Glow Recipe Strawberry BHA Pore Smooth Blur Drops ($32 for 30ml / 1 fl. oz.) is a combination product that can either be used as a step in your skincare routine or as a primer under foundation. It has salicylic acid in it to help keep pores clear and micro fine powders to help keep shine at bay. I liked the idea of being able to incorporate salicylic acid into my skincare route where I’m not using it at the same time as other products with ingredients that would interfere with each other. My intent was to mainly use it as a primer and get the skincare benefits at the same time.

What stands out:

• The twist off lid is on the bottom of the packaging so it stands upside down on its lid. This is fine except I can’t stand it up with the lid off. I find this kind of annoying.

• It has a thin consistency that dries down pretty quickly, so I find myself squeezing more product out 2-3 additional times to completely cover my face. It’s somewhat tricky to control how much comes out. I can see myself very quickly running through the contents of the bottle. It is not cost effective. 

• It leaves the skin with a mattified appearance and whatever makeup I put over it is noticeably more matte as well. The few times I tried it, it kept shine under control the entire day. I think this could be great in the middle of summer when I struggle with oilier skin but it almost seems too drying for the rest of the year.

• As a primer, I don’t find this very smoothing and it dries down so much that it makes foundation harder to apply over it. It hardly makes any difference in the look of texture/pores in the short term when used as a makeup product. 

• I don’t notice any smell or fragrance though fragrance is listed in the ingredients.

Was it worth the purchase?

No. I like the idea but it fell short. If it worked well as a primer, this could have been an excellent way to incorporate salicylic acid into my skincare routine without interfering with other actives. A similar type of primer is the Milk Makeup Pore Eclipse Primer, it is less drying and a bit more effective at smoothing the skin.