(Paul & Joe Foundation Primer N in #01)
But, occasionally, I really want my base makeup to give me an ultra-flawless finish. This is when primers can potentially make a positive difference.
In the past couple of years, more and more brands are coming up with various kinds of primers. (For Japanese brands in particular, primers have long been a crucial aspect of base makeup.) There are just so many kinds of them: those that cover pores, those that make fine lines appear less visible, those that control shine, those that add luminosity, those that further condition the skin, green ones that conceal redness, purple ones that cancel out sallowness, pinks ones that combat ashy skin tones, those specifically for the eye/lip/T-zone areas, and those with a combination of the purposes above…
If you want to try a foundation primer, do know exactly what you want it to do for you. Otherwise it is very easy to be confused with all the products with all the various purposes. Think specifically about what you want your usual foundation to do for you and you will know what kind of primer you are looking for to work hand in hand with your foundation to give you the overall finish you want.
For me, I want my base makeup to even out my skin tone (particularly some minor redness) and to conceal pores. So, I naturally look for primers that achieve these alongside my foundations.
Between the two, I am slightly more concerned about concealing pores than evening out my skin tone, and I have found that I don’t really need a primer for pore-concealing. Any heavily silicone-based skincare product will make the skin look and feel more even and help the foundation go on smoother. I happen to have a couple of trial samples of the new Estee Lauder Idealist Pore Minimizing Skin Refinisher, and, like the previous version, it gives me the (temporary) pore-concealing effect that I want. When my foundation goes on after that, my pores look much less obvious.
So, for a long time, I never really wanted a primer. But when I tried the samples of Paul & Joe Foundation Primer N from the October issue of Voce, I was pleasantly surprised by what it did in terms of evening out the skin tone. So I decided to pick up the product.
The one I bought is #01, which is the lighter shade of the two. (#02 is slightly too orange for my skin tone.) It is a little bit like a yellow-based tinted moisturizer. But in many subtle ways, it works better than just a tinted moisturizer in the sense that it really complements my foundation (usually a powder foundation), which is exactly what a primer should do. For me:
1. It unifies my skin tone and makes redness less obvious.
2. It brightens my skin subtly and effectively, without leaving any visible shine.
3. It further moisturizes and conditions my skin and makes the foundation stay longer. This injection of moisture, especially on the cheek areas, is particularly helpful for me in winter.
Overall, what I like about this primer is that my foundations don’t have to work that hard to achieve and maintain the coverage I want. One thing worth noting is that this primer is not silicone-based (silicone is quite far down on the ingredient list) and it is not a product designed specifically to conceal pores. But it still has a minimal pore-concealing effect.
In short, it is a good all-rounder for me.
On the other hand, one drawback that I can envisage at the moment is that it might be too emollient for some people with oily skin in warmer months, since it is quite moisturizing in itself.
Interestingly, I went to my own Biteki “archive” and found that it had been popular with Biteki readers. Each February, Biteki publishes results of the readers’ poll on their favorite products in various categories. This primer was among the top five in 2006 and 2007. I don’t usually pay a lot of attention to poll results, since different products suit different people, But in this case, for me, it deserves the high placings.
Lastly, this primer comes with SPF 12 and PA+, which is not enough in itself for daytime use. An effective sunscreen with at least SPF 15 and anti-UVA ingredients has to be used before this primer for proper sun protection.
Related posts:
Paul & Joe Lip Gloss N
(part of the holiday 2007 collection)
Loving Japanese Brands: Paul & Joe
(my personal thoughts on the brand)
Foundation Face-Off: Chanel Mat Lumière & SUQQU Powder Foundation Glow
(Find out which one I like better)
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
I was just going to hop along to a departmental store when I decided to check your blog first to gather recommendations. I have oily skin and I live in a tropical country where the temperature moderates between 27 to 33 Celcius every single day. But your description tempts me to buy me xD
Hello Yitian,
I see. If you have oily skin and live in a tropical country where the climate is consistently warm all year round, then I would hesitate to recommend this primer. I suspect this might make your skin even more oily. What might also be worse is that your makeup might actually not be able to hold well due to the excessive emollients on your face.
If you do want to try it, I would suggest that you only use it very sparingly on areas of your face that you have issues with, such as possibly drier eye areas or drier cheek areas.
My skin can get oily as well and I used to live in a sub-tropical climate. When the weather is really warm, I can’t imagine wearing a separate primer after my daytime moisturizer. Not even a mattifying primer, since it is usually heavily silicone-based and feels quite heavy on my skin. I usually just wore a powder foundation with a good coverage.
Paul & Joe does another primer, which is in an opaque white bottle with a green cap. The consistency is more watery and it is more suitable for warmer weather. It has SPF 30 and PA +++. It does have alcohol, which I dislike in any skincare or makeup product. But I think with your skin type and the climate, you might be able to just get away with it. If you want to try a primer from Paul & Joe, this might be a more suitable one for you.
