Pacifica Jasmine Iris Oil Control Primer Review & Swatches
Pacifica Jasmine Iris Oil Control Primer ($18) is a new makeup primer with oil control that’s silicone free.
I’m pretty happy with my Revlon Photoready Primer but I’m always happy to try something new and Pacifica Jasmine Iris Oil Control Primer seems nice enough to curb the minimal shine I get in the Summer so I decided to purchase it and give it a whirl.
Pacifica Jasmine Iris Oil Control Primer is actually one of several new Pacifica Skincare products that launched for Fall 2015.
Pacifica Jasmine Iris Oil Control Primer has a lot of going for it particularly the fact that it is silicone free. I always feel like silicone primers make me feel itchy and like a dozen ants are crawling under my skin. I had the worst experience with Smashbox Photo Finish many, many years ago and to this day I won’t touch the stuff.
Plus I have drier skin without visible pores o I’m not really all about silicone primers but more about hydrating ones. None the less, silicone primers are part of my stash and many I use and love but that doesn’t stop me from migrating most to ones that are silicone free.
And lucky enough, Pacifica Jasmine Iris Oil Control Primer is silicone free!
This comes housed in a 1 oz pump bottle with a formula that can be used on normal, oily, or acne prone skin. I’m a bit shiny and oily at the moment due to Summer and the warmer weather so I decided I’d give this a dry out.
Out of the bottle it actually feels slightly like a silicone primer as it’s a thicker yet slightly runny gel with a powder-y sort of texture. It has a rather awful rubbery smell but it does disappear quickly enough. I’ve been testing it daily for two weeks and in that time frame I still haven’t learned the right way to use this as each and every time I try it pills like nobody’s business. For those unfamiliar with the term pill it simply means that once applied this kinda rolls off your face in little balls. To me it almost felt like I was giving myself a facial peel or using Cure Natural Aqua Gel. As with each application the primer would kinda flake and roll into little skin-like chunks.
I’ve experimented using different amounts and I have found that using a very, very, very small amount is the best way to go. It does have a very interesting mattifying ability that you can literally feel working. This, however, is not a good thing for drier skin as it literally feels like it is sucking moisture from my skin. I dislike the way foundation wears on top of this because even when using a smaller amount my foundation literally ended up pilling as well. Not pretty!
It’s an interesting product with an interesting texture but Pacifica Jasmine Iris Oil Control Primer is priced to high for a formula that simply isn’t up to par with cheaper drugstore alternatives that work way better.
I’d love to recommend this but it’s a big skip in my opinion.
Pacifica Jasmine Iris Oil Control Primer is available now at Ulta and Ulta.com.
Tried it?
Do share!