The Present Clear Makeup

I love this product. I will occasionally use it alone, like when I am in a hurry to get somewhere and don't have time to do a full face of makeup, but I normally use it as a primer. I use it after my moisturizer and eye cream and do recommend letting it set for the full two minutes. Because it doesn't help much with shine, I usually use a dime-sized amount of the Present with a small amount of Smashbox Anti-shine. I smush the two together in my hands and then apply all over my face. This product does make my skin appear smoother and helps to minimize pores. I also feel like my makeup stays better. I have tried a variety of other primers but really prefer this one because it gives my skin a more matte finish versus other primers that make me feel greasy or shiny.

I tend to over pack my cosmetics when I'm going on a trip, so I purchased this not long ago to take on a weekend getaway. The entire weekend I used this as my "foundation" with a little concealer under my eyes and around my nose and finished it with a tinted finishing powder. After filling in my brows, curling my lashes and adding some blush, I was ready in less than 10 minutes (which I'm sure my husband appreciated). This product did NOT fill in all of my pores but it did help a little bit and this product does not do anything to control oil, but it does not claim too either so I didn't expect that. But this product does leave my skin smooth and when I wear it as a "primer" under my mineral foundation, I'm able to use less foundation. (typically I buff on two to three layers of my loose mineral foundation to get the coverage I want). What initially was going to go in my "weekend away" travel bag has become part of my every day makeup routine. The instructions say that you have to wait 2 minutes before applying foundation (if you're using foundation), and I do suggest that you follow that rule. If you slap it on and then immediately move on to foundation, the foundation can bead up. I will continue to use and purchase this product.