A Drugstore Skin Primer That Actually Works!

A skin primer makes a huge difference in a woman's skin tone, point blank. Whenever I do makeup for a client or a special night out for myself, I do not approach a face without first adding a skin primer.  And I will admit to being a "primer snob" in thinking that I should only use a more expensive brand name because I've been burned in the past with drugstore ones.  But not anymore, thanks to Hard Candy's Sheer Envy Skin Perfecting Primer ($8).

 {My new drugstore primer love!}

I thought I was going to be taking one for the team when I decided to experiment with trying out my new cheap Hard Candy primer along with my staple Smashbox Photo Finish ($36) primer on my face at one time - half and half!  I figured I owed it to all of you in case it went horribly wrong that you could see the difference on one face!  Here's a photo gallery of how it went highlighting both primers at once. 

 {Swatch of Hard Candy on left, Smashbox on the right.}

At first sight when viewing each formula side to side, the HC wasn't as clear as the the Smashbox but was barely a noticeable difference since both were colorless.  They also both felt and looked just alike when rubbed into the skin.

 {Hard Candy applied on the right side of my face, Smashbox on the left side.}

Imagine there was an invisible line drawn directly down the center of my forehead to my chin.  The above picture shows my bare skin with BOTH primers applied - with no noticeable difference at this point.  After applying them both, I can honestly say, my skin didn't appear any different between the two, and the surface of my skin felt exactly the same, smooth and silky!

 {My finished face after foundation and color.}

 {Close up of skin after all color applied.} 

Can't see that invisible line between the two products can you??  My foundation (L'Oreal True Match N3), concealer (Cover Girl & Olay Simples Ageless in #230), and blush (Nars Orgasm) all applied the same with no variation in how they looked on either side.

{Extreme close up of the center of the face.}

I can't believe I've found a primer that acts, looks, and feels JUST like my pricey beloved Smashbox!! I feel like I've just found buried treasure to the tune of $8!!  So what do you think of my new primer - don't the pictures make you a believer?

Do you go the extra step by wearing a skin primer?  What's your favorite brand?