Colourpop Pretty Fresh primer review

The Colourpop Pretty Fresh line has been quite successful for me. More so than their No Filter products. So far I have tried their Pretty Fresh Tinted Moisturizer, Concealer and Foundation and fared quite well with each of them. If you know anything about my skin then this may be no surprise to you: I have dry skin and the Pretty Fresh line is Colourpop’s more hydrating line of base products. So having tried those other products I was curious to find out if I’d like the primer in the same range as much as the other products.

Review: Colourpop Pretty Fresh Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid primer

Colourpop is of course known for being an affordable brand. However, I stress this every time I review one of their products as I feel I cannot repeat this message enough: it does depend on your location just how affordable exactly the brand is. If you’re in the US, then this is far easier to get a hold of. If you’re in Europe or any other continent for that matter, Colourpop can be expensive to get as you have to incorporate the shipping and handling fees that will be added to your total. Overall however, this primer retails for $12 which is quite affordable for a primer, but it is not the most affordable primer I ever tried.

What does this primer have to offer?

The Pretty Fresh line boasts being infused with hyaluronic acid. This is an ingredient that is known for its hydrating properties. I have had mixed experiences with hyaluronic acid in different products. Depending on the overall formulation, I can really like it or dislike it. In some skincare products I actually felt like it had a drying rather than a hydrating effect on my skin and that’s because hyaluronic acid can at times subtract moisture from the skin. With makeup products infused with hyaluronic acid I have not had that same issue and I usually find them very pleasant on the skin.

What is the packaging like?

I wanted to make a point of mentioning the packaging separately for this one. As with some other Colourpop products I have tried, I find the packaging to be a bit cheaply made. It looks very pretty but the plastic feels flimsy and while this has a pump it does feel like it might just break off at any moment. If you are a bit hard-handed or if you travel a lot and you are continuously throwing this into a makeup bag, then this product may not last very long. You do get 30 mls of product though which is the standard size for any primer.

What does the primer swatch like?

The Colourpop Pretty Fresh primer has a very lovely texture. It feels a bit bouncy, like a jelly but it still has a liquid formula. It also has a nice scent: it smells subtly of something zesty like citrus fruit but it is never overpowering. It blends out easily and evenly. What I do find a bit of a meh fact about this is how much I need: I feel I need two pumps every time I use this. Why? Because this products sinks in so quickly that if you only use one pump the product doesn’t get to your entire face.

What does the primer look like on the face?

As far as primers go, this isn’t one that shows a huge difference in the before and after. It doesn’t have any evening out properties, nor does it really make my skin look any more glowy or radiant. Any difference you can see is the redness in my face from rubbing in the product. It mainly just feels nice on the skin: like you just applied moisturizer. Under makeup it sits well and you can quickly blend your foundation on top. Of course it’s great if a primer can make you makeup last well throughout the day and I feel this primer delivers on that point as well.

My final thoughts

In line with the other products in the Colourpop Pretty Fresh line I feel the Pretty Fresh primer is a good one for the price point. It just does what I want a primer to do but it didn’t wow me. I have tried other primers that are more expensive like the Milk Makeup Hydrogrip and more affordable like the Catrice Fresh It Up that I like much better as they truly deliver something more unique to my primer game. This is a good run of the mill primer, but not one that will make a lasting impression to the point where I will miss it once it runs out.

Would I recommend the Colourpop Pretty Fresh primer?

I would say that this is a good, bog standard hydrating primer that gets the job done. However, if I combine the price point with the amount of product you get and how much I use every time, I am not sure I would say this is worth it in the end: I have already used up half the bottle after just a few weeks of use. So this can get quite expensive if you factor in all the parameters. That said, this is a good product and there are definitely many more expensive primers on the market that work equally well.

What is your favorite affordable primer?