Soft, dewy skin...OH myyy!

Soft, dewy skin with a kiss of radiance. Who doesn't want that? It just breathes vitality and youthfulness regardless of the age of the skin. We put on our moisturizer. We slather on our primer but is this all there is?

No, it is not.

Make up is ever evolving in its pursuit of perfection and we need to stay abreast of the latest and greatest. It's why I'm testing these for you. It's a struggle. Won't lie...okay that is a lie. It really isn't a struggle getting to test new products. I'm a makeup junkie.

So lets talk about my current favorite moisturizer right now (and you'll get to know it more in-depth when I review the corresponding foundation.) It is the tarte drink of H2O hydrating boost. It is a gel and it is soothing, refreshing and makes your makeup glide on. I'm not kidding about this moisturizer. It is good enough I have to keep Maesin out of it on a regular basis. Unlike lotions, this leaves no heavy residue which is going to rock come this summer. It is the perfect moisturizer when you want to go full on natural.

 The whole Rainforest of the Sea Collection is pretty awesome. Tarte also has maracuja oil and this phenomenal eye cream. I can't remember off hand if I've already talked about it. If not then I'll cover it in the full face tarte review later down the line.

But you still need a primer with this if you are planning on any foundation. Even BB Creams tend to need a little extra help. There are, however, a lot of new products hitting the market that are more than one trick ponies.

tarte Brighter Days Highlighting Moisturizer

I've used this highlighting moisturizer a few times with mixed results. Let me clarify that it is incredible for highlighting areas for that dewy glow. It leaves you incredibly moisturized. However, I don't recommend this as a total face primer/moisturizer. It definitely leaves the entire face illuminated and that isn't the best look. We've all seen YouTube or makeup spokes people that seem to have diamond skin in areas and honestly...I'm kinda over it. It just looks like a painting, kinda Andy Warhol-ish. Don't get me wrong, I love highlighters but I think there is a limit.

I changed up how I was using this and since then it has worked beautifully. I apply my moisturizer and then take a tiny bit of the Brighter Days and apply it where I know I'll be using highlighter, or just using it alone. Works excellent.


First Aid Beauty's Coconut Skin Smoothie Priming Moisturizer

First off, the smell is absolutely wonderful. It has a very light coconut fragrance. Bonus for being a moisturizer and a primer in one. This is a relatively new product line for me and so far there haven't been any real misses. I've used just this several times when I am out and about and not wanting to bother with makeup. Your skin is left hydrated and with a shimmer. If you want to minimize the entire face shimmer, just put it on areas where natural light would hit.

L'Oreal Magic Lumi

This is the best drugstore light infusing primer I have found and it is a rockstar! It is affordable and the luminescent glow is like the moon setting on a tranquil sea. It is pretty poetic. I still have to caution that these are not meant to be full face lotions/primers. If you don't mind your face glowing and looking a bit slick...go for it. But I feel that is wasting the product.

Folks...it is perfectly okay, and even maybe encouraged, to mix primers and lotions. The only caveat I mention is what I've said a hundred times. Pay attention to the ingredients. You don't want your foundation sliding off due to a mismatch of water based or silicon based. Keep it in the same family and you'll look flawless. Anyway...I highly recommend trying this one out if you aren't near a Sephora. (If you live near a Sephora you can get samples of all the others to test out prior to purchasing.)

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer - blemish-less

Let me go on record and say that there is not a single product from Laura Mercier that I'm not in love with and want to stockpile. I have her makeup oil and it is incredible with foundation. Talk about healthy, glowing skin! (I've mentioned it before.)

However Laura ain't cheap and I'm always looking for a bargain or sample first before I dive right in and ring that credit card charge. I urge people to always sign up for loyalty rewards programs because the points add up. I believe I received this sample from Sephora. (I'm currently saving up for a makeup party in NYC. I've got a long way to go!)

Unlike the prior moisturizers, this one does not have a highlighter but it worked wonders on my pores. I have enlarged pores around my T-Zone and this glided over like butter and my foundation did not speckle or pull apart. Magic! Oui Oui!

Urban Decay Optical Illusion Complexion Primer

Before I jump in on a review of this product, I need to explain why I purchased it. I tend to like primers and foundations that are from the same line when using them. It saves me the hassle of looking for the ingredient list or wondering if the formulas are going to be a mismatch. I purchased the Urban Decay All Nighter Foundation about a month or so ago and tried it out. The first time I used it with a tarte Hangover Rx (my all time favorite primer) and it was splotchy. It is incredibly full coverage and you have to work with it quick if you don't want to spend 30 minutes blending and blending with a damp beauty blender.

I was pretty close to returning it (Please remember that if you use Ulta or Sephora...they have an extremely lax return policy. Even if you have used it a time or two they will take it back for in store credit or a total refund.) I already have the Kat von D Lockit which is phenomenal and ultra full coverage so I really was a bit disappointed. Then UD released their Optical Illusion line up and I wanted to give it a try. I applied the primer and then applied a light coat of the All Nighter foundation. The difference was phenomenal. The foundation blended far better than before and the coverage was perfectly balanced. SWING and out of the ball park!

This complexion primer is actually a part of a line up of the 2017 Spring Collection. There will be new vitamin mists, primers, setting sprays and more and I cannot wait to check them out. I have the B6 prep spray (goes on before moisturizer. Yes I know we are building a crap load of layers but sometimes ya gotta take care of ya skin) from their previous line and it rocks the kasbah!

So there are a few products that you may want to check out. I promise that whenever my broke ass finally gets a camera for taking quality video, I'll show you what the products look like on my skin, or if I can convince someone else to be my makeup model.

I think we are seeing a new trend in makeup and there will be a lot of new products on the market that bring out a youthful, dewy finish. This spring and summer makeup line ups should be pretty interesting and look good on any skin.