Becca First Light Priming Filter

Let’s try out a high end primer for a change shall we? Usually I swear by drugstore primers. They are a product I go through quickly and I do not see much of a difference between my more high end and more affordable primers. For instance, one of my favorites is the Catrice Fresh It Up primer which I feel is a dupe for a much more expensive Smashbox version. So I hadn’t tried a high end primer since then. Time to change that by having a closer look at the Becca First Light Priming Filter.

Becca First Light Priming Filter // Review, Swatch, Makeup Look

Leave it up to Becca to never give their products a straightforward name. Primers are priming filters. Highlighters are Shimmering Skin Perfectors. Oh well… In any case, this is a primer: a hydrating one at that. It retails for €35.37 for 30 mls of product. That makes this the most expensive primer I have ever tried. But I wanted to, because many people rave about the First Light and Back Light Priming Filters. And after giving both a swatch, I went with the lavender toned First Light Priming Filter which I have been trying out for a few weeks now.

The Packaging

You know you are trying a high end primer because the packaging certainly feels like it. This comes in a heavy glass bottle and is equipped with a sturdy pump. It works well altogether and you get a good look at the product inside. That is something I appreciate as it is easy to see how much you have left. This is also available in a smaller 15 mls travel size which is a squeezy tube. I appreciate that they changed the packaging because this is quite heavy and could easily break in a makeup bag.

The Primer

When you first look at this primer, it looks quite scary. Because yes, it is purple and that is the shade of the product and not just the glass bottle. So that is a bit unexpected, but in terms of what this primer promises to do, it does make sense. This primer should not only hydrate, but also help with fine lines, dullness, puffiness and fatigue. In short, it should refresh your skin and the lavender shade is perfect for that as lavender is often used as a color correcting shade to make the skin look more radiant. Since my skin is mainly dry and can use all the hydration is can possibly get, I felt this would be a good pick for me.

The Swatch

As you can see the product itself is purple, but once blended into the skin, this color disappears. When you start blending this in, it almost looks wet and that means this is a super hydrating product. A downside to this is that it takes me 2 pumps of product to cover my full face. That means that I need quite a lot to make this work and for such an expensive product, that means you use it up quickly. After applying this, this looks virtually undetectable on the skin. What you’re left with is a well-hydrated skin that makes for a great base for applying the rest of your makeup.

The Application

I just wanted to show you for a minute what this product looks like going on. I like dotting this around my face and then using a brush to blend it into the skin. Perhaps you can use fingers too, but since this is very liquidy I prefer a brush as it gives me a lot more control over where the product goes. All it takes is a thin layer and I feel that it not only hydrates my skin, but also makes my makeup last longer.

The Effect

With a primer like this, you may wonder: does it have a visible effect? I would say yes and no. You can see the effect for yourself in the two pictures above with the before picture being on the left and the after on the right. This is NOT the kind of primer that leaves a slip or tacky base to your skin. This primer also doesn’t do anything in terms of minimizing pores. But that is not what I am looking for. After using this, I feel my skin looks more radiant without an exaggerated glow. My skin looks more plumped and the lavender shade does a minimal amount of color correcting: I feel my skin looks slightly less red and a bit more even in the picture on the right.

My Final Thoughts

The Becca First Light Priming Filter is a good primer. But is it worth the money? It does everything I need a primer to do, but in terms of texture and what this does I don’t think it is wholly unique. Yes it is lightweight and therefore blends easily, but it also means I need quite a bit of product. In terms of hydrating I love the Catrice Fresh It Up primer just as much. So I wouldn’t repurchase this primer as it is just a bit too expensive for what this brings me.

What is your favorite high end primer?