Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer SPF 15

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer SPF 15 ($52.00 for 1 oz.) is a “mineral-based, water-resistant primer with SPF 15 that neutralizes the skin, minimizes shine, and creates a smooth, uniform canvas.” It is also supposed to “[absorb] exess oils and [minimize] the appearance of pores.” This primer uses a mix of titanium dioxide (2.45%) and zinc oxide (4.20%) to provide the SPF content. As a result, you may get a white cast, particularly in pictures, as these are physical blockers (which work by reflecting), as opposed to chemical ones (which work by absorbing). I have worn it in photos on the blog, but primarily in ones without flash, which is where you would worry most about what kind of sunscreen agent you had on.

It has a thin consistency that appears white when pumped out of the container. One pump tends to be sufficient coverage for me. I use either a flat face brush or my fingertips (cleaned, of course!) to apply all over my face, and then I let it dry down for about five minutes. There’s a slightly oily feel initially–it almost feels like a moisturizer–that dries down to a more powdery feel that looks satin-like in finish. It does give my skin a “smooth” feeling from the silicones. The primer doesn’t pill, though, which I do appreciate, as that has been an issue in the past with silicone-heavy primers.

It has been a very long time (years) since I’ve tried a face primer with this many silicones in it. I’ve worn this numerous times over the past couple of months, and I haven’t had any extra breakouts as a result. I’ve certainly had acne before, after, and during the previous months, but the level is as much (or as little) as is “normal” for me. Previously, it seemed like I had a sensitivity to silicone-based products, which meant that I had to limit how many products I wore each day that had silicone–e.g. avoid silicone-based primers, because they appear to have a lot more silicones as compared to a blush, moisturizer, or foundation, since there are usually a few in the beginning of the ingredients’ lists.

I’m not a doctor, and no dermatologist ever evaluated/tested my skin in relationship to silicones. The last time I saw a dermatologist, she told me to never wear makeup and that wearing any makeup was causing all of my acne (so I never returned to her!). After that, my general doctor prescribed me Differin, which has greatly decreased my acne. I decided to give Hourglass’ primer a chance, because I saw a lot of readers rave about it!

Mineral Veil makes everything else I layer on top of my skin look noticeably better. I think that “smooth canvas” enables foundation to apply and settle better against the skin. I used this a lot during the winter when my skin was drier, because I did have a few flaking areas (particularly around the nose), and it helped to smooth and almost hydrate those areas. It didn’t do much to minimize pores, but it certainly helped add longevity to my face products.

Typically, when I would wear this under a foundation, it would prolong the wear by an hour and a half to two and a half hours–and as a result, my blush stayed on better and for longer as well. Though I have normal-to-dry skin, I do get a little oily around my t-zone after six to eight hours of wearing full makeup. This really did help combat that and staved it off until eight to ten hours.

The biggest downside to this product is that it’s very pricey! I’d recommend trying the smaller version (0.33 oz.), which is a more palatable $18. It’s a great way to test out the product over a longer period of time to get a feel for whether it’s suitable for your skin type and needs. It’s one of my favorite primers, but I can readily admit that my “big picture” view on primers is limited, as I haven’t tested many in the past few years because I’ve wanted to stay away from silicone-based ones! I may open this up a bit more in the future, but no promises–it will be a very slow, gradual introduction to see how my skin reacts!

See more photos!

Ingredients

Active:  Titanium Dioxide (2.45%), Zinc Oxide (4.20%)

Inactive: Cyclopentasiloxane, Isododecane, Polysilicone-11, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Hexyl Laurate, Peg-10 Dimethicone, Polyglyceryl-4 Isosterate, Stearic Acid, Alumina

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer SPF 15

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer SPF 15