Two of beauty’s biggest makeup names made primer the headline of their 2017 launches. Urban Decay revamped and expanded its face primer range, and Nars released three new primers in fresher packaging.
The timing mattered. Primers had long been a quiet step in the routine, and both brands gave them a proper moment.
Urban Decay’s skin-first spring
Urban Decay is known for colour, yet its spring 2017 collection had no makeup in it. The collection focused on how to prep and treat skin before makeup application.
The new complexion primers were each aimed at a different concern. The range included:
- De-Slick, for shine control.
- Self-Adjusting. Micro-encapsulated beads of pigment burst on the skin and adapt to the skin tone as you apply. The formula fills in fine lines, minimises pores and controls shine.
- Optical Illusion. It has a slight pink tint to illuminate skin before makeup, then dries to a translucent, matte finish. It creates an optical veil of scattered light, giving a soft-focus effect.
- Urban Defense. This crystal-clear primer carries SPF 30 and is invisible on the skin.
Optical Illusion’s formula also includes oils. It blends argan, rosehip and meadowfoam seed oils for moisturising and antioxidant benefits, with vitamin E to condition. In the brand’s clinical study, 90% of participants saw reduced pore visibility immediately after use, and 81% saw a visible reduction in fine lines and blemishes.
Reviewers did not agree on the textures. One found Optical Illusion too thick and rich for her skin. Another said Self-Adjusting mattified her skin for up to three hours and improved foundation wear. Texture clearly depended on skin type.
Nars adds three to a skincare-minded line
Nars was already known for skin-specific primers, such as the pore refining and light optimising formulas. In 2017 it added three new types. They could be worn alone or mixed together to create a canvas for makeup. The US launch date was 1 January 2017, at Nars retailers and on its website.
- Pore & Shine Control Primer. It was meant for oily and combination skin, to minimise pores and control shine.
- Smooth & Protect, which carried SPF 50.
- A radiance primer. It had a pearlescent finish for warm, fresh, radiant skin, with SPF 35 protection.
The primers were priced at £27 or US$33 in 2017. The brand’s aim was to boost, mattify or smooth, so the three formulas covered the main things a primer is asked to do.
Packaging and what came next
The original verdict on looks was that both brands had improved. Nars moved to sleeker, brighter packaging. Urban Decay’s solid clear tubes and hygienic airless pumps won a slight edge, because an airless pump lets you use nearly all the product.
Nars has since kept to the same idea of a makeup-skincare hybrid. One later Nars primer, Light Reflecting Hydrating Primer, is described by a major US retailer as infused with 93% skincare ingredients to improve skin’s texture, reduce the look of fine lines and boost brightness over time. Urban Decay’s own site has carried Optical Illusion with its clinical-study claims, so the range’s blurring formulas outlasted the launch.
The two launches show how the category was changing. Urban Decay moved towards skincare, and Nars, a brand with a skincare arm, simplified its primers around clear jobs.