Ciate London Watermelon Burst Hydrating Primer Review & Swatches
Ciate London Watermelon Burst Hydrating Primer ($28) is a new hydrating facial primer gel that launched about two weeks ago on Sephora. I picked this up immediately because I loved the sound of it. It apparently acts to prime, hydrate, and brighten your complexion and skin while helping your foundation to wear longer. There’s a lot of these new super hydrating primers that “grip” foundation which have become available lately like Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer and It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better Makeup Primer.
My skin loves these releases as I’m drier and anything hydrating I’m all about. My go to has definitely become Milk Makeup’s Hydro Grip but I’ve tucked it away recently as it feels a little much for Summer weather. Likewise, for this Ciate London Watermelon Burst Hydrating Primer! Although, it only launched and it is a Summer release I think this will be perfect for Winter wearing when my skin is much more drier than it currently is.
Ciate London Watermelon Burst Hydrating Primer arrives in a squeeze tube that has a built in pump. It’s 1.35 oz in size and retails for $28. The packaging slays me! I love pink and I adored to pink metallic ombre box it arrives in. The actual primer is also pink and dotted these small black beads that Ciate calls “watermelon extract droplets”.
First and first most, this is formulated with water and glycerin as two of the very top ingredients. Although marketed as containing Watermelon Extract and Hyaluronic Acid those are lower on the list sadly. Also, the brightening power of Niacinamide is here but again, lower on the list. It does contain alcohol and fragrance as well as witch hazel and limonene just to make a few of the worst ingredients. It’s a give or take situation here with what is and isn’t good in the formula. On the upside it is completely silicone-free.
The formula is a lightweight gel that smells like a brand new Sanrio Eraser! It’s a yummy, sweet watermelon scent that has a little bit of eraser smell going on. If you’re a Hello Kitty fan you’ll totally get what I mean! It sort of smells like Sanrio Erasers or Sanrio Gum! I loved it but sensitive users will hate it.
Once you pump the gel out you’ll likely get one or two of those “watermelon extract droplets” but they pretty “burst” as promise and absorb easily into skin. Don’t worry, they aren’t sitting around on top of your skin. Now please, take note of my advise! A little goes a long way. I repeat! A little goes a long way. This stuff is really, really slick and slippery! It absorbs fast but it leaves skin dewy to the touch. I made the mistake of doing two pumps and I only really needed one. It’s potent. It really hydrates well and a little bit goes a very long way at hydrating skin. I’d even go so far as to say it made me feel a bit oily and shiny. I think the good news is if you have matte foundations hanging around this is the primer you’ll want to use with those as this stuff really, really eases the application of foundation and makes things go on sooooo smoothly.
Initially, it does feel and look dewy but thankfully it does seem to set and doesn’t leave me with an all day dewy look! I felt a bit oily and shiny during the first minute of application but I just do my hair and allow it to set before I apply my makeup. It does seem to help skin retain moisture throughout the day which in turn sort of make me feel a bit oily! I tucked it away for Winter use because it’s just a bit too much for warm, humid days. I did not notice an extension in the wear of my foundation! If anything, I experienced the same issue I did with It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better Makeup Primer which was the fact it seemed to made my foundation fade a little faster.
None the less, I still liked this formula! It’s very hydrating, allows my foundation and makeup to apply very smoothly without adhering to drier areas, but it’s to potent for use in the Summer! This will be a god sent come Winter!
Ciate London Watermelon Burst Hydrating Primer is available now.
Please share your thoughts if you tried it!
Where to buy
Ciate London Watermelon Burst Hydrating Primer is a new, permanent hydrating facial primer that contains “watermelon extract droplets”. It comes packaged in a squeeze bottle with an attached pump for easy application. It’s 1.35 oz in size and $28. The formula is a mismosh of both good and bad ingredients. Good ones being water, glycerin, niacinamide, and Sodium Hyaluronate. Bad being alcohol, fragrance, and limonene just to name a few! That being said, I still quite liked it and despite the alcohol didn’t feel it dried my skin out. If anything I felt this was a very potent formula that was too hydrating for Summer use. It absorbs very quickly but does have a slick, slippery feel which left skin feeling dewy and almost shiny and oily. It does ease the way for foundation and makeup allowing it to apply smoothly and makes it look very smooth and flawless as the hydrating base doesn’t allow makeup to adhere to drier areas. However, it also adds to the fading of foundation quickly since it is so hydrating!
Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract, Phenoxyethanol, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Chlorphenesin, Alcohol, Niacinamide, Benzophenone-4, Sodium Hydroxide, Fragrance (Parfum), Tocopheryl Acetate, Pentylene Glycol, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Trehalose, Urea, Agar, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Serine, Citrullus Lanatus (Watermelon) Fruit Extract, Disodium EDTA, Algin, Caprylyl Glycol, Disodium Phosphate, Glyceryl Polyacrylate, Pullulan, Sodium Hyaluronate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Polyquaternium-39, Potassium Phosphate, Sodium Benzoate, Tin Oxide, Limonene, Linalool, Iron Oxides (CI 77499), Red 4 (CI 14700), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Yellow 5 (CI 19140).
- Smells amazing!
- Very good packaging.
- Absorbs fast, feels refreshing.
- Allows foundation and other makeup to apply smoothly and leaves it looking flawless!
- Allows skin to retain moisture.
