Is there a more science-y looking primer than Stila One Step? Seriously, I don’t think so. It’s got that double helix-looking DNA thing swirling around in the bottle, which is kind of cool.
Stila’s moisturizing primer
So, Stila has a bunch of different face primers. I know there’s one for illuminating and one for color correcting, but One Step is their moisturizing, smoothing water-based primer.
The clear liquid surrounding the helix is a combination of water and other moisturizing ingredients. The primer contains a mix of vitamins and 15 botanicals, buuuuuut the plant extracts are mostly all down near the bottom of the ingredient list, which is just something to keep in mind.
I’m not completely sold on this primer’s hydrating power… I have combination skin, and I don’t really feel like this primer does much for my dry spots. (Side note: If you want straight-up hydration, check out MAC Natural Radiance.)
Stila One Step Primer: Ingredients
Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Butylene Glycol, Octyldodecyl Neopentanoate, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Carbomer, Dimethicone, Aluminum Hydroxide, Sodium Hydroxide, Caprylyl Glycol, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Sodium Chloride, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Disodium EDTA, Phytantriol, Hexylene Glycol, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Dextrin Palmitate, Palmitic Acid, Octyldodecanol, Stearic Acid, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Tocopherol, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Retinyl Palmitate, Zinc Oxide (CI 77947), Lysine, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Magnesium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Zinc Chloride, Potassium Sorbate, Montmorillonite, Illite, Kaolin
In case you don’t know primers from pancakes
Primers are applied after your skin care but before your foundation, and a lot of brands carry a number of different primers designed to help address different skin issues.
Generally, though, they all smooth the skin by filling in your pores and fine lines to make the products that you apply on top of them appear smoother and last longer. Many primers, like this one from Stila, use silicones to fill the dips and valleys on the surface of the skin.
TECHNIQUE TIP: After I apply primer, I give it a couple minutes to completely dry before I layer anything else on top, because when there are wet spots, my foundation or concealer won’t adhere very well to those areas.
I don’t wear primer every day, because I don’t think I need it if I’m just going out to buy a loaf of bread, but when I’m going to be meeting someone for lunch, or taking certain kinds of pics for MBB, then yeah, I’ll make the effort, because primer makes a night-and-day difference in terms of smoothness and wear time, especially on my cheeks.
Moderate smoothing
This primer feels a lot the MAC Natural Radiance Primer to me. It’s lightweight, like a very silky lotion, but isn’t as dry or slippery as hardcore smoothing silicone-based primers, like Make Up For Ever Step 1 Smoothing Primer or Smashbox Photo Finish.
On a scale of 1-10, I’d say it’s about a seven as far as its smoothing prowess, so you do get some pore blurring and a little bit of skin smoothing, but not as much as you get with heavy-duty primers by MUFE and Smashbox.
I’d recommend it for teens, twenty-somethings, and maybe even early 30-something gals or guys who want/need a little skin smoothing and have skin that responds well to silicone-containing products.
One Step is $36 for a 1-ounce bottle. It’s also fragrance-free, colorless and comes with an easy-to-use, precise pump. Stila recommends using a pea-sized amount for a full face.
You can find it at Ulta, Stila and online in the permanent collection.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Lisa says
September 25th, 2017 at 6:54 pmNow that I’ve finished my Becca backlight primer, I am on the hunt for a new primer with a different finish, so I’ll have to check this out next time I’m at the mall!
Hope this is ok, but I have a completely unrelated question for you. I’ve been happily perusing your posts on Hawaii and my husband and I (east coasters) are actually planning a 10 day vacation there in November. We went to Maui on our honeymoon and it was amazing! We want to go back before we try to start a family and this time we’re considering Oahu and Kauai. Can’t decide if we should do just one (and maybe stay in 2 different areas) or go to both (maybe 5 nights in each island)…. even though all I do is research! I’ve even bought books on both islands! It’s just so weird having to make a decision where every option is a great option! As a West coaster who seems to know a lot about Hawaii, what would you do if you were in my position??
