ClearPrep FX: Matte Foundation Primer and Anti-Acne Treatment Gel

It seems as though primers are the new must-have staple in your skincare regimen. The purpose of a primer is to help your make-up (specifically, your foundation) to last longer and to look better on you. Some primers do this by minimizing pores, some by evening out your skin tone and others by giving your skin an overall smoother appearance. (Oily Eyelids? Use a Primer.)

We like to think of it staring off with a nice, clean, even blank slate before applying any foundation. Primers are applied after your moisturizer and before any other makeup products. We always think our foundation ends up looking better overall when we use a primer.

If you’ve never used a primer, you should consider it! Most people who try a primer for the first time are very happy with the results, especially when they see a picture of themselves. Most can’t believe they haven’t tried one sooner.

Who it's Targeted For - Company Tips

FX’s primer caught our eye because besides offering all of the regular benefits that a primer can give, it also is an anti-acne gel. That sounded great to us because it’s always nice when a product can do multiple jobs at once. The company advertises that the primer is for “all skin types prone to acne breakouts, oily, oily acenic and sensitive skin.” It also states that it is for teens, women and men.

We were very happy with the primer part of this product, but we were disappointed with the acne control agent that it is supposed to have. We didn’t see a lot of improvement in our acne breakouts when we used it, nor did we feel like it prevented any acne.

We liked the way it made our foundation look and how it made our make-up last longer, but it would have been nice if it could have minimized our acne as well. Since it is also an acne product, we were wondering if it would dry out or irritate our skin, but we didn’t have that happen. (Top 10 Ways to Prevent Acne)

Description

This primer gel comes in a 1.0oz plastic tube. It sells for about $40. The gel is clear and has a very faint scent of roses that was only noticeable when we first applied the product. We applied the gel using our fingers and we were happy with how the product felt on our face.

How to Use

The company recommends that you follow these instructions: “Using clean fingers or a foundation brush, apply a small amount of ClearPrep FX onto the face. Use alone as a treatment or under desired foundation texture.”

Things We Loved:

• Improved Our Foundation: It’s true, a primer really can make a difference in how your foundation looks and we were very happy with how this primer worked with our makeup. It gave our skin a smoother appearance and we saw a definite improvement.
• Helped Make-up Last Longer: It was so nice to look in the mirror around 4:30 p.m. and see that our foundation was still going strong. Normally we need another application or touch-up at that point and we were happy with how the primer helped to give longevity to our make-up.
• No Irritation or Dryness: When a multi-tasking product like this has an acne treatment included, we worry it will dry or irritate our skin. We were happy to see that this didn’t happen. (3-Step Regimen for Dry Skin)

Things We Didn't Love:

• No Help With Acne: We just didn’t see the acne control working. It didn’t make acne worse or cause any additional problems, but we didn’t see it diminish any acne blemishes and we didn’t feel as though it was preventing any either.
• Price: It’s a lot of money for such a small amount of product, especially when we didn’t see any acne reducing benefits. You may want to see if Sephora or your local make-up counter has any samples of the product first to see if the price is worth it for you. (12 Beauty Products under $10)

This is a very good primer, but it’s just not a good acne product. It worked well and didn’t irritate or dry out skin, but don’t count on anti-acne benefits. It just seemed like simply a primer instead of the dual product that it is claiming to be.

Ingredients