Benefit That Gal Primer

Benefit has a special place in my heart since I discovered Benetint as an awkward early-teen. From that time, Benefit products have scored quite a few of my splurges. Did 'That Gal' primer meet the bar set high?
DISCLAIMER: The product reviewed in the post has been "sponsored" by a friend of mine - Fatima :-P The opinion expressed is an honest amalgamation of our experience using the product.

A little background - Not too long ago, my friend was searching for a face product that would brighten her NC 20-25 complexion up while blurring the pores. Since she doesn't feel comfortable wearing anything (foundation/bb cream/moisturizer/mask) on her skin, it was a tough job narrowing it down to That Gal primer from Benefit.

Delayed shipment from Benefit US did put a little dent in our experience when the Beauty Unleashed's order got lost somewhere in the transit. None of the store's fault, of course. They did offer amazingly best prices for Benefit products. Benefit replaced it with a new dispatch that landed "That Gal" in our hands.

"That Gal" brightening face primer full-size (11 ml for $29) comes in a plastic twist-up packaging which is cute and travel-friendly. It can be carried in your makeup bag with the cap firmly in place and there will be no code: Mayday. You can dispense the required amount of product on your hand by twisting the base (thingy?) and apply + blend on your face using fingertips. I suggest that you twist up small amounts because there's no way you can put any excess back in.

The product itself has pale pink lotion-like consistency except that it feels way lighter on the skin. The swatch was underwhelming. I expected some sort of glimmering or luminizing particles to perk up the skin like Benefit's "Girl Meets Pearl" - which doubles as a highlighter for me as well as mixed with the moisturizer/foundation for dewy finish. 

Once blended, it blurs the pores and imperfections ever-so-slightly. It is not as moisturizing as I once thought. You will need to wear moisturizer separately for better results. Does it take your complexion from "Dull to Darling" as claimed by Benefit? 

No. Not at all.

My skin has warm undertones. Over my face, the brightening primer brings a minor airbrushing effect. Something I can achieve at fraction of a price. I've worn it under my bb cream and foundation. It didn't do anything significant for keeping makeup longer or keeping the oils at bay. Underwhelming.

For cooler undertones of my friend's skin, this does a little brightening and moderate blurring. She regularly wears the primer over the moisturizer while highlighting cheeks with e.l.f. shimmering facial whip. The trio results in even, dewy skin - but the primer alone is not effective enough or even worth the splurge. There are better Benefit products out there to 'make it rain' on. :-)

Benefit "That Gal" Brightening Primer is available for $29 at the website (which ships internationally to Pakistan). You can order yours through Facebook stores. I ordered mine via Beauty Unleashed