In the final installment of my prime time series, here's a look at Benefit's the POREfessional ($28), a recently-released balm that's supposed to minimize the appearance of pores. But for all intents and purposes, it's a primer. Unlike the brand's That Gal ($28), which is luminescent and pink, this primer is matte and beige in color. Right away, I was concerned about the chemically floral notes Read more

You've undoubtedly heard that Preparation H under the eyes acts as a depuffer, but have you heard the old wives' tale about using Monistat on the face as a makeup primer? You read it right. Throughout my Prime Time series, I've experimented with primers of all sorts, and since I've been hearing so much about how wonderfully this lady bits product doubles as a primer, I had to give it a try. The Read more

When it comes to primers, a few standards ring true. The majority are going to have that clear, slippery-to-the-touch feel, and essentially, they're going to do the same thing: create an even surface on the skin. What it all comes down to is personal preference. Do you want matte or satin finish, or something that's silicone- or scent-free? How about the price tag? Maybelline's silicone-based Read more

As mentioned before throughout the Prime Time series, most primers possess that telltale gel-like, slippery feel. And while it's rare to find a primer that's creamy, CoverGirl & Olay's Simply Ageless Serum Primer ($14) stands out from the rest for that very reason. Touted as an antiaging moisturizer and foundation primer, this dual-branded prepper is perfect for those who love multitasking Read more

After sampling several primers for our Prime Time series, I had become used to that slightly gel-like, greasy-feeling-at-first, somewhat off-putting texture that many of them have. Not so with L'Oréal's Studio Secrets Professional Secret Magic Perfecting Base ($13), which feels similar to a creamy balm. The pink base fades into a colorless finish after application. While it doesn't look like Read more

So far, in my Prime Time series, I haven't met a primer I didn't like. Today, let's look at Bare Escentuals' BareVitamins Prime Time Foundation Primer ($21). Prime Time is your standard evens-out-the-skin kind of formula, but what makes it different from the rest is that it's free from silicone, oil, or fragrance. Designed to be worn under Bare Escentals' ever-popular mineral foundation, I used Read more

Remember when it was mascara madness a few months ago? Well now, it's "prime time" here at Bella. Over the next few weeks, I'll be reviewing lots of new primers. The majority of these premakeup products contain silicone to make them glide over the skin smoothly, but not Purple Lab NYC's Pearlesque Show Primer ($30). Yet did that missing ingredient hinder its performance? Find out when you read Read more

Come Fall, the only recognizable thing about The CW's schedule will be The Vampire Diaries. Everything else is getting a major overhaul. While the network is keeping a lot of their series, nearly all of them are shifting times or days. 90210 is moving to Mondays, bumping Gossip Girl back an hour; Hart of Dixie will now be on Tuesdays before the new show Emily Owens, M.D.; and Supernatural has Read more