I feel like I haven’t done a review for the longest time, but apparently I only did one last week which was my Lime Crime Plushies review (which you can read here). How on earth did I forget that I wrote that review last week?! Either I’m beginning to show my age or it’s just showing how quickly the days are flying by!
Anyway, I’ve wanted to review the Barry M Unicorn Primer Drops for the longest time, but as of yet I just haven’t managed to. I’ve thought about adding this to my favourites since September but to be honest with you, it hasn’t been a favourite product.
Personally when I read and write reviews I don’t want to always see them be positive and, “OH MY GOD THIS PRODUCT IS AMAZING AND YOU NEED TO GO BUY IT. Oh and P.S. my affiliate link is down below.” No, no and no again.
I like to read and write reviews that are realistic and honest. I like to think I’m honest when it comes down to reviews, even when I’m sent and gifted items to review and talk about. I was in two minds whether or not to review the unicorn primer drops as I didn’t quite know how I felt about them, to be honest.
So I’m going to be honest throughout this review, no fakery or BS here. 😛
I picked up the unicorn primer drops about a month ago now and have been using them almost daily. I heard about this thanks to Instagram and Facebook and everyone was talking about how it reminded them of the Farsali unicorn essence and in all fairness, it’s pretty much a duplicate of the unicorn essence.
I’ve been after a primer for a while now, as sometimes I do like to have them to try and help mattify my skin. I used to use one from The Body Shop last year, which I loved but as I managed to get hold of it when it was on offer I haven’t picked it up again since.
I actually forgot about the Barry M unicorn primer drops until I ventured into Boots in September and decided to pick it up to try. I mean why not eh?
Prep skin for the ultimate makeup application with this innovative oil-free elixir. Packed with superfruits such as acai berry, goji berry, watermelon and tamarind, this hybrid-serum brightens, detoxifies, hydrates and smooths the skin for the perfect primer and skin care treatment.
Use under makeup to prime skin or on its own to hydrate, brighten and protect from free radical damage. Taken from barrym.com
I remember watching some YouTube videos where people were testing this and reviewing it and in all honestly, most of the videos I watched weren’t praising this product. One girl said how the product caused her make up to feel tacky and sticky and another commented on how it didn’t seem to improve her make up much.
As I don’t wear make up, I didn’t think it would affect me in this sense and if anything I hoped it might help my translucent powder last longer!
It’s been over a month now since I first bought it and I finally feel like I’m ready to review it.
My thoughts on this primer have chopped and changed over the past month for so many reasons. I started using it whilst the weather was still warm and recently as the weather has cooled down, I feel like I’ve really began to see how it works, if that makes sense.
The primer comes in this purple square bottle with a pipette at the top. You get 15ml of product in this bottle which I think is a decent amount. I find that a full pipette is too much for my skin and only find that I need a small amount for it to cover my face and neck. This primer is also VEGAN! Although I’m not vegetarian nor vegan, I do love when brands bring out products that are vegan. I think it’s only fair for everyone to be able to use and enjoy the same products, so I was really pleased when I read that the primer drops were vegan.
A lot of people online have been complaining about the pipette not working for them and how due to the thickness of the primer, it causes the pipette not to work. I’ve not had this issues personally and if anything I LOVE the pipette! Whenever I go to use this product the pipette is always full of product and ready for me to use.
People have also complained about the packaging and how it just doesn’t look “special” enough for them. I never give a shit about the packaging with products nine times out of ten, but I do get what they’re saying. It’s very simple and to the point and I’m surprised that Barry M didn’t try and do more with it really. I would have liked the bottle to be see through so I can see how much product you have left. Maybe Barry M will make new packaging eventually if they bring out a whole line of primers, who knows!
I pop 5 little drops on my face, one on each cheek, my nose, my chin and my forehead. I find this is the perfect amount for my face. The primer itself isn’t thin nor thick in consistency but I find that when it’s warm it’s really thin. I love the consistency of this primer as I find it’s easy to use.
The colour of the product is so magical (as you can probably guess by the name!) and it’s a gorgeous bubblegum pink colour, with shimmer running throughout. It’s so pretty and if you’re a magpie for shiny things like I am, then you’ll love this!
One thing I remember about the reviews on YouTube that I watched was how this smells, “So good I could eat it!” I didn’t personally get this, yes it smells really sweet but I wouldn’t say it’s good enough to eat. It does contain a lot of fruits such as acai berry, goji berry, watermelon and tamarind which are all superfruits and are said to help keep skin looking beautiful.