If you get to test Paul & Joe’s primers at the counter, do let me know what you think!
Thank you for commenting again! :)
is paul&joe a japanese brand? =) i love the cute packaging but i havent actually tried it before. do you know if makeup bases actually clogs pores and masks your skin like how foundation does? im deathly afraid of clogging my pores thats why i have been avoiding foundation. =/
Hello Aretha,
Thank you for commenting again!
Even though the designer of Paul & Joe, Sophie Albou, is French, the Paul & Joe beauty line is owned by Albion, which is a major cosmetics company in Japan. (Albion develops and produces Paul & Joe’s products.) So essentially it is a Japanese brand. I do love the packaging as well!
Generally, foundation itself does not clog pores. However, if we use foundation products that don’t suit us (in terms of our skin types and the climate that we live in), they will have a negative impact on our skin. For example, for people who have combination or oil skin and live in a tropical climate, a simple powder foundation (without any primer) is enough. A liquid foundation, no matter how oil-free it claims to be, will almost always be too emollient.
But if you have dry skin and there are issues of foundation staying on properly, then a primer might help you with the finish of your makeup and shouldn’t affect the conditions of your skin negatively.
So, in terms of foundation, try to stick with the texture (powder, liquid, or cream) that suits you the best. As for the primer, only use it when (and where) you need it and apply it very sparingly.
But, if your skin is already quite flawless and only needs very minor regional concealing, then you don’t really need an overall primer and you can just use a little bit of foundation where you need it. “Less is more” is often the key to base makeup products. If you don’t really need it, don’t use it and save the money. :)
Thank you very much again for your comment!! :)
Hi PJ,
I have heard a lot of good things about PJ (sounds like your nickname without the & in the middle) for the longest time, esp the primer, but have never tried anything from the range. I have never used a primer before and really am considering whether I need one… Despite the good comments I have also heard people breaking out from it hence am hesitant to purchase one… Now if only the P&J has a sample… :)
But nonetheless, thanks for you review which affirm my knowledge of primers and of the product!
Hi Kng Suan,
I am aware that this primer has been selling very well, and I am not surprised. It is a good primer in the sense that I can see how well it works for my complexion and my foundation.
But, like I pointed out in the post, I am not surprised that people might have breakouts from it. It has several moisturizing ingredients like sunflower seed oil and apricot kernel oil that some people with oil skin might not like. (It certainly has an emollient texture.)
So I can understand comments from both sides…
I have oily skin and I think I can probably only use it in colder months in the UK…
Do see if you can get a sample so you can try it out. I have to say I wouldn’t have bought it if I hadn’t used the sample and liked it. (Cosmetics items are not returnable in the UK once they are used…:(…)
Let me know your thoughts if you do get to try it! :)
Thank you for commenting again!
I let myself be talked into buying this by my Paul & Joe saleswoman — because she is fabulous :) — and even though I don’t generally use primer, I have to say that I really like it. My makeup (Bare Escentuals) goes on more smoothly and lasts longer. I just wish that the SPF. I’ve been very impressed with the Paul & Joe line — I just wish it were more widely available here in the U.S.
Have you tried any of their skin care products?
Hello Jdbsusanna,
Thank you very much for reading my blog and leaving a comment!
I think I see your point about the SPF. It is too low to be worn alone as a daytime sunscreen and I have to wear my usual daytime moisturizer (with proper sun protection) underneath.
I have used several travel-size samples of Paul & Joe’s skincare products (makeup remover, toners, and moisturizer). I have to say overall I am not impressed. The two toners and the moisturizer all have alcohol in them, which my skin can’t tolerate well. (This is quite typical of many Japanese toners and moisturizers.)
They do smell great and the packaging is as good as the makeup products, but these are the only two positive (and relatively unimportant) things I can say about the skincare products I have tried from Paul & Joe.
Thank you again for commenting! Let me know if you have any other question. :)
i discovered Paul&Joe after reading your blog, and i have to say that i totally love their product designs! i’m too easily seduced by beauty products that are prettily designed, like Anna Sui and Paul&Joe. :D anyways, i went to a local dept store and tested the Anna Sui and Paul&Joe primers. the Anna Sui one has a higher SPF, and feels much smoother when applied, but in terms of price and coverage, Paul&Joe won, so i bought it. :D
however, i’ve been using it for a few weeks now, and i realised that sometimes when i perspire, even lightly, crease marks will appear on my face, esp the area near my brows and ard my nose.
any idea if this is cause the primer doesn’t suit me, or is it my foundation? i’ve oily skin and the climate here is warm all year round. my main purpose in applying the primer is to ensure that my skin tone is more even, pores are concealed and face is much smoother. (>.< ) any help wld be appreciated!
