Calvin Klein Pure White Whitening Treatment Makeup Base Primer

This is one of the products I purchased from Direct Cosmetics, costing just £3.99 as opposed to its hefty £32 retail price. (I believe this may be discontinued on the website, but I really recommend checking out their products. They sell a huge range of cheap designer make up, minus the huge cash out.)

Predominantly, especially with this being Calvin Klein, a veteran in the fashion and beauty industry, also taking into consideration that this should have cost me £32, I would expect to be blown away by the product. In fact, it was the complete opposite.

Let me just start off by first stating that my skin has a multitude of personalities which are altered by everything from the products I use on my face, the weather and climate, hormones (I only have to cry and I break out. Seriously). The list is endless. Over the years my skin has evolved from acne prone and oily to dry and chapped to combination skin - I may have vaguely had skin that seemed fairly normal - to back again. The acne prone and oily stage being its most recent reinvention.

I've only ever used one primer before: L'Oreal Paris Studio Secrets Anti-Shine Mattifying Primer, which I loved! For some reason I never reverted back to using make up primer, I guess I just forgot it even existed, but I think my review will probably end up a slight compare and contrast of the two products.

The item description claims that Calvin Klein Pure White Whitening Treatment Makeup Base Primer:

• Is a sheer gel that glides onto skin as a make up base before foundation
• Minimizes pores & smooths out skin texture
• Enhances the wear of foundation on face
• Absorbs excessive sebum for matte finish
• Defends skin from the damage of UV rays
• Prevents appearance of lines & dark spots

It came in this beautiful, bright white packaging, correlating with the long winded name of the product, which to this day I still have no idea why it is called "whitening treatment". If anyone has any ideas, please feel free to enlighten me.

Now onto the product itself.

I first have to comment on the texture of the product. It is a lovely, smooth, gel based formula... up until the point you apply it to your skin. I'm aware that this is a mattifying primer, therefore soaking up any excess oil you have on your face. It did just that, but the misconception that this product "glides" onto your skin is complete fabrication. It seemed to dry up half way through each 'swipe', meaning I had to pick up more to use. It did leave me with a pleasant, even texture on my face after application though, and did reduce the appearance of pores, which are generally enlarged either side of my nose.

I'm informed that you can apply foundation straight after primer without having to wait for it to work, so I did just that. I was resultantly left with a cakey face. I had to use a more dewy, moisturising foundation in order to counteract the mattifying effect as anything else would have made my skin look even drier.

I have been using this product for only a week or so and have already decided to discontinue with using it. It has causes me to break out in cystic acne, for which I have no explanation given that this product is meant to reduce excess sebum and oil on the skins surface. I'm guessing it's to do with something in the formula my skin doesn't agree with, or maybe the product itself clogging my pores, or possibly the fact that it soaks up so much natural oil my skin is producing more to compensate.

Either way, I give this product a measly 1/5 and wouldn't recommend it.

Have you ever used this product? What did you think?

Categories: Beauty, Calvin Klein Pure White Whitening Treatment Makeup Base, Make Up, Primer, Reviews