jane iredale – Smooth Affair® Brightening Face Primer Review

This top-selling primer from the OG clean beauty brand Jane Iredale sells one unit per minute globally.

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One of the Best Non-Comedogenic Brightening Primers in Clean Beauty

The Smooth Affair® Brightening Face Primer is the brand’s best-selling primer, selling one unit per minute worldwide.

It’s part of Jane Iredale’s recently relaunched primer collection that aligns with their cruelty-free, clean beauty cosmetics.

Both makeup and skincare, this high-performance primer nourishes and smooths to bring out your skin’s natural radiance.

It also has organic, anti-aging ingredients that protect and maintain elasticity to keep your skin firm and tight.

It’s a great multi-tasking step to add to your makeup routine.

This face primer also helps your foundation glide on seamlessly and make it last though out the day.

It also claims to minimize the appearance of pores and fine lines, but I find this one, in particular, doesn’t do much for my large pores.

I have combination skin and prefer to use the Smooth Affair® Oily Skin Face Primer on my T-zone. That primer addresses large pores much better.

I use the Smooth Affair® Brightening Face Primer for the rest of my face.

This brightening primer is for normal to dull, dry skin. It gives a dewy finish that doesn’t look heavy or oily.

Overall, it’s a fantastic non-comedogenic brightening primer for those looking for clean, non-toxic formulas that are good for the skin as they are beautiful to wear.

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Overview: jane iredale – Smooth Affair® Brightening Face Primer

BEST SKIN CARE MAKE UP | JANE IREDALE

Verdict: One of the Best Non-Comedogenic Brightening Primers in Clean Beauty

Best for: All skin types, especially aging & dull, dry skin

Brand & Product Line: Jane Iredale, “The Skincare Makeup”; Smooth Affair® Primers

Type: Illuminating + Hydrating + Anti-aging face primer

Formulation Base: Water-based primer

Color: Translucent white

Consistency: Silky, Invigorating, and Lightweight with a lotion-like consistency, Blends out almost like a moisturizer

Finish: Bright, Dewy

Clean Beauty: Vegan & wheat-free. All Jane Iredale products are formulated without talc, mineral oil, synthetic preservatives, synthetic fragrances, parabens, phthalates, and artificial dyes.

Safety Studies: Non-comedogenic, does not clog pores. Dermatologist-tested. Sensitivity- and Allergy- tested.

Cruelty-free: Yes

KEY BENEFITS:

  • Nourishes your skin to prepare it for makeup
  • Brightens your complexion to give dull skin a natural, radiant glow
  • Prevents moisture loss to keep your skin hydrated
  • Helps your foundation go on smoothly and makes it last longer
  • Minimizes the appearance of pores and wrinkles
  • Has anti-aging properties and antioxidants to help with your skin’s elasticity and firmness

CONS:

  • Some botanical ingredients can irritate sensitized skin. If you have a compromised skin barrier, re-balance it with a pared-down skincare routine (just a basic cleanser and moisturizer) for a few weeks before adding anything new.
  • It smoothes skin very well but is not as effective on large pores, especially in the T-zone. The Smooth Affair® Oily Skin Face Primer is a much better option if you have large pores.
  • For those who don’t like scents in their products, note that this one has a light citrus smell. It’s naturally occurring as a by-product of using organic ingredients, but it’s not a strong fragrance.
  • I don’t recommend this for oily skin as it can make you look greasy and even emphasize imperfections. Opt for the Smooth Affair® Oily Skin Face Primer or Smooth Affair® Mattifying Face Primer.
  • The new container is now white, which tends to stain from some of the residues. Make sure to wipe clean before putting it in your makeup bag.

Product Review: Packaging, Formulation, Results, Makeup-Artist Tips

Video: Jane Iredale GLOW TIME BB Cream + Smooth Affair Primer on Mature Skin

Packaging, Size, and Versions:

The original versions of the Smooth Affair® primers came in luxurious gold colors.

These new editions are more modern and minimalist, using fresh, sustainable packaging.

With this redesign, I assume they’re trying to reflect the brand’s roots in clean beauty and target a younger demographic.

All their face primers come in a one-size 50ml / 1.7 fl. Oz, which is the standard sizing.

You only use a pea-sized amount each time, so a bottle can last you a long while.

