Everyone and their mother are coming out with hemp collections, just everyone. It's in skincare, in bodycare, in haircare and now we even have it in makeup!
The Bell Cosmetics Anti Smog Primer is one of the items in their hemp inflused collection. It's a hypoallergenic, vegan, anti-pollution primer. The formula moisturizes the skin and improves firmness. It also creates a barrier on the skin thanks to sea algae extract which protects the skin from pollution and harmfull outside factors. It retails for about 200 Crowns and I got it at Rossmann.
The primer contains hemp seed extract, red seaweed, marine minerals and aloe leaf juice. It doesn't have any silicones in the formula which I also like. It has a slight green tint to it and it's a gel formula. It's spreading out very nicely and doesn't have the silicone feel to it but it's still making the skin very smooth. It's stays a little tacky after application but it also feels nice and moisturizing. It comes in a seethrough plastic bottle with a pump. You get 30ml of product.
Wear test
I used this primer with one of my favorite foundation to see how it performs. The primer applies smoothly, I used about 3-4 pumps as my face is quite big. I let it sink in for a bit and applied the foundation on top with my IT Cosmetics foundation brush. Everything went on really smooth and I didn't notice any skipping or problems with blending at all.
The primer feels very moisturizing on the skin and it almost creates a film over the face but not in a gross oily or greasy way. It's very interesting feeling but once it sinks into your skin it feels just like a nice moisturizing primer.
List of used products
e.l.f. Poreless Putty Primer
Bell Cosmetics Anti Smog Primer
Physicians Formula Healthy Foundation, shade LN3
Maybelline Instant Anti-age Eraser Multi-use Concealer, shade 00 Ivory
Maybelline Fit Me! Loose Finishing Powder, shade 05 Fair
Huda Beauty Tantour, shade Light
Honest Beauty Creme Cheek Blush, shade Peony Pink
Lime Crime Bushy Brow Precision Pen, shade Dirty Blonde
NYX Control Freak Brow Gel, shade Clear
XX Revolution Eye FiXX, shade Basic
ABH Norvina Mini Pro Pigment Palette Vol. 1
Essence Easy Brush Liner
L'Oreal air Volume Mega Mascara, shade Black
Maybelline Tattoo Liner Gel Pencil, shade 942 Rich Berry
Fenty Beauty Vivid Liquid Eyeliner, shade Wet Tshirt
Essence Bloom Baby, Bloom Baked Highlighter, shade 02 Rose & Shine!
Rival Loves Me Pastel Breeze Cucumber Setting Spray
Sephora Cream Lip Stain, shade 13 Marvelous Mauve
Wear time 11.5 hours
I would say that my foundation looks pretty decent. There are patches where it's gone like where my glasses touch my nose but ignoring that it doesn't look that bad. I would say that the foundation was budging less between my eyebrows than usual which might be caused by better hydration of the area. Usually my foundation starts to act weird once my skin gets dry and the foundation is forced to separate and starts to budge as my face moves.
Overall, I would say that my skin feels pretty hydrated even after 11.5 hours of wearing makeup and overall the look of the foundation is similar to when I use other moisturizing primers, maybe slightly better. My cheeks are usually pretty dry at the end of the day and they don't feel like that now, so I would say that the moisture from this primer really lasts longer than it does with my other primers. The consistency is also thicker than most primers I have so this also might be the cause.
Final thoughts
Overall I would say it's a nice primer but I wouldn't call it a must-have. It's very moisturizing so maybe if you have dry skin it would be a nice primer for you. I would say it hydrates my skin better and for longer time than many thin, watery hydrating primers I own. And that makes perfect sense.
Everything applied well on top of it, it prevented my foundation from separating and my face didn't feel too dry at the end of the dat which I like a lot. So I think if you struggle with dry skin and foundation drying out your face, this might be a great primer to try. I don't think I have many dupes for this one in my collection. If I had to I would compare it to the Dermacol Coco Splash Primer which is one of my favorites. This one might be even more hydrating than that one though. I am also a great fan of the texture and the slight tackiness of the primer. I think they did a nice job with the formulation. The price isn't too bad either and I believe it's a limited edition so snatch it while you can if you're looking for a very moisturizing primer.
Have you tried any good drugstore primers recently? Let me know in the comments and thanks for reading!