TRIED AND TESTED: A brutally honest review of Go-To's new $48 glowy and matte makeup primers.

Mamamia's Tried and Tested series is your review of the latest to hit our desks in beauty, health and wellbeing. You won't find any #sponsored content here, just honest, relatable and independent advice. This week, we're trialling two new Go-To Skincare primers.

If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I'm a basic lady at my core.

And nothing gets us basic, beauty-loving ladies excited like a new Go-To skin product launch.

Enter, Go-To's shiny new primers: Go-To Very Glowy Primer and Go-To Very Mattifying Primer.

Watch: The trick to getting your makeup to last longer… post continues below.

Formulated in South Korea, the world's skincare capital, from a brand with thousands of glowing Go-To skincare reviews (and one of the most dedicated customer bases I can think of), this 'duo of skincare-infused primers to prep, support, and perfect your skin' piqued my interest immediately.

The best primers I've tried are skin concern-specific, so in theory, it makes perfect sense to formulate two different primers over one does-everything product.

The glowy primer on the left vs. the matte primer on the right. Image: Supplied

And these are two very different products; an illuminating glowy primer for dull, dry skin (me!) and a blurring, matte primer for oilier skin types or those concerned with pores (my fellow basic beauty buddy Em Vernem!).

But do the Go-To primers genuinely stack up against other cult makeup primers, or will we just buy whatever founder Zoë Foster Blake tells us to?

Keep reading for our Go-To primer reviews.

Go-To Very Glowy Primer, $48.

First impression: Does what it says on the tin. Image: Supplied.

Fast facts:

• An illuminating primer that goes over SPF and under foundation to make skin look glowier and hydrated, and help makeup last longer

• Formulated with skincare ingredients like humectants (water-binding) panthenol and hyaluronic acid, and antioxidant-rich punica granatum fruit extract

• Promises to blur, smooth and boost luminosity for a dewy, natural glow, without the glitter

• Shop Go-To Very Glowy Primer at MECCA or GoToSkincare.com

Best for: Normal to dry skin, those who find foundation sits in their fine lines, and dull or dehydrated skin-havers wanting more radiance under makeup.

Our Go-To glowy primer review:

I've been a daily wearer of the Holme Beauty Base Primer for years, so I know a good glowy primer when I use one.

Go-To's glowy primer looks very different straight out of the very convenient pump packaging; it has a cool-toned, pearlescent light pink tint that is undetectable once absorbed, whereas my Holme Beauty primer gives a slightly tinted, champagne-y wash of colour to the skin.

The primer's texture feels like an elegant Korean skincare product, and the difference in radiance is instant. Think of this as an alarm clock, for your face.

L-R: My skin before Go-To Very Glowy Primer, with primer only and then with makeup done. Image: Supplied.

My skin looked plump, ultra hydrated and like it'd been dipped in a good night's sleep. I applied the MERIT tinted moisturiser on top using a foundation brush without any pilling or balling up.

My makeup looked about as dewy and fresh as you can get, and I was the humble recipient of several compliments in person and on video calls throughout the day. I wouldn't say it helped my makeup last, though.

As I'd expect, my concealer was non-existent after 12 hours, but even in terrible bathroom lighting at 8pm, my skin still had a healthy-ness to it.

Go-To Very Mattifying Primer, $48.

Em and the mattifying primer looking cute as! Image: Supplied.

Fast facts:

• A shine-control primer that goes over SPF and under foundation to give skin a 'blurred' effect and prevent oils from breaking down your makeup throughout the day

• Also formulated with panthenol, alongside niacinamide to brighten and regulate oil production, and mattifying, oil-absorbing silica

• Promises to absorb excess oil, minimise visible pores, and smooth uneven texture for a mattified complexion that still looks and feels fresh

• Shop Go-To Very Mattifying Primer at MECCA or GoToSkincare.com

Best for: Normal to combination and oily skin, anyone concerned with shine and makeup sliding around throughout the day, or those who like a smooth, velvet finish under foundation.

Em's Go-To mattifying primer review:

"I have combination skin with large pores and oil that builds as the day goes on. This primer goes on like a light serum, so it feels really comfortable on the skin (not heavy or mask-like) and sets into a matte texture quite quickly."

L-R: Em's skin before Go-To Very Mattifying Primer, with primer only and then with makeup done. Image: Supplied.

"It hides my pores and slightly brightens my complexion, and I notice my skin looks more even and less shiny throughout the day, even without foundation on top. When I do wear makeup, it definitely helps everything glide on easier and last longer, without pilling or separating."

"If you're looking purely for a pore-filling primer, there are products that do that a little better, but this still softens them enough to make a difference. All in all, it's simple, fuss-free, and it does exactly what you want a matte primer to do."

Final verdict?

These primers don't promise to make your foundation last for 12 hours, and they definitely won't.

They're skincare-inspired and behave more like skincare products that enhance your complexion, rather than performance makeup products that enhance your makeup.

I've tried more impressive long-wearing primers; Holme Beauty and MAC's Studio Radiance Primer are my dry skin favourites, and I'll always recommend the MAKE UP FOREVER Shine Control Primer and Pore Minimizer Primer for long days or special occassions.

But if you get a kick out of trying new products and like being told how great your skin looks when you walk into the office, the Go-To primers are truly lovely skincare products for your everyday makeup look.

For more tried and tested beauty recommendations, listen to the You Beauty podcast below or watch You Beauty on YouTube.

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Feature image: Supplied.