Review: Black Radiance Complexion Perfection Shine Control Primer

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that I'm a big fan of Black Radiance products. Black Radiance is made by Markwins, which also makes Wet n Wild and Tropez products (for a list of retail locations that sell Black Radiance, click here). While Black Radiance products are created for African American women, I've found that women of any skintone and ethnicity can use several of their products as well--and with terrific results!

One such product is the new Black Radiance Complexion Perfection Shine Control Primer, which I was recently sent for review. A lot of you asked me to review this product, so I hope that this helps you to determine whether or not you might want to consider giving it a whirl!

Whether your skintone is deeper or more on the fair side, Complexion Perfection Shine Control Primer might just work for you, but I'm going to say you'll have a much better shot at success if you truly do have oily skin. As the title of this product clearly states, this is a shine control primer, so those with drier skin might want to consider trying a more standard silicone-based primer (such as Hard Candy's primer, which I have also reviewed on this blog).

Let's take a look at some pics before I go any further:

Black Radiance Complexion Perfection Shine Control Primer (retail: $5.99, 0.84 oz)

Now what I first noticed about this tube is that it's small (see above--it's less that 1 oz). Luckily, you don't need much to cover your face, but I still wanted to point out that it's a pretty small tube and my pictures might make it appear larger than it really is. I just don't want anyone to be surprised if they purchase this.

Let's take a look at the back of the box:

And the ingredients:

Looking at these ingredients, I was happy to see that this is a paraben-free formula. Also, the second ingredient, cyclopentasiloxane, is the first ingredient in both Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation primer and Hard Candy primer. But after that, things take a slightly different turn. The third ingredient in Black Radiance Complexion Perfection Shine Control Primer is kaolin, otherwise known as white clay. Kaolin is not an ingredient in the Smashbox or HC primer, and I believe it truly contributes to the shine-control properties of this product. My super oily skin reacts quite well to products containing kaolin, so if you're an oily-skinned gal like me, you might be as happy as I was to see kaolin in this primer!

Here's a pic of the back of the tube:

Yay! No animal testing!

Also, I really like the narrow, pointed opening of this tube, which helps you to easily control how much product you squeeze out:

Now let's take a look at the product itself:

Much like the HC primer, this product is white, and has a lotion-type consistency. It's not super dry, yet it's not thin or watery either.

After you work this product onto your skin, the white color disappears completely.

The fragrance of this primer is light and pleasant (sort of like a standard body lotion) and it dissipates quickly.

After using Complexion Perfection Shine Control Primer for several weeks now, I can tell you that I honestly love it, but it does take some getting used to. You MUST apply this to a freshly-moisturized face. If you try to apply it to skin that hasn't been moisturized properly, this primer can go on a little dry and become hard to blend into your skin. So I always make sure I apply it immediately after I put on my moisturizer and eye cream and I have no problems at all.

Also, like I mentioned at the top of this review, I don't think this product would be a good fit for those with dry skin. The kaolin in this product really manages to neutralize your skin's natural oils, so if your face doesn't produce a lot of those oils already, then you might be left feeling a little dry and tight when you use this.

Also, I want to mention that you are not going to feel that super-smooth, silicone effect that Smashbox, HC, and other silicone-based primers leave on your skin. The feeling of this primer is slightly sticky--actually it's not sticky as much as very slightly tacky--which is what really seems to help keep your makeup "stuck" to your face. Does that make sense? For me, this face primer works in the same way as Orly Bonder works as a base coat for nail polish. It gives your makeup something to stick to. And much like the Smashbox and HC primers, this one does fill in the little lines and imperfections in my skin and makes my face a much smoother canvas.

So here's the big question: does Complexion Perfection make my makeup last longer? Yes! Does it make my makeup look better and more smooth on my face? Yes! And here's the most unexpected treat: I can use this on my eyelids as a shadow primer!

Ladies, after I had such good luck with this as a face primer, I just had to give it a shot as an eyeshadow primer. I totally was not expecting anything when I tried and, but I was kind of blown away by the results! I tested this on the most notoriously quick-to-fade eyeshadow that I own: the L.A. Looks neutral palette. If you own this palette, you know it's lovely but you also know that you need a good primer to get it to last more than an hour or so. When I used just a tiny tab of Complexion Perfection on my eyelids before applying the L.A. Looks shadows, it provided a wonderful, adhesive quality that really made the shadow stick to my lids (and the color also looked much more vibrant and it lasted for hours!).

So there you go: Black Radiance Complexion Perfection Shine Control Primer is not only a great primer for oily-skinned gals like me, but it also doubles as a great eyeshadow primer! That's one heck of a bargain!

Are you a Black Radiance fan? Have you tried this primer? If not, are you thinking about picking up a tube? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.