Product Formulation & Results:

The formula remains the same, despite the new packaging.

The Smooth Affair® Brightening Face Primer has an amazing texture with a lotion-like consistency that blends out like a moisturizer.

It feels very light and fresh on the skin.

It’s not heavy or tacky on application, but you only need to put on very little to reap the benefits.

If you put on too much, you WILL feel it as it settles on your skin. I’ve had to wipe some of it off, as it felt substantial on my face even before my foundation came on.

However, the right amount makes your skin look dewy and bright without making it greasy or leaving a sticky film like other primers.

Note that it does contain dimethicone for those who are allergic to it. If you know the feeling of silicone, you can feel the slip of it as you pat it in.

Texturally speaking, it does smooth out the surface of my skin and makes fine lines less noticeable.

However, this made a marginal difference in the pores on my T-zone.

I have huge pores here, and, to be fair, they have another primer made specifically for large pores: the Smooth Affair® Oily Skin Face Primer.

The smaller pores on my cheeks and fine lines are blurred effectively, though.

The most noticeable difference is how every foundation looks its best over this primer.

This company stands on the quality of its mineral makeup, so it makes sense that I like it most under mineral foundations.

Pressed powders go on very nicely as well. Its skin-loving ingredients hydrate so well that the powder does not sink into your wrinkles and prevents it from being too cakey.

Before and After, Courtesy of Jane Iredale
Before and After, Courtesy of Jane Iredale

The formula also provides the slip crucial to setting powder foundations without streaking.

There’s very little wonder why this is a best-seller.

Note that this goes on translucent and offers no additional coverage. You can blend it with liquid foundations or bb creams if you want sheer coverage.

Overall, the Smooth Affair® Brightening Face Primer smooths out imperfections and creates a very natural-looking and radiant base.

One surprising result is that it helps conceal any redness from rosacea. It works well with my topical medications, and I recommend it to anyone with similar problems.

There is a bit of a citrusy smell upon application, but it doesn’t stay long.

This scent comes naturally from the infused botanical ingredients, as no synthetic fragrances are included.

If you’re fond of aromas in your products and find them stress-relieving, this is good news.

Key Ingredients:

  • Apple extract – soothing antioxidant that helps maintain elasticity to keep it firm and tight, malic acid gently exfoliates the skin
  • Grapefruit extract – promotes luminosity and skin radiance
  • Green and White Tea Leaf extracts, Algae extract – anti-aging, help to firm the skin
  • Aloe Leaf Juice, Royal Jelly – calms inflammation, and helps hydrate and protect the skin
  • Coconut Alkanes – non-greasy, skin nourishing emollient, gives you that slip and glide, very cooling
  • Olive Leaf extract, Honeysuckle extract

This primer is sensitive- and allergy-tested, so there shouldn’t be any problems with irritation.

There are still botanical ingredients, so it can still irritate some, especially those with sensitized skin.

If you think you have damaged or sensitized skin, it’s best to strip your skincare to just the following until you’ve re-balanced your skin:

  1. a gentle cleanser (e.g. Dermalogica Ultracalming Cleanser – Gentle Non-Foaming Face Wash for Sensitive Skin) and
  2. a skin-repairing moisturizer (e.g. Physiogel Daily Moisture Therapy Face Lotion or Eau Thermale Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream)

Make-up Artist Tips:

  • A pea-sized amount is all you need. Apply with your fingers for easier absorption.
  • You can mix this with any liquid foundation for sheer coverage.
  • It also works great on the eyelids and can be used as an eyeshadow primer.
  • You can also use this as a hand and body moisturizer.

Clean Beauty & Safety Tests:

  • Vegan and wheat-free.
  • Non-comedogenic, it will not clog pores or leave a greasy feel.
  • Dermatologist-tested. Sensitivity- and Allergy- tested.
  • All Jane Iredale products are formulated without talc, mineral oil, synthetic preservatives, synthetic fragrances, parabens, phthalates, and artificial dyes.

Cruelty-Free:

The Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (CCIC), the most reputable organization in the world for animal protection, has certified Jane Iredale as being cruelty-free through its Leaping Bunny Program.

Additionally, PETA has recognized that Jane Iredale cosmetics are cruelty-free.

