Holy Grail: Witch Anti Blemish Skin Clearing Primer

With a nose that's the oiliest thing south of the North Sea Floor, it isn't difficult to understand why I need a primer to keep my foundation in place. I've tried all sorts from budget and expensive brands, and while some offered specific benefits such as filling in pores or making my skin look more radiant, none of them have been able to combat oil and increase the wear time of my foundation. After a few hours, my makeup starts to separate, look cakey and patchy, and even bases created for oily skin only give me an extra hour or two of wear.

It was on a bit of a whim that I decided to try the Witch Skin Clearing Primer, which contains antibacterial Witch Hazel and promises to hydrate while drawing away excess oils. The 30ml primer is contained in an airless pump bottle and applies to the skin like a thick white moisturiser. It feels hydrating but doesn't give any shine, nor does it have that powdery slip that silicone primers have. I apply half a pump to my face, concentrating on the T Zone and using extra on my nose and centre of my cheeks where I have the most trouble with oil. This primer creates a very cooling feeling while it dries, which is strange but I imagine would be a great feeling for the summer months.

After trying so many primers, I have no doubt that I've now found my holy grail- my foundation stays well in place for 8 hours, and even after 12 hours I'm still looking presentable. I need to blot or re-powder in the afternoons, but my skin just looks dewy and shiny rather than a patchy mess of oil and pores, which to me sometimes seems like a miracle. Even though I have oily skin, primers can often dry other parts of my skin out, but I've had no such problems with the Witch primer, which I'm also very pleased about. The only way in which the product is slightly let down is that it doesn't mask large pores all that well but, in light of how well it works to enhance the longevity of my make up, I'm not really all that bothered. 
The Witch Skin Clearing Primer claims that it prevents blemishes by protecting skin from make up and I haven't seen a huge difference in the amount of new blemishes, but have noticed that my skin is slightly less congested after lots of long days wearing foundation. As long as my primer doesn't actually cause blemishes like silicones ones do for me, then it's not a huge loss for me that it doesn't prevent them from other causes.

The Skin Clearing Primer is £6.99, which is a steal compared to others and I'd be happy to pay twice that for a product that works so well for me. As long as I powder after foundation application, this primer keeps my make up on for hours.