Monistat, the makeup primer

Let me start by saying that I have never been a huge fan of makeup primers. I consider most of them to be pretty much a useless, expensive, extra layer of product on your face that cosmetics companies trick you into thinking you need. I've always dismissed most them as hype, even when I was working for a particular company who considered their primer to be one of their 'star' products. I didn't bother to use it even when they furnished it to me for free. So yes, I went into the Monistat experiment with a very dismissive attitude. Especially since I'm not fond of the idea of slathering my face with something from a brand I usually associate with yeast infections and other ailments of the hoo-ha.

Well, I was pleasantly surprised.

First of all, the product is Monistat's Soothing Care Chafing Powder-Gel Skin Protectant. It's made to prevent the chafing of sensitive skin in areas such as inner thighs, underarms, and breasts, so it's not specifically for your vagina and it's not a 'treatment' type product. It's fragrance-free, non-irritating and the key ingredient, dimethicone, makes it silky and easy to apply, giving it that powdery feel as it dries. Dimethicone is a type of silicone, very commonly used in many skincare products these days. It creates a very silky-smooth, slightly matte, finish on the skin, a perfect canvas for applying foundation. It temporarily smooths out imperfections in skin texture (like pores and fine lines!)and is also said to create a barrier between the skin and the makeup, helping the makeup to last longer.

After a week of using Monistat's product, I am happy to say that it works pretty well. I like that it's scent-free (most makeup primers aren't) and about half a pea-sized amount was all it took to do my whole face. You apply it after your moisturizer and before your makeup, avoiding the eye area. My favourite foundation of the moment (Make Up For Ever HD Invisible Cover) went on like a dream and lasted longer than usual. I found it especially good at keeping my t-zone from looking less oily. All this for less than $10 for a 42 gram tube! Now for the bad part. My skin doesn't love the daily use of silicones, though I didn't have any terrible reactions, just a couple of pimples. Your skin might not love it either for regular use, but it's worth the price to find out, and it could still be used for its original purpose. I won't be using it everyday, but for those (rare) occasions that I do have time to do a full face of makeup on myself, I would definitely use this stuff. I'll admit also that it is a little difficult to live without the glamorous packaging and it will take some convincing for my clients to try it, but they'll come around. It really is that good.