"Your Skin Looks Amazing" Is All I've Heard Since Switching Up My Base Routine

Welcome to Deep Reviews—your one-stop destination to discover the absolute best products and brands the beauty industry has to offer. The Who What Wear staffers you already know and trust will research, test, and review the market’s most sought-after and buzzed-about products to see which formulas (of the hundreds up for consideration) are worth your hard-earned money and attention. You can expect honest, uncensored feedback and no-BS recommendations our hard-to-please testers endorse without reservations.

The majority of our Deep Reviews will feature our editors’ honest, ultra-hot takes on entire product categories or multiple products from a particular beauty brand, but every so often, we’ll sprinkle in a special single-product format called Honestly, I Love It. As the name suggests, these reviews will hone in on one standout beauty formula our editors can’t shut up about. This time around, I’m spotlighting Refy Beauty’s Blur and Hydrate Primer ($34).

(Image credit: @aniyahmorinia)

It has taken YouTube tutorials, Sephora shopping sessions, and even master classes with celebrity makeup artists to perfect my makeup routine. Between shade matching, finding products that align with my skin concerns, and testing viral sensations (and breaking the bank in the process), it is the highest honor to receive compliments on my makeup. For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been getting, “OMG, your skin looks amazing!” followed by, “What foundation are you wearing?” But it’s not the foundation that’s led to this influx of praise—it’s the skin prep. Straddling the line between makeup and skincare, Refy Beauty’s Blur and Hydrate Primer has completely transformed my base routine.

This product is not to be confused with Refy’s viral Glow and Sculpt Primer—though they both prime the skin, they serve different purposes. The Glow and Sculpt Primer gives what I like to call that snatched glow, where your cheekbones look a bit more chiseled and you exude a lit-from-within kind of radiance, while the Blur and Hydrate formula gives you a cloud-like glow without leaving a matte finish. I can confirm that you need both in your life, but for now, let’s focus on the latter.

Refy Blur and Hydrate Oil-Control Face Primer

REFY

Blur and Hydrate Oil-Control Face Primer

Editor tests blurring primer

(Image credit: @aniyahmorinia)

I would never lie to you, so I’ll be vulnerable and share that I often skip primer. (Shh, don’t tell the beauty community.) Yes, I know it’s the key to long-lasting makeup, and no, I don’t think it’s a pointless step. I’ve just gotten my routine down to six products and 13 minutes, so adding in primer would jeopardize that. Despite my efficient process, the results from this primer wowed me enough to become a mainstay. As you can see above, the blurring effects are unreal. Is it just me or do my dark spots look like they’ve been lightly edited on the FaceTune app?

Before I applied the metal tube directly to my skin, I completed my typical daytime skincare routine, which includes a cleanser, toner, serum, and moisturizer. This product’s gel-to-cream formula is the perfect final step in my skincare routine. Unlike many other primers with cream textures, it didn’t feel heavy or leave an oily finish. According to Refy’s site, the primer “was created to control unwanted shine, without dimming your skin’s natural glow”—and it does exactly that.

I could feel the difference as soon as I applied my foundation. It went on more smoothly and had a flawless finish, even before enhancements like highlighter and blush. Not only did my makeup last throughout a long day at the office and an evening event in the city, but my T-zone, which stores the most oil, didn’t need to be blotted nearly as much as it normally does.

Editor tests blurring primer

(Image credit: @aniyahmorinia)

Of the many benefits of this primer, the one most visible to me is its ability to de-puff your face. I always look super puffy and dry right after waking up, so it’s nice to have a skincare-forward product that hydrates while de-puffing. I credit the cooling metal applicator for giving me that “I woke up like this” look. And thanks to the hyaluronic acid in this product, my skin looks as refreshed as it feels. Though it’s labeled as a primer, I love that you don’t have to follow up with makeup—it doesn’t leave the skin feeling too matte or sticky when there aren’t products layered on top.

Editor tests blurring primer

What were some of your non-negotiables when formulating this product?

Jess Hunt: When creating the Blur and Hydrate Primer, our main non-negotiables were all-day hold, instant hydration, and a blurred finish without [being] mattifying. I am proud to say we have achieved all of these!

You launched the mega-viral Glow and Sculpt Primer that we all know and love a few years back. What made you decide to launch this Blur and Hydrate Primer? What’s the key difference?

Answering calls from the Refy Community, we knew there was space to create a primer to blur pores and control oil, but not compromise on the Refy signature glow. We created the Blur and Hydrate Primer as an extension of our Glow and Sculpt [Primer], for days when you want a natural glow finish. Our Glow and Sculpt Primer gives you a glass-like, dewy glow. Another difference [is] the applicator. The Glow and Sculpt [Primer] features an applicator that mimics a facial roller, which visibly de-puffs and sculpts the face. The Blur and Hydrate Primer has a metal applicator [that] cools, tones, and de-puffs the skin.

One of the benefits of this primer is hydration. Can you walk me through some of the ingredients?

The Blur and Hydrate Primer contains hyaluronic acid to help hydrate and plump the skin, shea butter to boost moisture and nourish [the skin], and pullulan to reinforce the skin barrier.

Do you have any application tips and tricks for beginners?

When applying [the] Blur and Hydrate Primer, I like to squeeze a pea-sized amount of the product on each side of the face. Using the metal applicator to swipe on [the] product, [I focus] on the T-zone and [lift] upwards. [I finish] off using my fingertips to make sure the product is evenly distributed and smoothed into the skin.

Innovation is such a huge part of your brand. What can we look forward to from Refy in the skincare department?

We are always infusing our products with skincare ingredients so the Refy customer can get more from their everyday makeup routine. There are peptides in our Brow Tint, arginine in our latest Face Setter, hyaluronic acid in the Blur and Hydrate Primer, niacinamide in the Glow and Sculpt Primer, and jojoba oil in our Lip Gloss, and that is just to name a few! My favorite beauty advice [is that] a good skincare routine is essential for a perfect makeup base—so watch this space!