Ten years ago, I created this blog to keep in touch with my friends and family right before I moved to Las Vegas for a few months. Since then, the entire world of blogging has morphed into something entirely different, but every once in awhile my blog reminds me what it was meant for by putting me in touch (or back in touch!) with someone I probably wouldn’t have talked to otherwise. A perfect example? A few weeks ago one of my sorority sisters reached out to me on Facebook, and we had a lovely phone conversation. I found out she’s an Arbonne consultant, and she found out I wasn’t using a makeup primer. The next thing I knew, a neatly addressed envelope containing some Arbonne samples showed up in my mailbox. Sweet!
I tried the Arbonne makeup primer this past weekend. I layered it between my Eminence Lavender Age Corrective Night Concentrate (which I’ve been wearing 24/7) and Dr. Jart+ BB cream. I’ve got to tell you — I’ve been using this BB cream for about two months, and as much as I loved it before, it looked even better on top of this primer. Who knew? I figured makeup primer was just some extra layer of gunk that was going to make my face look weird. Turns out I was wrong. This stuff went on as smooth as silk. I couldn’t even tell I was wearing anything additional — just that my makeup looked flawless when I put it on, and still looked pretty flawless when I got home at the end of the day. I used up my little sample in only two days, and I’m missing it already.
There are two reasons I’ve steered clear of primers in the past. First, I thought primers were for walls, and I’m not a huge fan of painting, so I stay away from anything that reminds me of that particular activity. Second, this stuff. Now I hate to do this because I love most of Benefit’s cosmetics, and most of the reason I hate this one is my own fault. I can’t really remember why I didn’t like it at first — I think it was a little sticky and a little shimmery — it just didn’t do much for me, so I let it sit on a shelf for way too long. And then I tried it again. And it was too old. And it was horrible. It made my face all splotchy. Fail. And it made me break out. Fail, fail, fail. =) Oops.
Anyway, after I finished up my Arbonne sample, I didn’t want to go primerless, so I started digging around to see if I had any more primer samples in my possession. Bingo. I found this bareMinerals foundation primer in the bottom of my makeup bag, so I tested it out today. It was decent, but I found it to be a little greasier than the Arbonne primer. Very lightweight, but not quite as effective. Given the choice, I’d choose the Arbonne primer over this one any day.
My instinct was to call up Laura and immediately order the Arbonne makeup primer this morning, but I’m kind of a crazy when it comes to shopping, so I knew I had to do just a little more research before I bought it. After a little Googling, I found that TotalBeauty.com named Arbonne as their #1 makeup primer in 2011, and I also found that the Arbonne primer had lots of positive reviews on online. The verdict? Sold. I’ll be adding this one to my stash very soon.
I’d love to know…do you use any Arbonne products? I have a hand lotion of theirs that I love and a shampoo from Laura I still need to try, but I haven’t tried many others. Also, this post was in no way sponsored by Arbonne or Laura, but Laura’s an old college friend of mine, and if you’re interested in hosting an Arbonne party or purchasing any products, I would love it if you would support her! Leave me a comment, and I’ll get you her contact info. =)
