Review: Neutrogena Shine Control Primer

There was a LOT of excitement from Nouveau Cheap readers when I first showed you the new Neutrogena Shine Control Collection back in May. If you missed my original post, this new collection contains liquid foundations, pressed powders and a primer. I wanted to purchase the foundation as well as the primer, HOWEVER, there are no safety seals on the bottles of foundation, and every single time I've tried to buy one, I could see foundation fingerprints on the bottle caps of ALL the bottles in the display. It's so rude when people decide to make testers out of full-size bottles, thus ruining them the rest of us, but I'm not going to go on another rant about the lack of safety seals on drugstore cosmetics (I'll spare you!). ANYWAY, I won't be reviewing this foundation unless I can get it for a good price online.

Thankfully, the primer comes nicely sealed, so I purchased it a while back at CVS:

 Neutrogena Shine Control Primer

(retail: $13.99 at CVS, 1.0 oz)

Looking at the ingredients, you can see that this is a dimethicone-based primer. In fact, I count seven forms of dimethicone in this product, not to mention a TRImethicone as well. But more on the ingredients in a minute...

 

 

This comes in a standard squeeze tube. The product itself is white and very lotion-like in texture and consistency. I don't have the best luck with the clear, silicone-type face primers (my oily skin seems to eat them up quickly), so I was VERY happy to see that this was a white lotion-type primer like my favorite Black Radiance primer.

Something a little unique to this primer: it's grainy. I suspect that the teeny tiny grains I feel (much more fine than an exfoliator, but still perceptible) are part of the "rice protein" in this product. Thankfully, after working this primer into the skin, the grains do go away, but I do feel them on my face whenever I apply this product, so I want to warn you about that.

You'll notice a white cast on your face before this primer sets. Once it absorbs into the skin, there's still a trace of it left behind (it's more pronounced on my face, but your results may vary):

Because of this white cast, I don't know if I could recommend using this when you're not planning on wearing makeup (the label says it can be worn alone, but I personally could not wear it alone). Again, your results may vary.

Here's a photo taken after I applied my regular moisturizer, followed by this primer, then CoverGirl Tone Rehab foundation and Physicians Formula Mineral Wear pressed powder (I'm also wearing concealer and powder blush):

Notice how the overall effect is quite mattifying? Tone Rehab foundation + Mineral Wear pressed powder don't usually leave my face this matte-looking on their own.

Now, here's a photo taken eight hours later (with NO touch-ups):

You can see that the oil has broken through in my T-zone, but it was HOT that day and it would normally be even worse after eight hours. What's very interesting to note is that my blush, which was the LAST thing I applied to my face, doesn't have any shine breaking through. Kind of strange, huh? You can literally see where the shine stops at the top of my cheek near my nose! Anyway, looking at this picture more closely, I hope you can see that my makeup is still quite visible, despite the breakthrough shine. The concealer under my eyes is still going strong, and it hasn't settled into my fine lines (which it's prone to do on very hot days).

Texture and consistency: As mentioned above, this is not a clear, silicone-type primer like Smashbox or Hard Candy. This is an opaque, white, lotion-like primer like the NYC and Black Radiance primers. It feels like a facial moisturizer during application, but it's not so thick that it's difficult to spread across the skin. It does have teeny tiny grains in it, which feel like a VERY light exfoliator during application (not a standard exfoliator, but rather one so light that it wouldn't do any true exfoliating). I'm assuming this is the rice protein in the formula, but I could be wrong. Anyway, once you work it into your skin, the grains do disappear. This product is opaque white, and it does leave a strong white cast on the face before it sets. Once it sets (a few minutes after application) the cast does dissipate, but for me personally, it never fully goes away. I couldn't wear this sans makeup (which the label says you can do) because it makes me look too pale on its own.

Performance: I've worn this primer with a variety of different foundations, and it's performed well with each one (liquid, mousse and powder formulas). I think it provides a nice, smooth base for makeup, which makes my makeup not only apply smoother, but LOOK smoother on my face as well. I have extremely oily skin to begin with, and the results in my before-and-after photos above are pretty much the results I've been getting with every foundation I apply on top of this primer. It doesn't completely eliminate shine (nothing does), but it does extend the life of my makeup and keeps shine at bay for about three hours longer than when I don't wear primer. I do want to note that this product can make certain types of foundation appear a bit cakey, especially around the nose area. I wore is under my CoverGirl Tone Rehab foundation the other day when it was extremely hot outside, and I noticed that after I was outside and sweating a bit, I looked in the mirror and could see that it caked up a bit around my nose and upper lip.

Fragrance: This product definitely has a fragrance to it--it smells clean and sort of like a cross between a few Olay moisturizers I've used in the past and the scent of Noxzema products. It's not as strong as Noxzema, but it is reminiscent of that fragrance.

Comparison to Black Radiance Complexion Perfection Shine Control Primer: Since I know some of you will ask, I want to tell you that I still prefer the Black Radiance primer over this one. First of all, I think the price of $13.99 for 1.0 oz of product is too steep (Black Radiance is $5.99 for 0.84 oz). I need at least three good squeezes from the tube for each application of Neutrogena Shine Control Primer, which means I will quickly run out if I use this primer every day. Second, I don't get a white cast from the Black Radiance primer, and I feel that my breakthrough shine is delayed a bit longer when I wear the Black Radiance primer. I do think that these primers are comparable, but for my particular skin, I prefer the kaolin (clay) in the Black Radiance primer over the rice protein in the Neutrogena primer because I feel it does a better job at oil absorption. However, if you can't find Black Radiance in your area and don't want to order online (you can get it on the Walgreens website), this could be a decent alternative for you. I mentioned that the Neutrogena primer can make certain types of foundation a little bit cakey so, for the record, I've never had that issue with the Black Radiance primer and I've been wearing it for years.

FINAL VERDICT: This primer didn't blow me away, but I do think it can be a decent alternative to my beloved Black Radiance primer. It truly extends the life of my makeup and keeps the shine away for at least three hours longer than when I don't wear primer. If clear, silicone-based primers don't cut it for you, then I certainly wouldn't discourage you from trying this one. I prefer opaque, lotion-like primers for my oily skin and I'm glad there's another one on drugstore shelves. However, if you're thinking of buying this to wear without makeup, be aware that you might see a slight white cast on your face with this one (especially if your skintone is deeper). For $13.99, I don't think this is as good a value as the Black Radiance primer ($5.99), and the Black Radiance primer performs better on my super-oily skin due to the kaolin in that formula. It seems to absorb the oils in my skin a bit better than the Neutrogena formula, but if you don't have very oily skin to begin with, the Neutrogena primer might work quite well for you. As I always say, buy it at Walgreens, CVS or Rite Aid and keep your receipt. You can return/exchange used products at all three of those drugstore chains, so you've got nothing to lose if it doesn't work out for you.

Have you tried anything from the new Neutrogena Shine Control collection yet? Thoughts?