Such was the brilliance of Kevyn Aucoin that he continues to inspire today’s generation of top make-up artists, some 12 years after his untimely death. Last week Space NK honoured that legacy by staging the UK’s first ever retrospective of his life and work at its flagship Knightsbridge store.
I mention this as his genius permeates the Kevyn Aucoin Beauty brand that continues his legacy today. A few weeks ago I reviewed two shades from the fabulous The Eye Shadow Single range, here. Today is the turn of The Primed Skin Developer.
I find face primers very hit and miss, and If I’m honest I’ve ended up repurchasing very few that I’ve tried.
My main gripe with them is texture; generally I find them either too dry and chalky, or too thin and runny. Some really popular primers have just not done it for me, including Indeed Labs Nanoblur, Laura Mercier’s Foundation Primer and the new Eve Lom Flawless Radiance primer.
Kevyn Aucoin’s The Primed Skin Developer, however, sits firmly in my teeny pile of hits. There are 2 things I immediately love about it. One is the texture – it’s a gel primer that is neither thin nor gloopy. The other is the feel of my skin after I’ve applied it - incredibly silky, to the point that I want to keep touching my face!
The Primed Skin Developer makes my complexion look radiant, not dull and lacklustre (sorry Nanoblur) and prepares skin beautifully for make-up application. I tested it underneath both Kiehl’s Actively Correcting & Beautifying BB Cream, and Ginvera BB Cream. Both sat very happily on top, neither balling or pilling as I worked them in.
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There’s a lot more to this primer than merely skin prepping. According to the brand blurb, The Primed Skin Developer is a treatment primer, nighty pore refining serum and foundation developer all in one. In other words, use it in the morning as you would a standard primer and then, if you wish, at night as anti-aging skincare.
The skincare and what it is said to do:
- Chanca Piedra Extracts with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Targets puffiness from water retention, as well as helping to address acne breakouts- Hyaluronic Acid and Barley Extract to decrease wrinkle depth 30 minutes after application and maintain that effect for 24 hours, as well as refine pores.
- Sodium Hyaluronate for more youthful and healthy skin
- Active Plant Cells from Sequoia and Blue Lotus to stimulate cell renewal, improve the ratio of collagen in skin and limit the production of free radicals
I can’t measure the anti-ageing efficacy here as I used this primer in conjunction with other skincare, but when I first got my hands on the product I assumed (wrongly) that it was merely a primer. I love the fact that it’s not.
Final Thoughts
With this Kevyn Aucoin primer, it’s not a case of one or two predictable anti-ageing ingredients (like Hyaluronic Acid) thrown in to the formula for good measure, to give the impression that more is going on here than there really is. The skincare aspect has been carefully thought out and there’s quite a bit of it.At £55 for 30ml though, it’s not especially cheap. For example the Laura Mercier primer is £18.50 for 30ml, and the Eve Lom £40 for 50ml - and the Eve Lom also offers skincare though its runny texture counts it out for me. In spite of the price, I love this product. It scores for me on so many levels.
You can buy the Kevin Aucoin The Primed Skin Developer from Space NK here.
PR sample