Karen says
September 26th, 2017 at 3:22 pmHi Lisa,
My husband is from Oahu and his parents used to live there, so we used to go there a couple times a year. We got married there, too, on the North Shore. It will always have a special place in my heart. As much as I love Oahu, though, if this is a last hurrah trip before having kids… then I’d have to vote for Kauai. Mostly because of the outdoorsy things you can do. If you like hiking to secret beaches and kayaking to waterfalls and snorkeling off shore, it’s SO MUCH FUN, but all of that would be hard with a very young child in tow. So do it now! After you have a kid, go to Oahu, and stay at a resort, and then take it easy.
That’s just my two cents though. I’ve seen people take toddlers and young ones to out-of-the-way spots on Kauai like Queen’s Bath, so I know it’s possible. I wouldn’t do it though because it would just stress me out. Gimme the pool and an easy walk to a resort beach until that baby is at least 8. LOL!
Let me know if you have any other questions! Happy to help.
Lisa says
September 28th, 2017 at 7:07 pmThanks so much! So we finally booked everything…decided to do both islands but stay in Kauai longer. So cool you got married on the North Shore in Oahu! We’re actually staying there so we can check out a surf competition at Haleiwa. So excited!
On another note, this has been my makeup and lifestyle site for years, so thank you for all your hard work everyday. It’s so relatable and useful compared to other makeup blogs, and just so refreshing instead of the real news. I love trying out all your new tips and tricks…I miss your tutorial videos, but i can only imagine how much time that takes.. No idea how you do it with a baby, but you are mommy goals for sure!
Linda Libra Loca says
September 25th, 2017 at 11:14 pmHm, my early 30s are long gone, so I guess I will stick to more heavy duty ones. Right now I am using a mattifying one by L´Oréal that I like. It isn´t drying in the slightest, but quite silicone heavy.
Linda Libra Loca recently posted … My French Skincare Haul – and a fashion video!
Karen says
September 26th, 2017 at 3:16 pmHa, so are mine!
Kim says
September 26th, 2017 at 5:01 amI love the look of those suspension formulas. We saw quite a few in Hong Kong last year (primers with color correction, so pink “beads” or blue or yellow or purple). I wasn’t wow’d by the performance but the look in the package was great.
I pretty much prime my t-zone every day. I think the PoreFessional has been my fave so far.
And I got my shimmy-shimmy Cocofloss yesterday as part of my Sephora haul. I can certainly feel it getting into the crevices, though it separates a bit for me. I like it but still prefer my holy grail Mint Glide. 🙂 I also got a sample of Anastasia Brow Pomade. The 4 colors are much too dark for me but I tried the lightest this AM and then laughed for 5 minutes while I wiped it off because it was a definite Uncle Leo moment. HAHA!
Karen says
September 26th, 2017 at 3:16 pmThey look super cool. The packaging says not to drop it too much because the helix can become undone! I would love to see how it’s produced in the lab.
Sooo I used to use Glide until my dentist said that all it really does is glide across the surface of the tooth. According to him it doesn’t really kick up enough friction or adequately remove plaque and whatnot. I do like how comfy it feels!
Kim says
September 27th, 2017 at 8:57 amGAH! Say it isn’t so! I hope I’m OK because my teeth are pretty tight. It seems to do a good job but that might be my love for it doing the talking! I never had a cavity until a couple of years ago when I got a chip/crack. Sorry, now I’m making excuses to stay with the Glide. HAHA!
Erin says
September 26th, 2017 at 1:55 pmHmmm, I’m not sure I’m interested. REN however has a new primer I am desperate to try!
Erin recently posted … Farmacy Honey Drop Lightweight Moisturizer First Impressions
Mimi says
April 13th, 2018 at 6:03 pmHey there! I was just looking at your post on the Stila primer. Just wanna let you know that it piles! Previously it didn’t when I only used Innisfree Green Tea Seed serum. Now after I’ve switched to The Ordinary Niacinamide for mornings, (I did wait for the serum to dry 10-15 minutes), followed by Biore Aqua sunblock before I applied the primer.
Oh man, it looks like heaps of dried skin being rolled thinly as I rubbed the primer onto my T zone. Not sure who to blame here but the only different product combo was just the Niacinamide. Had no problems with the primer before this.