Complete Ingredients:

Aqua/Water/Eau, Coconut Alkanes (and) Polysilicone 11, Dimethicone/Vinyl, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycerin, Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Pectin, Chlorella Vulgaris/Lupinus Albus Protein Ferment, Maltodextrin, Camellia Sinensis (White Tea) Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Amara (Bitter Orange) Fruit Extract, Malus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture Extract, Raphanus Sativus (Radish) Root Extract, Lecithin, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Olea Europaea (Olive) Leaf Extract, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Zinc PCA, Sodium Ascorbate, Royal Jelly, Tocopherol, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Peel Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract (and) Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Xanthan Gum

Please be aware that ingredient lists may change or vary from time to time. Please refer to the ingredient list on the product package you receive for the most up-to-date list of ingredients.


About the Brand

Introduced in 1994, Iredale Mineral Cosmetics is one of the pioneers of clean beauty as we know it today.

Best known as “the skincare makeup”, Jane Iredale is the first to supply the beauty industry with high-performance makeup infused with topical skincare.

The brand formulates with powerful natural ingredients that are non-comedogenic, anti-inflammatory, calming, and soothing for the skin.

They also work with leading plastic surgeons and dermatologists to create skin-loving formulas that can cater to all skin tones, skin conditions, and types.

Their CEO and namesake, Jane Iredale, began her career as a casting director and producer in TV and film.

She's worked with actors and models and has seen firsthand the damage that heavy stage makeup can do to your skin.[1]

Her experience working with people whose career depends on a clear complexion moved her to launch her first line of clean, non-toxic mineral makeup.[2]

Fast forward, their current Skincare Makeup System now combines an infusion of botanicals, antioxidants, and sun protection without sacrificing color pay-off and performance.

All their products are formulated without talc, mineral oil, synthetic preservatives, synthetic fragrances, parabens, phthalates, and artificial dyes.

The line has new primers, all reformulated with skin-loving ingredients.

  1. Smooth Affair® Illuminating Glow Face Primer – best for all skin types, especially dry & dull skin
  2. Smooth Affair® Brightening Face Primer – best for all skin types, especially aging & dull skin
  3. Smooth Affair® Mattifying Face Primer – best for oily and acne-prone skin
  4. Smooth Affair® Oily Skin Face Primer – best for oily skin and large pores
Illuminating GlowBrighteningMattifying
SKIN TYPEAll skin types, Especially dry & dull skinAll skin types, Especially aging & dull skinAll skin types, Especially oily & acneic skin
FORMULAHydrating, LightweightSilky, InvigoratingSoothing, Mattifying
FINISHPearl, Soft-focusBright, DewySmooth, Matte
KEY BENEFITSHydrates, Illuminates, Helps prevent moisture lossFirms skin, Helps prevent moisture loss, Helps skin's elasticityHelps regulate sebum production, Helps prevent moisture loss, Delivers antioxidant protection
IDEAL FORLooking for a radiant, healthy glowLooking to blur pores for a flawless lookLooking to control and mattify skin

jane iredale – Smooth Affair® Brightening Face Primer Review

The newly relaunched Smooth Affair® Brightening Face Primer is one of the best non-comedogenic, illuminating primers in Clean Beauty, perfect for those with aging, dry, and dull skin.

Gabrielle Sterin

Brightening effect
Blurs Pores & Fine Lines
Makeup Adherence
Ease of Application
Texture & Consistency
Finish

Summary

The makeup and skincare products from Jane Iredale are made with natural ingredients and don't contain parabens, talc, phthalates, synthetic fragrances, or GMOs.

One of the top non-comedogenic illuminating primers in Clean Beauty, the newly reformulated Smooth Affair® Brightening Face Primer is great for aging, dry, and dull skin.

Use this lightweight face primer to hydrate and prepare your skin for makeup for a smooth, flawless base. It also has organic, anti-aging ingredients that protect and maintain elasticity to keep your skin firm and tight.

Ideal for: All skin types, especially aging, dull, and dry skin

4.7

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Gabrielle Sterin
Beauty and lifestyle editor Gabrielle Sterin has collaborated with several print and digital magazines. She has worked directly with photographers, models, beauty publicists, hairstylists, makeup artists, and nail technicians to bring projects to life. She has also styled still-life beauty shoots and art-directed model & reader fashion shoots.