Monday 18 April 2016

Prime, Set and Forget (ft. Hard Candy Long Lasting Primer and Make Up Setting Spray)*


"Set and forget" makes me think of roasting a bird in the oven or the 4 hours of braising that turns tough meat into delicious fall off the bone Sunday dinners. That same quip fits can be taken out of a culinary context into the world of makeup world quite easily and yet priming and setting with a spray isn't something I do all that often.

A makeup artist recently refocused how I thought about primers. At first only considered to be superfluous and a "nice to have", I was asked to consider primers as protection for my face from the makeup I'd be slathering onto it. Never thinking about it that way, there are different degrees to which a primer can "protect" but it has turned me on to the idea of using them more frequently. I had continued to use Make Up For Ever's Step 1 Primers, some of which I reviewed here, but only on an as-needed basis. So when the Hard Candy Fast & Fabulous Long Wear Primer* and Make Up Setting Spray* showed up, I endeavoured to give both a better go.

Hard Candy Long Lasting Primer Review

Fast & Fabulous Long Wear Primer* ($9CDN, ) promises to be a creamy primer that works for up to 12 hours of wear. It is an invisible base that "attracts makeup for all day, flawless wear". Truthfully this has a nice silicone slip but it surprisingly non-clogging. I haven't had many experiences with different primers but this low priced option definitely made a lately problematic foundation perform better. The shade no longer oxidized and and wasn't getting streak marks during application. These two things have made me use this primer more often.  After the end of the office day, my foundation isn't as worn away but I'm not sure this would make it last 12 hours.

Hard Candy Long Lasting Primer and Makeup Setting Spray review

Fast & Fabulous Makeup Setting Spray* ($7CDN, 64ml) is a weightless spray that locks in makeup for all day wear. Spraying over to set your makeup, it is supposed to work in even the worst weather conditions and lasts all day and night without melting, cracking, fading or settling into fine lines.

The dispersion on this spray is intense. I haven't used many facial sprays before but I'm sure a fine mist is the usual standard. Here I get forcefully dispersed liquid droplets that don't apply evenly. Its difficult to determine the efficacy of the product because I'm not sure if my face has been evenly covered. If I were to continue spraying, I would just be washing my face with the formula. I've tried spraying it a bit further away but the gaps between the droplets don't leave me covered. I would skip this just for that reason. Even if the formula itself does result in longer wear, the inability to properly apply it on your face renders it moot.

Of the pre and post "set and forget" options, I'm still not entirely sold on makeup sprays. I tried the Urban Decay All Nighter (or whatever it's called) and it didn't seem to make much of a difference. But I do see more of a use and difference from using a primer and this Hard Candy option was better than I expected!

Primer or Setting Spray?

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