Product review: Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Pre Foundation Primer versus Face of Australia Face Base Primer

I recently wrote a blog describing how makeup primers work and thought that I'd review a few primers that I have used. I read on the Vogue Forum that the Face of Australia Face Base and the Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Pre Foundation Primer were actually exactly the same. As Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Pre Foundation Primer is about four times the price of the Face of Australia Face Base I thought that I would investigate further to see if they really could be the same product.

About Each Product

Face of Australia Face Base RRP $11.95
Face of Australia state on their website that the Face Base Primer is specially formulated to apply under your foundation to improve your complexion and assist make-up last longer. Face Base Primer contains Vitamin E to nourish and hydrate skin and chamomile to smooth your complexion, leaving it fresher and brighter, ready for foundation application. The Face Base Primer fills fine lines for a more balanced surface, so that your foundation applies evenly and stays on longer for all-day flawless skin.


Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Pre Foundation Primer RRP $49.50
The following description was offered of Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Pre Foundation Primer on their website: “Not to Prime is a Crime!”. Makeup has never had a smoother landing. Get (even more) gorgeous with this gentle, pre-makeup base. Scientifically formulated to allow your makeup to “automatically” glide over the skin, Auto Pilot helps to prime and soothe the complexion for that flawless finish and helps makeup last even longer. Chamomile, Yarrow extract and Vitamin E deliver complexion perfection and instant hydration for all skin types.

The Comparison
I started with the obvious and examined the ingredients for each primer, as listed on the backs of the tubes, side by side.

Face of Australia Face Base	Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Primer
Water (Aqua)	Water (Aqua)
Isopropyl Palmitate	Isopropyl Palmitate
Propylene Grycol	Propylene Grycol
Glycerin	Glycerin
Stearic Acid	Stearic Acid
Dimethicone	Dimethicone
Glyceryl Stearate	Glyceryl Stearate
Triethanolamine	Triethanolamine
Tocopheryl Acetate	Vitamin E (Tocopheryl Acetate)
Achillea Millefolium Extract	Yarrow Extract (Achillea Millefolium)
Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract	Chamomile Extract (Chamomilla Recutita Flower)
Fragrance (Parfum)	Fragrance (Parfum)
Imidazolidinyl Urea	Imidazolidinyl Urea
Carbomer	Carbomer
Methylparaben	Methylparaben
Propylparaben	Propylparaben
Tetrasodium EDTA	Tetrasodium EDTA

As you can see, they are exactly the same. As they are listed in exactly the same order, it is more than likely that the concentrations of each ingredient are the same in both products.

Consistency

I honestly couldn't see or feel any real difference in the consistency of these two primers. Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Primer may have been slightly runnier coming out of the tube but I did not feel a difference applying either of the primers to my face.

Smell
Even the fragrance of the two is very similar - a very stock standard lotion type smell. The Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Primer is the more pleasant of the two, it is a bit more subtle. The Face of Australia Face Base has a slightly cheap plasticy smell to it - though this may have come from the packaging. The smell of both primers fades very soon after application and is not noticeable on the skin.

Packaging

Both primers come in nearly identical 50ml squeeze tubes. The only notable difference, other than the branding, is that the Face of Australia Face Base comes in a tube with a flip top lid whilst the Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Primer has a screw top lid. The flip top lid is more convenient as you don't have to juggle a lid along with the tube when you have the primer on your hand.

Performance
If I had been blinded to the products, ie if I had transferred them to unmarked containers, to do the trial then I honestly don't think that I would have been able to tell which one was which. I had never used either primer before this test so it was a new experience for both. I trialled the Face of Australia Face Base first. I applied it to my freshly cleansed skin, without applying any moisturiser. I left it to dry for a few minutes whilst I did my eye makeup, before applying foundation on top. I don't often wear foundation and ended up being a tad disappointed with the Face of Australia Face Base primer but I think that perhaps my expectations were too high. In terms of helping my foundation last longer, it was fantastic. My skin tends to be a little bit oily and I find my foundation slides off in patches, especially on and around my nose but this didn't happen when I used the Face of Australia Face Base. Where I was disappointed was its ability to create a smooth canvas. One thing I don't like about foundation is that I find that it accentuates the wrinkles around my eyes. I was hoping that a primer would fix this problem and fill in the wrinkles, but it didn't. However, when I used the Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Primer the same thing happened. So, it seems that the wrinkles around the eyes might be too big a task for a primer to fix, especially as it is a high movement area. I found that when I used the Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Primer m foundation also lasted all day and didn't pool or slide off my nose.
Conclusions
I honestly could find no difference between the Face of Australia Face Base and the Napoleon PerdisPerdis Auto Pilot Primer) the only real difference is the price of these two products - with the Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Primer being FOUR times more expensive than the Face of Australia Face Base. For this reason I would choose the Face of Australia Face Base over the  Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Primer; however, believe that if price is not an issue then you would be equally happy with each primer.

All opinions stated in this blog are my own. I have no affiliation with either Face of Australia or Napolean Perdis. I purchased the Face of Australia Face Base with my own money and was lucky enough to win the Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Pre Foundation Primer in a competition on http://www.beautyheaven.com.au/.