Product Review | E.L.F. Prep & Hydrate Balm

Product Review | E.L.F. Prep & Hydrate Balm ($8.00, Target and E.L.F. stores)

Product Details (From E.L.F.'s website): This convenient, versatile water based primer stick instantly hydrates skin to improve skin texture and to prep skin for makeup application.  Infused with shea butter, cocoa, aloe, and grape to hydrate skin. The two-in-one formula and stick form is perfect for travel or your gym bag! 

Review:  I purchased this at the E.L.F. store near work when it first came out earlier this spring.  It has the same packaging as their original skincare line (they came out with new ones that comes with some sort of metallic/reflective packaging) - white box with light teal colors and black typography.  This product is in a stick form, with similar thickness as the MUFE Foundation Stick.  It contains less than an ounce of product.  It is an easy to use twist-up tube.  It is definitely very hydrating and also leaves a cooling sensation.  It is not sticky or thick, instead, it applies pretty thin and has a very wet feeling without the drip.  I mainly used this for my trip to Cancun this past April as a hydration balm as it was incredibly humid and warm.  I rarely used makeup when I was in Cancun so this helped my skin stay hydrated (also helped with cooling the skin after being out in the sun).  I used this underneath my primer once or twice for a night out but I honestly did not see anything phenomenal about its priming abilities.  Granted, it was only for a few hours since we were only out for the rest of the night (unlike a typical 8hr work day and go out for a few hours after), not an entire day - so my makeup looked normal the whole time.  This is great for hydration purposes, especially when traveling to hot and humid places.  This is not a bad product and even though it is only $8, I do not feel the need to own it and will not repurchase.

UPDATE: I used this a primer a few weeks ago and it was a no-go.  It made my foundation application very patchy.