Boots No 7 Beautifully Matte Review

Sorry this is a little bit later than normal. I was planning on this post to be about some new eyeshadow, but it JUST arrived today, so that'll be for next time.

Instead, here's a little review of Boots No 7 Beautifully Matte primer.

Now, I probably haven't raved about it enough for you to know this, but I have found my holy grail primer. For months now I've been using the Korres Pomegranate Mattifying Treatment from Sephora, and it is truly amazing. It's not technically a primer, but the woman at the store said that people use it like one so often Korres actually discontinued their real primer. That apparently isn't true because I found it on their website, but regardless, it works fantastically as a primer.

So when I ran out of it the other day, I knew I had to replace it fast. Since I hopped on the primer train, I can't live without it. I've already decided that once I ran out of my Korres I'd try the Boots No 7 one since it seemed like it had pretty good reviews (and the Korres is really just too expensive for me to justify right now). I picked it up at Target on Thursday and was totally excited about using it the next day.

Truth is, though, I hate it. Hate may be a strong word for a primer I've tried less than 10 times, but you guys, it's awful. It's lotion-like in it's consistency, but it dries almost immediately when it hits your skin. You have almost no time to spread it at all. The first time, I probably used more than I should've. And I got these weird patches of product build-up that were really noticeable on my face. Especially on the tip of my nose.

The next time I tried to use it, I applied it twice before I gave up and looked for instructions. I found a YouTube video that said to use a damp makeup wedge to blend it, since it keeps the product from drying so fast. I tried that, I ended up with the same result. I tried working in smaller sections on my face. I had the same result. No matter what, I couldn't stop the weird patches of build up. Not to mention that even in non-build up sections, my makeup didn't look natural. It say heavily on top of the primer instead of blending in flawlessly (as a product called Nearly Naked should do).

I was so fed up I forwent the primer today (something I NEVER do - the oil is taking over!) and I'm really disappointed. After work it's off to Rite Aid to find something better. I found a review on the Black Radiance Shine Free primer which I might try. It's one of my favorite blogs, and I absolutely love the BR mascara I got with one of the 8-pan palettes. I know it's supposed to be for women with dark skin, but if it works, it works, right?

Have any of you tried the Boots No 7 Beautifully Matte primer? Did you like it or did you have the same problem I did? Any tips for application?