I have high expectations when it comes to Deciem products. I am currently loving their brand The Ordinary although their Coverage Foundation left me a bit hanging. But it was only one product. I am open to trying out more.
HYALURONIC ACID THAT BLURS
Skin. In Softer Focus.
We have done something really special. It sounds like other things but it is very different. In fact, there is nothing like it.
Blurring products promise to scatter light in many directions to hide pores and lines and create a retouched skin finish. There are two types of blurring products on the market: the ones that really work well but don’t get along with makeup well (and also aren’t suitable for normal to dry skin) and then there are the blurring products that don’t work so well but they are compatible with makeup and all skin types (we call such products mediocre—they make everyone happy but no one super happy).
Instead of relying on older silica technologies, HA Blur uses an unusual new form of Hyaluronic Acid powder base for its blurring approach. Hyaluronic Acid has never been used for this purpose before and renders HA Blur compatible with all makeup and all skin types, while the blurring effect is exceptional. In fact, it’s so compatible with makeup that you can apply under or over foundation, or mix it with any liquid foundation for an ultra-high-definition skin finish.
The HA Blur comes in a pretty pink and white squeezable 30-ml tube smelling remotely like a fruit. The scent is pretty subtle and I’ve only noticed it when I sniffed the product straight from the tube but once on the skin, it didn’t bother my nose. The primer has a velvet-y texture that applies smoothly on bare skin.
I don’t know why Deciem would approve its use over foundation (says so on the directions) because it has never worked for me. My foundation just pills up particularly on the sides and on the top of my nose. Really where my pores need them the most. But it works okay when mixed with any liquid foundation, more so when I apply it before the foundation, just like I would with any primer.
As promised, it did blur my pores (when worn under makeup and mixed with foundation) and made my makeup last longer throughout the day. It also made me less oily and I found myself looking not as shiny as before at the end of the day.
But when I had applied it under my foundation, I started getting small comedones on my forehead and cheeks. New ones would appear out of nowhere within days of using it. And those comedones further grew into bigger and redder nodules on my forehead. I had to take drastic measures to tame them down fast. First thing I did was stop using it. After a few days, I used it again to see if it was causing the breakout. It is indeed the cuplrit.
One of the reasons I bought this is because Deciem says it doesn’t have any silicones.
Edited: I apologize to my readers. Deciem never made any silicone-free claims for this product. It was purely my fault. I jumped into this product thinking it did not have any silicones in it. In my excitement, I had overlooked the small ‘x’ below the ‘silicone-free’ claim before buying it. I also had not checked the full ingredients list on the Deciem website. If I had been more careful, I would have not bought this product knowing my skin is sensitive to some of its ingredients.
(Edited 2022) I’m not sure why Deciem now claims that this is water-free on the current product page. I still see water as part of its ingredient list; it’s the 2nd ingredient. The claims also now say that this is ‘not’ alcohol-free and oil-free. You can see the difference in their claims from the screen grab I did from 2017 (above) and the current one below.
But when you read the full ingredients list, you’ll see this.
The active ingredients are mostly SILICONES. Yeah, that’s when the fun for makeup stops for me. I had a big “Uh-oh” moment when I saw the side of the box. FYI, I am very SENSITIVE to silicones. Especially ones that are listed as active ingredients. I should’ve done my homework and read more reviews of it (not PR gifted ones). But when I found out it won Best Primer at Best Beauty by Stylist Awards, I forgot about looking through the ingredients and ordered it. I didn’t find out about the silicones until I got it in the mail and even then, I hoped with all of my makeup addict heart that it wouldn’t break me out. Sadly though, it did and the bitter truth of it is I can never use it again. I am terribly disappointed in this primer. (Cue in breakup song.) I’ve read PR-provided reviews for this saying how it didn’t have any silicones though. (Edited: Like I mentioned earlier in my edits, I wish I had been more careful with this purchase.)
A tube costs $24 but I got it when Deciem decided to slash off 50% of the price because of the award. I know a lot of people love this but it’s not for me and it’s not going to be the best primer for silicone-sensitive skin. If you’re like me, then don’t even bother with trying this out. But if you can tolerate silicones and you’ve got an oily skin and issues with your pores, then this might be for you.
XOXO
NIKKI P.
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I enjoyedd your review, but I was thoroughly confused by your expectation that the product would be silicone-free based on the info you showed here.
The infographic from Deciem posted here actually indicates clearly that this primer is not silicone-free. It shows the qualities the product does have with check marks, such as those under “oil-free, “alcohol-free,” etc., and shows the qualities the product doesn’t have with Xs, such as those under “water-free” and “silicone-free,” which obviously means it does have water and silicones, as we see listed in the ingredients.
I also see nothing in the product blurb posted here that claims it’s silicone-free, although I can understand why the part about not “relying on older silica technologies” might have made you think that. They only said they didn’t rely on silica for the blurring effect, not that they left it entirely out of the product.
Anyway, sorry it didn’t work out for you. I know how disappointing that can be. I especially appreciated that you tried it out all the different ways they listed, since some primers are quite tricky to use with makeup. Hope you found a better alternative!
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Hi Christie, thank you! I keep forgetting to correct this post but your comment reminded me. This is a major lapse on my end; I remember being so excited to try it out that I overlooked the ‘x’ on the silicone-free part on the product page of Deciem. I apologize for that but thank you so much! You’re the best! Have a great week ahead! 🙂 ❤
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