I have been so pleased with this product that I simply had to review it…

I received That Gal primer in a Benefit sample set that Sephora sold around the holidays – it included Some Kind of Gorgeous, That Gal, Posietint, and High Beam, all in small travel sizes for $10.  As with any other foundation primer I’ve ever tried, I was dubious whether I would get the desired effect…

The first thing I noticed about That Gal is that the consistency is much different than the typical silicone-based primers – it comes from the container looking much like a lotion, and a soft pink one at that.  It feels less greasy than many of those other primers too, absorbing quickly into the skin.  Another thing I noticed during application was the very pleasant, slightly floral scent – it’s not overpowering – just a sort of clean, slight fragrance.  As far as the product’s claims,  I don’t know whether it truly does “brighten” or not, but it does seem to, at least temporarily, on my skin.  I think this may be in part because I have fair skin, and the pink primer tones down any areas of yellowness and dullness.  However, it does make my skin feel extremely soft and smooth, giving a great base for my foundation.  That Gal definitely prevents that awful ‘foundation sitting in the pore’ look that reminds me of some horrible flesh-colored pimple.  I’ve noticed that my foundation lasts all day when using this primer.  After 4 hours or so, I will still start to get a bit oily in the normal areas – my nose and chin – and blotting will be necessary – so if you’re very oily this product is not for you.  I personally will be purchasing the full size when my sample runs out… despite the $28 price tag (this is my holy grail primer so I would probably pay more!).  Many of Benefit’s products seem to fall into this price range, but I think many of their line is worth the price for their quality.

Overall, I’d recommend this as a great everyday primer giving you a smooth, even foundation application and making it last… as long as you don’t mind shelling out the $28.

I don’t do a lot of reviews on products… But when I do, you can be sure that I’m in love! I’ve been scoping this out for a long time and I finally bit the bullet not long ago and made the purchase. One of the major draws for me was the whopping SPF 50 this primer is packing – it’s hard to get a high SPF in a moisturizer and ordinary sunscreen tends to cause breakouts or irritation on the face. A high SPF for fair skin girls like myself is essential year round so I went for it, without even really considering the primer aspect.

I’ve never really used a primer before, so I didn’t know what to expect…

Let me first describe the… erm… odd bottle design. It almost looks like MAC accidentally manufactured the bottle upside down. By that I mean the bottle stands on its cap, but the MAC logo and product name/description face from the cap downwards, which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

On to the product itself… It is creamy in texture, much like a moisturizer, and there is no need for excessive application. I apply a slightly larger than pea-size amount to forehead, cheeks, chin, nose. I was relieved that even though this product controls oil, it did not dry out my skin (my skin tends toward dryness as it is). My face felt slightly “tighter” at first, but it really wasn’t drier, I think I was getting used to the feeling of wearing a primer.

My foundation applied VERY smoothly over the prep and prime. I was amazed that at the end of the work day and beyond even (12 plus hours), my foundation hadn’t budged one bit. A big plus: my skin feels very soft and I haven’t had a single breakout.

Today I used some of the primer under my eyes to prime for my undereye concealer. I love my Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Stick, but it always ends up somewhat settling in my fine lines after a few hours. To my utter amazement, the Prep and Prime kept my concealer from settling in the fine lines ALL FRICKIN DAY!! I’m totally won over.

Prep and Prime Protect SPF 50 comes in a 1 oz container and costs $28. A little pricey but well worth it. This isn’t like applying a moisturizer so a tube should last you a good while.