Hello Sheaux,
Thank you for your comment!
It sounds that this primer might be too emollient for you, since you have oily skin and you live in a warm climate, as I was discussing in my post.
But still, particularly if one of your main concerns is to even out the skin-tone, this primer can still work for you to some extent.
I think one thing you can try is to replace perhaps 1/3 of the amount of the daytime moisturizer/sunscreen you usually use with the Paul & Joe primer (and mix them together before application).
If you don’t use a daytime moisturizer before this primer (you probably should, since SPF 12 is not really enough in itself), perhaps you can replace half of the amount of the primer that you use with a light moisturizer.
As I mentioned in my post, this product is not particularly designed to conceal pores. So I am thinking that, if you want to both conceal pores and even out the skin-tone, what I would suggest is to use a silicone-based primer (which is often colorless). This will help conceal your pores and make the foundation go on smoother. Then use a two-way powder foundation (which has preferably a matte or semi-matte finish) with a good coverage to give you the even skin-tone you want. What you can also do as an extra step is to press on a little bit of loose powder to areas where you are particularly concerned about pores and sebum. This will help your foundation last longer.
I hope this helps a little bit. If you would like to, please feel free to let me know the rest of your morning skincare/foundation routine. Perhaps we can look into it a bit more. (Particularly, I am not sure what kind of foundation you use (powder, liquid, or cream), or if you don’t usually use a foundation.)
This primer isn’t really very cheap (certainly not for me), and I am not sure if your department store accepts returns on cosmetics, so let’s see what we can do.
Thank you very much for sharing your experience! :)
hey, thanks for the prompt reply!
previously, i used the Shiseido toner and mosturizer before makeup, but i found that the moisturizer becomes cakey and kinda “peels off”, hence i stopped using it and just applied my primer after cleansing my face.
after the primer, if i’m lazy, i’ll just put on the palantong loose powder and dab on some foundation on my dark eye circles and to cover my pores.
if i feel like it, i’ll usually use the primer then my Shiseido pressed foundation. it’s the White Lucent one, if i’m not wrong.
however, i’ve found that sometimes it’s still kinda cakey and doesn’t really go on very smoothly. it’s quite obvious that i’ve slapped on foundation and i think that’s really disgusting. (T_T)
i’m still very new to makeup so i’m basically just bumping around and trying things out.. HAHAHA!
Hi Sheaux,
Thank you for letting me know more about your skincare/foundation routine.
I see. First of all, I’d suggest that you still incorporate a daytime moisturizer (with an SPF of 15 or above and with adequate UVA protection). Even though generally I don’t see a problem in using some primers as tinted moisturizers (if the ingredients are similar), this one by Paul & Joe only has an SPF of 12 and it has more pigment than many other tinted moisturizers. If you don’t moisturize your face first to condition the skin, the pigment in this primer might go cakey as the day goes on and it will affect the finish of what you put on afterwards.
(As I mentioned, if you are concerned about layering too many products, you can mix the two together for each application.)
The foundations you use sound absolutely fine to me. (I would avoid liquid or cream foundations as well if I lived in your climate.)
So, I’d think the issue is with what you do before you put on the primer, not after.
One product I personally like (I have oily skin too) is Estee Lauder’s DayWear Plus SPF 15 for Oily Skin. It is lighter than the Olay one I am currently using. It is in itself a well-formulated moisturizer with the sunscreen ingredients you need for a daytime moisturizer.
Another thing is, what I have observed with myself is that some moisturizers will peel, like you described, if the toner I use has alcohol. I think many Shiseido toners do have alcohol, and perhaps you can experiment with a alcohol-free toner and see how things go.
Thank you for dropping by again! Do keep me posted if you have more comments or questions! :)
I always thought that this had an SPF 15, but I just looking at my bottle and the back says it has SPF 30! I’m pretty sure the box (which I threw out long ago) said SPF 15. And your’s is SPF 12?
Hi Jdbsusanna again,
Yes, the Foundation Primer N has an SPF of 12. I am not sure if the one you have is the Protective Foundation Primer, which has an SPF of 30. (The bottle is an opaque white and the cap is mint green.)
You can refer to the website to see the two types of primers currently on sale. (I have included the link in my post.)
There were older versions of Paul & Joe primers before, but, as far as I remember, I don’t think there was one with an SPF of 15…
If what you have is indeed the one with the opaque white bottle, then it has always had SPF 30.
Hope it helps. Thank you for your comment again and let me know if you have any more question. :)
Hello there! Just came across your site while googling for products for me to try out :P
Thanks for all the reviews, well I have oily skin and live in a tropical country as well… Your reviews have been a great help!
Keep it up
xo
Marie( Malaysia)
Hi Marie,
You are very welcome. I am glad to know that my reviews have been helpful! :)
Thank you very much for posting your comment! :)