Not Sponsored: I've never tried anything by Ole Henriksen. Its a skincare brand, that addresses a lot of concerns (age, dullness, oily skin, blemishes, fine lines, dry & sensitive). I definitely would like to try more of their products in the future. This week on A Very Sweet Blog, I will be reviewing some face primers I've purchased and tested. One that caught my eye was Ole Henriksen's Banana Bright Face Primer. It was the vitamin c aspect that made me purchase it. I've been reviewing a lot of vitamin c skincare for the past several weeks. Ole Henriksen's website states, [this is a] "vitamin C-powered illuminating makeup primer that delivers instant radiance while improving and extending makeup wear. [This] primer contains brightening pigments to bring radiance to the entire complexion. Whether it’s worn under makeup, mixed in with foundation, or even worn alone, Banana Bright Face Primer creates a dewy, healthy-looking glow. The look of fine lines and wrinkles—instantly softened. Skin’s appearance—smoothed. With its soft-focus effect, this formula creates a luminous canvas for an Ole Glow® that lasts and lasts." So in a nutshell you guys, it BRIGHTENS, BLURS, HYDRATES, provides LUMINOSITY and EXTENDS MAKEUP WEAR. I've tested it and the first thing I would like to say, is that it smells so good. It doesn't smell like bananas, but it has a delicious citrus-y blend scent. Its beige in color and you can see in the formula whatever it is making this luminous. Its not sparkly, shimmery or glittery, but there is a luminosity about it. I always worry about this because, I don't want sparkle, glitter or shimmer on my face. When I applied the primer, it felt really good to my dry skin. It felt hydrating and dried quickly. There's no oiliness, tackiness (stickiness) or greasiness with the formula. After applying it to my face, my skin DID look luminous! My skin had a beautiful NATURAL, SUN-KISSED GLOW! I LOVE wearing this alone on my skin (with no makeup). It also looks great applied to your neck, collarbone and decollete area. They should really consider bottling this up and making a body moisturizer out of this formula. Just a suggestion. Now as a face primer! I tried this with both my NARS and Too Faced Foundation. Overall, I found that I used less foundation with this primer. Both foundations adhered really well to the primer. This primer did better with my Too Faced foundation than my NARS foundation. The NARS (which has a matte formulation), dulled the luminosity effect of this primer. The Too Faced Born This Way (which is a more luminous foundation), paired better with this primer. So take that into consideration if you are thinking of purchasing this primer. Both foundations lasted all day (8 hours). My foundation stayed in place and didn't break up. I had a little shine at the end of the day (see picture below, wearing the Too Faced foundation), but it was nothing a blotting paper wouldn't help. Overall, I felt my makeup looked great at the end of the day. I have super dry skin and this primer worked well for me. Dry Skin Types and individuals with mature skin constantly battle with dullness. Well, this solves that issue. It gives you a glow without the GLOW! Charlotte Tilbury's Wonder Glow Face Primer (reviewed here) is also good, but it is more pricey. It will work with NARS and any foundation whether matte or not. Oily types may want to skip the Ole Henriksen primer. The luminosity effect may be a bit too much for your skin.
Sweet-Bittersweet-NotSweet
supersweet(run & buy it) sweet(really good,buy it) bittersweet(ok, issues)not sweet(not good,don't buy this stuff)
Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Face Primer is Sweet
Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Face Primer is Sweet
I took a picture of how my makeup looked at the end of the day. Its 92 degrees in New Orleans. I had watered my front & back yard, run errands etc. My makeup held up really well. I didn't even apply powder to my face. I think you can see the luminosity. I could use a couple of blotting papers, but I don't think I look super oily. That's why I mention above, I don't think oily types would like this primer. I have super dry skin and this is how it looks on me. I hope this review helps you in your decision-making. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via one of my social media sites.
