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Most of the time I’m loyal to my tried and true products, but I picked up the NYX Honey Dew Me Up primer a few weeks ago as an impulse buy. 

Here’s my full NYX Honey Dew Me Up primer review – for me, this won’t be a repurchase. 

First Impressions

The first thing you notice is the beautiful packaging. I feel like NYX has really stepped up its game with packaging in the last few years.

The NYX Honey Dew Me Up Primer looks like skincare luxury in a bottle. Inside, reflective gold flecks float in a clear gel. It definitely catches your eye on a makeup shelf. The metallic lid creates a luxurious look and a chic color scheme. 

This gel primer claims to brighten, hydrate, and prep your face for makeup. The advertising for this product is almost skincare-like.

Key Ingredients

The primer contains honey extract, collagen extract, and hyaluronic acid. These support skin hydration and help create a plumper appearance.

Honey extract is a humectant, which means it helps lock in moisture and gives the product a natural glow. It’s known for soothing and healing dry skin.

Collagen extract helps smooth texture and supports firmness. Hyaluronic acid draws in moisture to give your skin a fresh bounce.

I am a little skeptical of topical collagen extract, but the honey and hyaluronic acid are definitely going to hydrate. 

However, it also contains alcohol denat and peg-40 hydrogenated castor oil, which may irritate some skin types. I kind of wonder if the alcohol is going to cancel out some of the benefits of the honey and hyualuronic acid. 

Application and Texture

The product has a sticky formula, similar to the much more expensive Smashbox Photo Finish. And really, that’s what makes gripping primers grip. You only need a small amount to cover your face, and it soaks into your skin and gives a smooth, grippy surface. 

The texture feels like a lightweight gel. It takes a minute or two to fully absorb. Once it sets, the skin feels tacky, which helps foundation hold better.

However…. the included spatula makes it reeeeeally hard to get the actual amount that you want. It looks like this:

You basically have two options:

• Hold it above your hand (or face), wait until product falls, and use whatever amount drips off
• Swipe it along your hand or face, potentially introducing bacteria into the jar. 

So….I honestly hate the spatula enough to put me off the whole product. I know some people will buy those disposable spatulas to make the most of this product. I feel bad about the plastic waste from those disposables!

Finish and Glow

With that said – the finish on this product is really lovely. 

It’s a light, luminous primer. The gold flecks are not visible on your skin as glitter or anything else. Worn alone, it’s more like the glass-skin trend or dewy makeup styles. By itself, it does soften visible pores and skin texture and looks like nothing on your skin. I love the way my skin looks with this primer, and on a beach day I’m happy to wear it over sunscreen alone.

With that said – it’s not the most forgiving primer. I’m 38, and I don’t find that this primer is the best for filling in the fine lines and pores in my skin.

If you’re in your teens and twenties, you might find that this primer is enough on its own!

But for other people with early aging signs, we’re probably better off with a silicone-based primer like my forever favorite, Baby Skin.

Performance with Foundation

I do find that this is a solidly grippy primer. It’s got solid hold and is going to keep your makeup in place. I noted above that I generally prefer Baby Skin, but my exception to that is going to be in heat. Where a silicone-based primer is likely to melt a little in hot weather, I found that this primer was great for a hot day. 

If you use powder foundations, apply powder lightly to avoid patchiness. Dewy setting spray helps blend the final look.

On oily skin, the primer may feel too sticky or look shiny after a few hours. This is not the type of primer that’s going to make an oily girl seem matte. (Like me, the oily girls might think of this as a summer-day-only product. Save it for when your regular primer would melt off anyway.)

For dry skin, though, it can make makeup look smoother and more radiant, especially when skin feels tight or flaky.

Who It’s Best For

This product works best for those on the dry side or with combination skin. It hydrates while boosting glow.

Sensitive skin types should patch test first. Some ingredients may trigger irritation, especially alcohol denat and added fragrance.

If your goal is a luminous look or to channel honey’s golden glow, this could be a good option to try.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Beautiful packaging with gold flakes
• Dewy finish without heavy shimmer
• Great primer for youthful skin
• Contains hydrating and calming ingredients

Cons:

• Spatula is so annoying
• Would feel sticky on oily skin
• Fragrance and alcohol may irritate sensitive skin
• On the pricey side for drugstore makeup

Final Thoughts

The NYX Professional Makeup Honey Dew Me Up primer lives up to its name. It gives skin a honey-touched, luminous glow.

It works in different ways, from prepping the skin to improving the look of dry patches and fine lines. For those chasing a dewy finish and wanting to blur the appearance of discoloration, this primer delivers.

If you’re on the dry side or love glowing makeup, this could turn out to be a favourite primer. Or, it can balance out more matte foundations or powders.

Though it’s on the pricey side for NYX, many say the innovative light-reflecting formula is worth it. For the right person, the NYX Honey Dew Me Up primer is a skincare-makeup hybrid worth trying.