This Pore-Perfecting Primer Took Me From Greasy To Glowy

In my life as both a beauty lover and editor, I’ve tried out myriad primers and matte foundations in the quest for shine-free skin. However, my face’s natural state is oily and practically reflective; having experienced acne on and off for over half my life at this point, it’s something I’ve more or less accepted. However, since I recently moved to Miami, things have gotten significantly…sweatier. As such, I’ve had to level up my game — and Peace Out’s Instant Pore Perfector is how I’ve done just that.

The social media-beloved brand is best known for its clear pimple stickers, but don’t sleep on other faves like the TikTok-famous Retinol Eye Stick and, my personal fave, Acne Serum. Its latest launch, Instant Pore Perfector, is another one not to miss. It aims to not only create a smooth canvas for makeup but actually improve your skin over time. Ahead, I gave the innovative product a test in the Florida sun.

After applying my morning skincare and sunscreen, I applied a pea-sized amount of Peace Out’s Instant Pore Perfector, which was a light greenish-beige color. The product is meant to minimize enlarged pores and tone down redness, which I tend to have around my T-zone. It had a dryish, silky texture that glided like butter on my skin. Once applied, it disappeared into my olive complexion without a trace, leaving behind a softer, smoother surface, ideal for foundation and concealer (or nothing!). Unlike other mattifying primers, it didn’t render my skin completely shine-free. Instead, my face looked subtly more even in tone, and my slickest areas — forehead, nose, chin — were only slightly dimmed in shine. In other words, Instant Pore Perfector did exactly what it claimed it would, without eliminating every trace of my skin’s natural glow. (It’s silicone-free, so it doesn’t work like some of the more slippery, clear primers on the market.) Plus, I liked that I could reapply it during the day to refresh and softly mattify mid-day greasiness.

With ingredients like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and malic acid (a gentler AHA derived from apples), the product hydrates and brightens like legit skin care, while offering visible payoff (i.e. softly filtered skin) right away. For $28, it's not super expensive, but not a cheap thrill either. The tube is on the small side (0.8 ounces of product), and I'll reiterate that if you want a product to completely eliminate shine, this isn't that. However, given the added skincare ingredients and gentle formulation, I will say that Instant Pore Perfector has become a great addition to my daily skin routine and makeup prep. Peace out, oil-slick forehead — and hello, luminous skin.