Butylparaben, Isobutylparaben


~~~Key Ingredients/Benefits~~~

Honey Extract: Provides moisturizing and cleansing properties
Ginkgo Biloba Extract: Free radical scavenger, sun protective, soothing and moisturizing
Coneflower (Echinacea): Healing, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, soothing, moisturizing
Grape Extract: Anti-oxidant activity
Green Tea Extract: Free radical scavenger & anti-oxidizing
Aloe Vera Gel: Soothing, purifying, moisturizing
Kiwi Extract: Natural Vitamin C content, anti-oxidizing, moisturizing
Jasmine Extract: Calming, cleansing, antiseptic, and healing properties


~~~Overall Recommendation~~~

If you weren't born with perfectly flawless skin (and I'm sure not many of us were!), then definitely give this Nars Makeup Primer a try as it really does prepare the face for a more even application of foundation. And even better, my makeup looks fresher longer every time I use this primer, and there's certainly less oil that comes shining through, especially on hot summer days now when makeup otherwise feels like it can just melt right away. For mine has done just that many times in the past, but not now as I can always tell when I'm applied my primer and when I've been in a hurried rush and skipped it. So while many might balk at the initial price, this Nars Makeup Primer is truly worth it and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a more flawless complexion. And finally, top off your gorgeous look with their new Nars Lip Gloss, Orgasm (currently exclusively found at Sephora stores only) while you ar at it! Good luck and happy online Beauty product shopping :-)


***For more information about this Nars Makeup Primer as well as other fine cosmetics by this brand, check out their website online at:

www.narscosmetics.com


Nars Cosmetics, Inc.
New York, NY 10012

Made in USA




Recommended: Yes