Inika Review: Pure Primer, Natural Perfection Concealer in Medium & Mineral Foundation in Patience

I was first introduced to Inika's make-up via their mineral eyeshadows (reviews/swatches of those here and here) and had made a mental note to check out more of their range.  I was kindly sent these three products to try out, and thought that this post would serve as an ideal introduction to Inika's base range for those who are curious about this high-end, natural, vegan friendly brand.

 Inika Pure Primer Certified Organic (50ml, £29.50, link)*

A good quality primer is often an essential first step when applying make-up, but so many primers on the market are silicone based and can clog pores if worn on a regular basis.  I haven't had any problems with my current favourite, Benefit's The POREfessional, but it's not something I feel happy about wearing everyday because I'm always paranoid about breakouts, so I was excited to try this one out.  Inika's Pure Primer feels much more like a light moisturiser than a traditional primer and it has a subtle herbal-meets-fruity type of scent which I really like.  The pump applicator dispenses just the right amount of product needed for your whole face each time (and how slick is that gorgeous matte black packaging with gold script?!).  

When applied to the face, the primer soon sinks in and creates a nice surface for your make-up and hydrated my skin really well, so I didn't need to use a separate moisturiser beforehand.  I found it to have a bit of a 'tightening' effect at first, but this soon disappeared after it had sunk in.  Did it prolong my make-up?  I didn't see any difference longevity wise, but it did make my make-up go on much more smoothly. 

Inika Natural Perfection Concealer Certified Organic in Medium (15g, £21, link)*

I had very high hopes for this liquid concealer mainly based on the price (it's the most expensive concealer I've ever tried out so far), but I couldn't help but feel disappointed by it.  This concealer can be used to cover up blemishes, even out skin tone and has light reflective mineral pigments that help to conceal dark circles, but whilst I liked the shade, the formula let it down.  The consistency of the liquid is far too runny for my liking and requires a great deal of shaking before you use it to stop it coming out too watery.  It gives a very light coverage which I didn't think covered my blemishes adequately enough and under my eyes, it did nothing for my dark circles.  On top of that, the concealer soon disappeared within an hour of it being applied on my oily/combination skin.

I'd only recommend this concealer if you have dry skin and just require a very light amount of coverage, but I think most people will need more coverage than this offers.

Inika Mineral Foundation Powder in Patience with SPF 15 (8g, £27.50, link)* 

When it comes to foundation, I always prefer light-medium coverage ones and find that mineral foundations in particular offer this perfectly.  Inika's Mineral Foundation is finely milled and has some tiny light reflective particles in it that at first I thought looked way too shimmery, but don't really transfer onto the skin.  The powder is easy to work with and blends really well (I used my Real Techniques Buffing Brush) with the end result being a nice light coverage that makes you look like you have naturally great skin, but you will of course need to use a seperate concealer for any blemishes etc. 

The shade I chose to try out is called Patience which is described as being a 'warm beige for medium skin tones' but I would say it's perhaps more of a light beige in general.   For reference, it's definitely lighter than than my bareMinerals Foundation in Medium Beige.   

I do like this foundation and it's great for everyday wear, but I prefer my bareMinerals one over this, purely because BM gives me the option to build to a more medium coverage if I need it.  You can build with Inika's, but it can start to look a little cakey if you apply too much, so I'd recommend using a setting spray/mist like Liz Earle's Skin Tonic Spritzer or Caudalie's Beauty Elixir over the top to get rid of any powdery residue if you try that.  

Also I like BM more because of their genius Click & Go sifter packaging - I don't think I could take the Inika one travelling with me.

FOTD featuring all three Inika products reviewed above.  Excuse the frizzy hair, it's been so hot out today!

Summary

General Pros: Gorgeous luxe packaging, high quality natural and organic ingredients, suitable for vegans, cruelty and nasties free, great for those with sensitive skin and/or prone to breakouts.

General Cons: Wouldn't recommend concealer, foundation only really gives light coverage, primer didn't prolong my make-up wear time.

Have you tried anything from Inika?

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*PR samples