Can Benefit’s “PORE”fessional Really Make Pores Disappear?

I’ve spent a lot of my adult life looking for products that will shrink my pores. Or at least the appearance of them, since everyone has so lovingly told me that my pores will always be huge. Recently, a few friends recommended Benefit’s POREfessional to me, claiming that it hides the appearance of pores when foundation alone doesn’t quite do the trick. So I went out and got it to put it to the test.

What Benefit says about POREfessional: “Quickly minimize the appearance of pores & fine lines for smoother-than-smooth skin! Apply this silky, lightweight balm alone, under or over makeup. Translucent, oil-free formula complements all skintones and helps makeup stay put. Contains a Vitamin E derivative, known to protect skin from free radicals.”

Price: $29.00 USD (Order it on Sephora.com)

My face pre-POREfessionalized (yes, that’s a word)

The package says that Benefit’s POREfessional can be applied either under foundation or on top of it. I opted to use it under to see how well it actually works.

Benefit POREfessional

I used about a pea-sized amount, maybe slightly larger. The directions say to pat it into the skin, rather than rub, so pat pat pat away I went across my nose and cheeks.

The result:

Not bad, I suppose. Benefit’s claim was that POREfessional would hide my pores completely, and as you can see… they’re still pretty visible. Not nearly as visible as before, however, so that’s something.

I put my foundation and finishing powder on next:

(Too bad it couldn’t hide the dry skin next to my nose)

Actually, that’s pretty good. Like I said, my foundation (MakeUp Forever HD Foundation) does a pretty good job at hiding them, but when combined with Benefit’s POREfessional it actually almost makes them invisible.

The final veridct

I do wish that it had actually completely hidden my pores, as Benefit promised. And since I’m spending $29, I don’t think that’s unreasonable of me. But I would definitely recommend this for anyone whose foundation doesn’t quite do the job. It’s non-greasy and very light, so it doesn’t feel like I have any extra makeup on, and you could always add more POREfessional on top of your foundation if you feel you need a more coverage.

Do you have pesky visible pores that won’t disappear? What do you do to get rid of them, have you tried POREfessional? Leave us a comment!

Written by Alisse Desrosiers
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