Does the Il Makiage primer make your foundation last longer? Our beauty editor shares her in-depth review

• Il Makiage No Filter Poreless Base Smoothing Primer for £36 at Il Makiage

In my opinion, primer is one of the most underrated products in any makeup bag. Wish your foundation sat better on your skin? Get yourself a primer. Want that carefully applied base to last for longer? That’ll take a primer. Frustrated by 12pm forehead shine? The solution is (you guessed it) a primer – and our Il Makiage Primer review will take you through a deep dive into real fan favourite.

The best primers come in lots of different guises. There are ones that bring glow to lacklustre complexions, ones that grip your foundation like velcro to keep it in place and even green and orange-toned ones formulated to colour-correct things like redness and hyperpigmentation.

I’ve tried a lot of the best primers (and some not so great ones) over the years, and the ones that get my vote always have the same credentials. Firstly, I like them to be matte. I have combination skin with an excessively oily T-zone, so I rely heavily on this part of my routine to prevent my colleagues from being able to see their reflections in my forehead by lunchtime. My second requirement is that they’re smooth in texture to disguise my fine lines and prominent pores. I don’t want anything that feels too powdery or chalky (lots of mattifying primers do) or that leaves my skin looking odd or unnatural without foundation. I’m pleased to report that the Il Makiage No Filter Poreless Base Smoothing Primer delivered on all counts – here's my in depth guide...

Our contributing beauty editor's full Il Makiage No Filter Poreless Base Smoothing Primer review

Our first impressions of the Il Makiage No Filter Poreless Base Smoothing Primer

Let's start with first impressions. Il Makiage's No Filter Poreless Base Smoothing Primer comes out punching with silver, disco ball-esque packaging. Whether you like this or not will come down to personal preference. I thought it looked really nice on my dressing table but as the solid plastic tube has no squish, it does take up quite a bit of space in my makeup bag.

I can’t find anything to suggest that this tube is recyclable, which is a shame; another downside is that, as it’s opaque, you can’t see how much product is left. The only indicator you can really use is how light it feels.

There isn’t a huge amount to say about the No Filter Poreless Base Smoothing Primer formula and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Instead of overpromising with added active ingredients (normally included at too low a level in makeup to make any discernable difference to the skin), they’ve kept things pretty simple.

The bulk of the ingredient list is made up of silicones, which have a bit of an unfairly-gained reputation. Their key function is to provide products with a smooth, spreadable texture that creates a soft, silky film (which is ideal for a smoothing base such as a primer). However, some experts believe that when used in conditioners, silicones can prevent moisture from getting into the hair and that they can do the same for the skin, as well as potentially blocking pores. I personally haven’t noticed any adverse effects when using silicone-based primers, and definitely not with this one. In fact, I think they are what make it such a joy to apply and gorgeous to wear, leaving my skin feeling baby smooth and with a soft-focus satiny finish.

How does the Il Makiage No Filter Poreless Base Smoothing Primer perform?

Now to the crux of my Il Makiage primer review: how does it actually perform? It’s impossible to say without feeling like you’re straying into marketing lingo territory, but it really does feel like a second skin. Or, more specifically, it feels exactly how I wish my skin felt naturally. It’s lovely and light, not at all heavy and cossetting. It also doesn’t dry down too much, so it’s easy to distribute and you don’t get any uncomfortable tightness as it sets. I also think that this is one of the reasons why it works so nicely with foundation, as they merge together as you blend your base over the top instead of sitting as two separate layers.

As for how it looks on the skin once applied, I’d describe the result as an airbrushed effect. My skin still looked like my skin, just smoother, with fine lines and pores less apparent and the shine from my T-zone dulled. It is mattifying, but not extremely so, so I didn’t end up with a complexion that looked flat or like the life had been zapped out of it. Most importantly, as the formula is transparent it will suit all skin tones with no ashiness or white cast. This also means you don’t have to follow it with your best foundation or best tinted moisturiser if you don’t want to. (If you’re not sure how to use a primer, it’s always the first step in your makeup routine.)

For me, the main job of primer is to improve a foundation's staying power, so obviously this Il Makiage primer review had to assess this. I take my skincare pretty seriously and am well aware of what has to be done for foundation to sit nicely on the skin and stay put. Ideally, you'll use one of the best facial exfoliators (an acid or a scrub) at least semi-regularly to remove old cells from the skin's surface. Before applying makeup, you'll also have applied products like hyaluronic acid serum, your best face moisturiser and, most importantly, your best facial sunscreen, meaning you're working with a smooth and well-nourished canvas. However, no matter how diligent I am with my skincare routine, I still find that if I wear foundation without primer my skin either drinks it all in or it slips and slides around my face through the day – neither of which are ideal.

Fortunately, this primer is particularly great at improving the wear of your foundation in two ways. Firstly, although it doesn’t feel tacky or sticky, it still manages to hold my base in place. This is especially handy when it’s hot; it has stopped my makeup from descending into soup on more than one occasion. The second is its mattifying and smoothing effects. No Filter Poreless Base Smoothing Primer works like Polyfilla on pores and fine lines, preventing foundation from creeping into them and making them more noticeable while simultaneously preventing the oils in my skin from disrupting and moving my makeup. Genius.

How does the Il Makiage No Filter Poreless Base Smoothing Primer compare?

Texture-wise, this is very much a smoothing and mattifying kind of primer. It doesn't have the stickiness of formulas like Milk Makeup's Hyrdo Grip primer, or the similar but cheaper e.l.f. Power Grip, but still increases the longevity of makeup; I’ve done a direct comparison for the purpose of this Il Makiage primer review, and my usual foundation stays put for considerably longer when I apply this first.

Price-wise, at £42 it's definitely up there with more premium makeup, but my first tube (I’ve got through one and a half so far) lasted for a reasonable amount of time with everyday use. However, if you end up becoming a die-hard fan, there is an option to subscribe to deliveries every four months; this is not only convenient – no one wants to be caught out realising that pump was their last – but also makes each bottle a bit cheaper at £37.80.

Il Makiage No Filter Poreless Base Smoothing Primer: My verdict

Overall, it’s fair to say that my Il Makiage primer review is pretty glowing; I think the No Filter Poreless Base Smoothing Primer is brilliant. On my oily-combination complexion, it works wonders to smooth skin and keep shine at bay, and feels like the grown-up version of the very chalky, super matte primers I used to buy for the same reasons as a teen.

It is worth noting that works for me won’t work for everyone, though, and If your skin is lacking in oil then this probably won’t be the primer for you. In these instances, I’d recommend trying one of the best primers for dry skin instead. But all-in-all, if your goal is smoother-looking skin and a longer-lasting foundation, then this primer is well worth a try.

• Il Makiage No Filter Poreless Base Smoothing Primer for £36 at Il Makiage