I would like to say that I took the $52 plunge into the pink marshmallow cushion that is Tatcha Silk Canvas Protective Primer after exhaustive research and a multi-year odyssey for the elusive skin-perfecting primer. But this is not that story. Instead, all it took was three sentences uttered by Jenn Streicher, dutifully reported by Emily Ferber and I was sold. My prior experience with face primers can be summed up with the stash at the back of my bathroom cabinet where dozens of barely-used samples go to die. What’s the point? I always thought. A primer isn’t skin care, it isn’t makeup, why do I need this extra step in my life? Nothing I had halfheartedly smeared on to date made me a believer.

So why was I so easily convinced with that subtle nudge? Well, when I came across the article in question, I was in the middle of an overhaul of my extremely tired makeup routine for a big event: making the transition from tinted moisturizers to full-on foundation. If I was going to succeed in achieving more coverage without suddenly aging myself another decade, I was going to need some help.

Using the Tatcha Silk Canvas is an experience. In fact, if other primers are neither skin care nor makeup, Tatcha has managed to make its primer both. A “rice-sized amount” covers your entire face with gentle dabs to create a weightless silk veil between your skincare and makeup while enhancing both.

Underneath, my serums (Niod Copper Amino Isolate + Hyaluronic Complex and Biologique Recherche Complexe Iribiol) and moisturizer (either Tonymoly Timeless Ferment Snail Cream or Dr. Jart Ceramidin Cream) are safely tucked in to work their magic all day, and above, I have a smooth surface. It gently blurs imperfections and dulls the high-gloss moisturizer shine without fully matifying. While I intended to use Tatcha Silk Canvas only on Dior Air Nude Serum Foundation days, I have fallen so hard that I will even use it under my old standby Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer. The effect is flawless.

—Kate Zolotkovsky

Kate works in education in New York City, where she lives with her husband and three young daughters. An avid ITG loyalist, she never dares to spend a beauty dollar without excessively searching the archives.

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