Product Review | E.L.F. Cosmetics Mint Melt Cooling Face Primer

Product Review | E.L.F. Cosmetics Mint Melt Cooling Face Primer ($8, Elfcosmetics.com)

Product Details (from E.L.F's website):  A unique gel texture primer that keeps makeup in place while hydrating your skin with a cooling effect.  This gel texture primer multitasks to keep your makeup in place, moisturize your skin, and deliver a cooling sensation. It glides on silky smooth without that sticky feel and is bursting with skin-happy ingredients like hyaluronic acid and antioxidants, plus a refreshing vanilla mint scent. Makeup-free hack: wear alone for that dewy, fresh-face finish.

Key Ingredients:  

Hyaluronic Acid - Locks in moisture for a plump complexion

Antioxidants - Protects skin from free radical damage

Review:  I picked this up because I was drawn to the hydrating aspect and a non-sticky application.   Plus, Hyaluronic Acid and antioxidants doesn't hurt either.  I love the mint green packaging and the squeeze tube combined with a pump to dispense the product easily.  This came in a clear mint green packaging; however, if you look closer, those "lines" on the clear packaging are not lines.  The package was actually ripped, broken, call it however you want.   Long story short, it was not packaged properly.  Honestly, that was a turn off.  I know it is an $8 product but companies have quality control people to ensure each shipment is packaged carefully without any damage to the box, item itself or whatsoever.  So that was a no for me.  I posted this issue on my stories (as I would with any damaged products) and tagged the company but received no response.  I have done this a few times with some of my favorite brands and all their social media people have responded in one way or another; some even offering sending a new product or the same one.  I love quite a few E.L.F. products and I purchase quite a bit from them especially staple items so this was not something I had expected.

Moving right along, the primer does have a cooling sensation which I love.  The ingredients are superb and are sensitive skin friendly.  At first application, did glide on smoothly but as I was massaging the product on the rest of my face, it felt tacky, sticky - but it claimed that it has a non-sticky feel.  So that was a no for me.  Because the primer was tacky, it lifted some makeup on the left side of my cheek (I do have video reviewing this and showing that patchy area) thus making it look patchy and not in the most subtle way either.  I have normal to dry skin so my skin is normally prepped well prior to primer application.  I also did not use any new skincare prep products while testing this primer.

Overall, serum, gel or gripping type of primers are not my favorite due to its tacky formula but I had high hopes on this one because of its claims.  I have tried it several times with other tried and true foundations but I haven't had the perfect makeup application when using it.  I may just use it on its own as a skincare item since it does have Hyaluronic Acid and antioxidant ingredients.  

If you love serum, gel or gripping primers - you might enjoy this one.   So for me, this is a hard pass as a primer but so far it works well as a skincare item.  If you have something similar to this, you can probably skip this one.