E.l.f. Cosmetics Poreless Putty Primer – Does It Work?

e.l.f. Cosmetics is undoubtedly one of my favourite budget beauty brands, so when I heard that they had released a primer promising poreless perfection that only cost $8 (and instantly sold out upon release) I couldn’t resist! This primer promises to hide pores while keeping skin smooth and hydrated. But does the e.l.f. Poreless Putty Primer live up to the hype? I’ll share my thoughts on this tub of putty in this review.

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e.lf. Poreless Putty’s Claims

The Poreless Putty Primer is infused with squalene to hydrate the skin and promises to grip onto your makeup for all day wear while protecting skin from moisture loss. Its “velvety” texture is supposed to make skin look smoother and more poreless and it’s recommended for all skin types. It’s also fragrance free, vegan and cruelty free.

Poreless Putty has also been praised by many to be a dupe to the high end Silk Canvas Primer from luxury beauty brand Tatcha.

RELATED READING: The Best Drugstore Makeup Dupes To Rival High End

 

 

 

 

 

 

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How much #PorelessPuttyPrimer do you use? ✨ #elfingamazing #elfcosmetics #crueltyfree #vegan

A post shared by e.l.f. Cosmetics (@elfcosmetics) on Sep 15, 2019 at 4:01pm PDT

 

How I Apply e.l.f.’s Poreless Putty

I apply this primer in light, patting motions using my fingers to really press the product into my skin.

Tip: If you massage a primer into the skin with too much pressure, it will thin out the primer and reduce the pore filling/smoothing effect. Gently push primer into the skin instead.

The consistency is similar to a balm that spreads easily and evenly onto the skin and is in no way thick or heavy like most pore filling primers out there. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come with a spatula, so you’ll have to scrape a bit out with another tool or dip your fingers into it.

I’ve also tried applying this primer with my Sigma flat kabuki foundation brush and then stippling and spreading on, which also worked really well. 

RELATED READING: How To Apply Primer To Minimize Pores

Does e.l.f. Poreless Putty Work?

The million dollar question…Poreless Putty is easy to apply and has a slightly tacky finish. I find it great for blurring my shallower pores, but I need to apply another light layer of it to fill the deeper pores on and around my nose. Again, pressing the putty into these larger pores with my fingers helps.

I can use Poreless Putty under liquid or cream foundations without any issue. My makeup grips well onto this primer and applies smoothly, with no weird pilling or caking. It really does help to minimize shallow pores and helps my foundation apply smoothly onto my trickier areas (top of the nose, between my eyebrows and my chin).

Poreless Putty also delivers on its hydrating promise; I had to stop using it during the hot summer months, as it was a bit too hydrating for my skin, which tends to get a bit oily. But when the weather gets a bit colder, it definitely helps to add some moisture.

NOTE: e.l.f has also released a Luminous Putty Primer and a Matte Putty Primer to this range!

BUY PORELESS PUTTY: TARGET | ULTA | AMAZON

Have deeper pores that need minimizing? You might want to read my review on the NYX Pore Filler Primer, one of my fave pore filling primers!

 

Overall, if you are looking for a drugstore primer that hydrates, smooths and slightly blurs imperfections, e.l.f.’s Poreless Putty Primer might be for you – unless you’re super oily, in which case it would probably be too hydrating!