I’d been dying to try this for ages. The Shu Uemura primer. I’ve had some bad experiences with primer (the no7 primer that we don’t talk about at Stuart towers) and some amazing experiences (I frequently preach the good work of Smashboxes Photo Finish primer) so it’s about time I tried something a bit new with a brand I’m becoming quite fond of. Shu Uemura are pretty much traditionally known for lashes and skin care, so I’d never really looked at them as a make up brand but well, they had this primer, and it was a moose. How could I resist?
The design of the container is very clean and minimalistic. It seems a bit clinical to me – reminding me of sun screen. However it’s pretty sleek and compact so easy enough to keep in your make up back. They have done limited edition versions collaborating with Japan ease artists which is a lot more fun.
The product itself, well – the first thing you should know about this product is that you need to have a good dollop of control. When scoozing down on the nozzle you get a fair sized ammount of moose. You only need a tad. The moose itself is light and airy – very non sticky with a slight pink hue to it. It goes on fairly translucent, minimising pores and leaving the skin with a nice dewy look. I wouldn’t say this primer is strong enough to wear on it’s own unless you are blessed with the skin of the gods – but as fair as bases goes it’s pretty good. Good even coverage, a nice sized SPF to keep your skin protected and non nasty smells. My foundation definitely lasts a good bit longer when I use this primer. It’s worth noting if you’re an eyeshadow fan this is a great base for helping colours pop.
That said it’s £29 for 64ml – so it’s not the cheapest on the market though the amount is a bit more generous to other primer’s I’ve seen within the same price bracket. The fact the moose comes out so freely makes it super easy for you to go through this really fast. I did find the moose texture a bit weird at first…especially because it’s so light, but really that’s more to it’s merit than anything else and once I got my head round it I was most definitely a fan.
Overall: If you’re a primer fan with a bit of money to spend Shu is great if you want something different. Matches and betters many similarly priced brands – particularly Benefit. Shu Uemura is available at Space NK and House of Frasers Glasgow.