Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water - Review!

I'm a big fan of anything that shortens my makeup application time of a working day. Sure I've been known to spend inordinate amounts of time playing with shadows and potions when it gets to the weekend but when I'm meeting bound or in a rush to get to the rat race speed is of the essence. That's why, on paper, the new Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water was right up my lickity split application alley. 

There is hands down no better primer for my skin than the original Smashbox Photo Finish Primer and I'm not alone. To coincide with a recent (pretty feckin' deadly) Smashbox promotion I had a post of 15 First Impressions and they were GLOWING so, by rights, a water version of that would be doubly great, right? RIGHT? Unfortunately wrong *plays sad trombone*

With promises of priming, hydration and skin refreshment, I've found that this super light, subtly fragranced mist is a cracking for setting my makeup once applied and as a refreshing facial mist for throughout the day, it just doesn't cut the mustard as far as priming my skin goes. And although in the immortal words of hunk of burning love, Meatloaf '2 out of 3 ain't bad', for a product named 'Primer Water' with a price tag of €30 it feels like a let down. 

The ingredients list makes for interesting reading with the inclusion of caffeine to wake up your visage (it does) and electrolytes to restore moisture (they don't), I think it's the inclusion of fragrance that will see sensitive skinned lasses suffer. It's a boon of course to be alcohol, silicone and paraben free but you know what else is all of those things? Actual water. Thermal Spring Water to be precise. One of my favourites tins to keep in the fridge and do both of the jobs this primer water does. 

What I will say of this latest release is this, it is phenomenal when used in conjunction with the new Double Exposure Smashbox palette. One spritz on the brush and we're talking MAC Fix Plus levels of longevity on seriously metallic shadows. I'll have a full post on that soon but for now you're getting the Gladiator wavering thumb review, Photo Finish Primer Water, you're good, you're just not great. 


Have you tried it out yet? What did you make of it? 


PS. I've a full post on Thermal Spring Water & 
its Very Many Uses Here should you fancy a 
squizz x