I've never been a fan of primers, if i'm being totally honest. I didn't see the obsession of them, and when I tried one (a Maybelline one, I believe) I failed to notice any difference in how my makeup sat on my face/ how long it stayed put, so that kind of put me off them. However, upon recommendation from a few beauty bloggers, I decided to try again, picking up yet another drugstore primer, in the form of the "Rimmel Stay Matte Primer". The main reason that I wanted a primer was because it was my sixth year prom, and of course I wanted my makeup to last the night! At the very affordable price of £5.99, (although I believe I got it on a 3 for 2 offer, Boots are always doing these!) I wasn't expecting much, i'll be truthful. I was actually really quite surprised!

First up, being an art student, packaging is quite important to me, and this didn't excite me. I definitely didn't pick it up based on looks. It's not offensive, or disgusting, it's just boring. Sometimes simplicity is good, but in my opinion, not this time.
Anyway, that's not the important part, the product itself is! It's quite a thick consistency, and it took a bit of rubbing until it was completely absorbed. It also felt a bit plastic, but I don't think that's a bad thing. One major plus is that it didn't smell of anything, as I am not a fan of makeup that smells. i feel like it's an added ingredient that could be bad for my skin, so I was glad to see none of that.
It also dried really quickly, which meant I didn't have to wait ten minutes to apply foundation, I could do it almost instantly.
The main positive to this primer is how much of a difference I noticed. As I said earlier, I wasn't expecting much from this, but I was really surprised at the difference in my skin! My pores were visibly smaller, and my face felt smoother, and it just generally looked healthier. Sometimes I wear this primer on it's own, for those days when i'm not wearing makeup, just to give my skin a 'pick me up'.
Another thing is that it made my usually oily spots stay dry for longer, which really surprised me, as usually i'll be needing to reapply concealer halfway through the day- not anymore!
It definitely made my makeup sit better on my face, and applying foundation was so much easier. It's hard to explain my love for this primer, but all I can say is give it a chance. It's affordable, it's only a mere £5.99 in comparison to some of the more hyped up primers that are closer to the £20/25 mark.
I would give this primer a 4.5 /5, I really love it.

Thanks for reading! Until next time.