This $6 Priming Spray Actually Keeps My Makeup Smooth and My Face Oil-Free

For as long as I can remember, I have longed for the resiliently smooth, poreless perfection that YouTube beauty vloggers have gushed about after using makeup primer as a base for, well, everything else in their everyday makeup routines. Sadly, my experiences with creamy, promising-looking primers have resulted in nothing but a greasy-looking face before half the day is even over, leaving me to rely on blotting sheets to salvage my look until I returned home late at night. So I had just about given up on spending so much money on primers that suck. But with the Summer heat forcing my makeup to slide right off my face, I knew I needed to give primers one last fighting chance. And this time, I tried something a little different.

I came across ColourPop's Amethyst Crystal Makeup Priming Spray ($6) and, admittedly, I was drawn to the idea of a crystal-infused makeup product, aka my wildest beauty dream come to life. So I placed an order, and in less than a week, I was unboxing what would become the new beauty staple in my makeup bag.

Because I don't have the best aim in the entire world, I sprayed the first spritz almost right in my eye. Then I decided to just spritz some into my hands and rub it all over my face. It dried almost instantly, and I wasted no time in applying my foundation right over it. Since I have always been skeptical of primers, I didn't expect that this magical lavender liquid in a spray bottle would actually somehow keep my face matte and make my pores disappear under my makeup. In fact, I braced myself for trips to the bathroom during work to blot the excess oil off my nose.

I was certain that waiting around in the sweltering subways of New York City in the summertime would cause my face to turn into a greased frying pan despite the primer, but a quick glance at my compact mirror proved that my makeup was still very much oil-free and smooth as a baby's bottom. The latter is likely because of the honey extract used in the spray. How sweet!

Then came the ultimate test: I spent a full day at a conference in a cramped venue with 700 other high-energy girls running from panel to panel to snag a limited number of seats lest I stand for an hour in painful heels (yeah, it was that serious.) I applied the primer the same way, but I added an extra spritz to really make sure my makeup would last all day. By the end of the day, there were no signs of excess oil creeping out of my pores and through my foundation, and I didn't even have to blot once.

Since then, I've been dutifully applying this primer to my face whenever I know I want to keep my makeup looking flawless for a long time, and it has yet to fail me. While I probably won't dip my toe back into the world of cream and gel primers, I'm stocking up on this priming spray and keeping my fingers crossed the formula never changes.