I’m going to tell you what you’re probably not going to want to hear. No, pores don’t permanently shrink. You can’t banish blackheads forever, unless your skin somehow stops secreting natural oils. Even genes play a role in pore size!

What you can do is maintain it as much as possible. That is, cleanse properly, and use treatment products like chemical exfoliators to clean deep within pores and curb excess sebum production. Maintaining means minimizing the number of blackheads and reducing the visibility of pores, which can result in a smooth, clean, soft complexion that you're gunning for.

Another way to minimize the visibility of pores is to use a primer. Primers are a great way to create a smooth canvas prior to makeup application and to make your color cosmetics (mainly powder-based products) last longer throughout the day sans touchups.

A pearlized primer that goes on great alone or under foundation.

There is a special primer that I curated recently on Soko Glam (and for my Birchbox On Trend: Korean Beauty box) that you should all know about. True to the Korean beauty philosophy, it isn’t just a primer to make a smooth canvas, but it also has a ton of skin care benefits (including sun protection)- all geared towards getting you that dewy glow.

We all have those days that we look a bit sallow and tired, and you’re going to need a little beauty hack to get you through the day without someone telling you that you look sick. This is where the IPKN Flash Cream Radiant Primer comes in!

Because it’s a primer that is pearlized with pearl powder, it really catches the light to create that lit-from-within look. I love how perky and awake my skin looks with this on!

I reach for the IPKN primer for my day-to-day look, especially for those good skin days I want to show off my skin. That's when I wear it alone without any foundation on top. The texture is light and silky, and sits nicely on top of my skin without feeling tacky or oily. When I am having a not-so-awesome skin day, I wear it under foundation as a base for extra SPF protection and to get me looking healthy, bright and moisturized.

Korean women love that effortless look, but if it’s one thing I know about K-beauty, it sure ain’t effortless! These types of tinted, pearlized primers are the perfect step in looking glowy and silky smooth (whether you are on top of your skin game, or not).

What are your thoughts? Have you tried the IPKN Flash Cream Radiant Primer? What primer do you swear by?