I used this every morning after my moisturiser and then put on my translucent powder. I’ve not yet mixed the primer in with my moisturiser, although I am tempted to. It’s just fun to look like a beauty guru or Instagram beauty video where you apply those pink unicorn tears on your cheeks! 😛
After you’ve applied this primer it does feel tacky on the skin and although a lot of people complained about this on reviews, I’ve also seen a lot of people rave about this due to how it helps their make up stick to the skin etc. I get that and after hearing and thinking about it, it has helped with my powder sticking to my skin.
During the warmer days I didn’t feel like this worked for me as well as I hoped. It definitely makes my skin feel hydrated and even gives my skin a little bit of glow after applying, but I couldn’t say if I feel like my skin is brighter looking throughout the day.
I expected this primer to help my powder last longer throughout the day, but when it was warmer I felt so greasy, especially on my t zone. I don’t carry my face powder around with me anymore so I couldn’t top that up. However, as the weather has started to get cooler I’ve found that my powder is lasting longer and thus I don’t feel or leak greasy/oily. Now, whether this is down to the primer or not, I don’t know.
One of the things I really love about this primer is that it’s oil-free. As I’m combination skin I try to avoid using any products with oil in, so when I read this was oil-free I was pretty stoked about that. I also love how baby soft my skin feels since I’ve started to use it too! I use it after wearing face masks to give my skin an extra boost of TLC. I feel so pampered afterwards as well.
I’ve watched a few YouTube videos to see how other people use the primer and one person applies it all over their face, like I do before their make up BUT they also applied it to the lips! I never thought to do that to be honest with you, but it’s definitely something I’m going to try and start doing that in the morning, especially if I’m planning to wear lipstick.
After application. My hand definitely looks brighter in places!
Personally I do have mixed feelings on this primer as I don’t know if it’s actually done anything to my skin and I have to keep wondering if my skin is benefiting from using it? I do wonder if it’s help moisturise my skin more and given it an extra boost of something, as I remember with my old primer my skin felt and looked dry in patches, especially on my cheeks and around my mouth and chin. This has gone to be honest, so maybe all those superfruits has actually helped my skin the TLC it needed!
This has been out since August/September and for the 15ml bottle it costs £7.99. I think that’s quite expensive, but I am a cheap skate at the best of times! For how lovely and soft it’s made my skin look and feel, I do think it’s worth it though.
I wonder if I can’t see any difference in my skin because I don’t use make up, all I use is powder to help my skin look matte. At the time of writing this I am touching my face and looking for any signs of oil. It’s lunch time now and my skin looks as it did when I got ready this morning, which is amazing!
Maybe during the warmer months, this doesn’t work as well as it could but during the colder months this will be a game changer.
Right now, this isn’t a game changer for me and overall whilst I do like using it and feel like an Instagram beauty guru when I use it, I don’t know if I’ll repurchase it or not… I’d like to find a primer that helps my powder last longer AND helps my skin look matte for as long as possible.
If you really want to give a new primer a try, whether or not you wear a full face of make up then I recommend trying this! I wouldn’t say it’s bad, but I wouldn’t say it’s a life changing product. It’s better than some primers I’ve used in the past BUT that’s due to its moisturising properties and maybe because it’s a gorgeous pink colour. 😛
Also if you are looking for a cheap duplicate of the Farsali Unicorn Essence then this is your best bet! Especially as that essence will set you back £20.00 for just 10ml of product. Ouch.
I’ve linked at the start of this post directly to the primer at the top of the blog post, but I’ll link the Superdrug and Boots so you can buy them from there if you wish to do so.
Overall these unicorn primer drops are definitely worth picking up to try, especially if there is a 3 for 2 offer on which both Superdrug and Boots have at the time of this post! They’re also worth picking up if you suffer with dry skin and want to help keep your make up lasting longer. I never had an issue with combination skin, which was great! Just don’t expect a life changing product as personally I don’t think it was that, sadly.
Otherwise I really hope you enjoyed this review today! Sorry that my blog has been quiet since last Friday but I just wanted a break from blog work this weekend. I had a new game to play with Dane, friends to see as well as LOTS of blog work!
I also apologise for how rambly this blog post reads/feels! I just wanted to get all thoughts and feelings out there, I hope you didn’t get too bored. 😛
Do you think you’ll give the Barry M Unicorn Primer Drops a go? Or have you already? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below!
Until next time take care all and I hope you’re all having a lovely week so far! Not long now and it’ll be Halloween.
There Might Be Coffee 