A cousin of mine works at Benefit and shes always raving about the products they have on sale. Admittedly at first I thought it was just for the commissions she would get if I brought something (and because shes trained to sell the products) - but she definitely was right about how good some of the stuff is!
After a while of complaining to her about how spotty I was getting, she advised me to try 'Porefessional' which is an oil-free primer. I have always struggled to find a primer which isn't oily as I find primers are my main cause of spots!
Porefessional is a pore minimiser too. I don't really have big pores, they just seem to be very active! After using this primer I have found myself to be less spotty but I'm not sure whether this is down to less stress or just the primer doing its job very well. If I apply the product at about 8am, I find that it stays on my skin well into late afternoon without needing to re-apply foundation. This primer as a base is fantastic. I honestly don't think I'll try another product.
As for lasting ability, I brought Porefessional at the end of August and its now January so its been around 5/6 months and I've still got around half the tube left even though I use it most days. Its definitely longer lasting than other primers I've used such as GOSH's and another by Dior which I was given as a present. I think I'm now a solid fan of Benefit and have since brought other products by the brand and intend to use them for a lot longer. In reality, £23 isn't much when you pay £15 for primers from cheaper brands such as Rimmel.
Like most of the Benefit products, it has a very retro look with quirky titles and lots of bright colours. It really makes the Benefit counter stand out amoungst a sea of bland coloured products. They also use beautiful girls to promote their brand. Porefessional is turquoise blue and the lid is on the bottom. The lid is black and the tube is covered in spots of white and a sort of light turquoise colour, it does actually remind me of spots whenever I see the colour now because of the product! The tube comes in a box which matches the tube and there is an 'information' leaflet which tells you how to apply it best. I like how Benefit always add information on how to best apply - it means you don't need to worry about having an expensive product you'll never use.
The primer itself is a silky feeling liquid which is almost clear but a little cloudy. It isn't runny or to thick which is nice and once on my face I don't feel really clogged up, I don't even feel like I had anything on my face which was a nice change - I hate the feeling of foundation when its 'thick' because I like when my skin can breathe.
A 33ml tube (the only size you can purchase) is £23.50 and I brought mine in House of Fraser but I'm sure the price doesn't vary. Benefit can seem quite expensive unless you have vouchers which are always floating around somewhere.
