Beauty on a Budget

Rimmel Fix and Perfect Pro Primer 002

By Lauren Kelly, Assistant Editor

Over the years, I’ve had trouble finding primers that work for my skin—particularly due to the fact that I have problems with my T-zone in terms of oiliness and pores. Although I have some mid-range primers that I like, the price tags often range from $25–40 and for the amount of product, it’s hard for me to use those for all-over, everyday wear since I’d have to repurchase quite often. Because of this, I always keep Rimmel’s Fix and Perfect primer on hand.

The product is a white cream, and almost feels more like a moisturizer than a primer when you put it on. It claims to be a five-in-one that smooths, resurfaces, brightens, mattifies, and protects. I have some problems with oiliness, and while it does help mattify, I still do experience some shininess later into the day. However, this is nearly unavoidable for me, and it’s not near as bad as it is without primer. Besides that small caveat, I have had no issues with the product. It makes my skin very soft and smooth, and my foundation lasts longer and looks more even when I use it.

Although higher-end primers have helped more with mattifying, none have made my skin feel as good as this one does. In this sense, I prefer it to heavily silicone-based primers, especially as an all-over choice. I also find that it does help make my pores less noticeable, which is a must for me with any primer.

Although I’ve yet to try it, I will be looking to get Rimmel’s Fix and Perfect 001 Primer, as it claims to focus on oiliness and pores. However, I find my primers that only focus on that don’t feel as nice as this does, and since that’s an isolated problem I’ll continue using this for the majority of my face even if I do like the other as well. Still, the 001 also has great reviews, so if you suffer from these problems it’s worth looking into.

The fact that this primer costs less than half as much as some of my others makes it a much more viable product to repurchase, especially with how well it works. It is available at London Drugs for $10.99, and Wal-Mart for $9.98.