Whether you’re new to the glorious world of make-up-o-philia or an old hat, you’ve definitely heard that a well made up face begins with primer.
What on earth is primer? Well, it’s a gel that when applied to clean skin, helps to prepare the face for make up application. It works by smoothing and evening out skin’s surfaces and creating a solid and even base upon which make up can easily adhere. It also serves to help make up stay in place longer, so you don’t have to worry about beige streaks coming off on your man’s collar.
Use primer if:
~You’re in a sitch where perfect make up is a must, such as a job interview, an event you’re hosting or a night on the town where you may possibly run into your ex and you darn well better look smashing
~You have sensitive skin and sometimes experience irritation with your normal make up. Primer adds a layer of insulation and protection between make up and skin.
~You have oily skin, and want to reduce T zone shine
~You have uneven skin texture, so make up, particularly liquid, looks different on your cheeks than on your forehead
How to use it:
~Wash/clean your face
~Put on your favorite facial moisturizer, such as Clinique’s Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion.
~Follow up with primer on cheeks, forehead and around the eyes.
~For the lids itself, use a lid primer, specially formulated to sensitive eye area skin and designed to help maintain the balance of foundation, powder, liner and shadow all in one place.
Personally, I don’t use primer for every day make up wear, because I don’t care, but many would say that’s blasphemy and akin to foregoing moisturizer. For me, it’s one less thing I need to put on my face on a regular basis, but I certainly put it on if I’m going out.
And how about some actual product recommendations? You got it!
Smashbox, the self proclaimed primer authority has several delightful facial, lip, and eyelid primers to choose from. The classic Photo Finish Foundation Primer is an excellent place to begin for those unfamiliar to primer. A long running and well established formula, this high quality product feels light on the skin and brings a silky finish to the face, establishing an excellent canvas to build on.
With four different options including classic, oil free, mineral and hydrating to choose from Laura Mercier’s light, water based primers offer excellent coverage for all your priming needs. This is a vitamin infused formula that aims to protect the skin from the elements as well as from the harmful effects of make up.
Interested in going easier on the wallet? Revlon makes a perfectly good primer that isn’t as 
vitamin infused or as runway rad as as the previous two, but still certainly gets the job done. Better yet its available at your local drug store for $12 bucks, making it way cheaper than the fancier brands.
These are just 3 suggestions for primers, but my main goal was to answer some questions about what primer is and why the heck we use it. There are tons of excellent primers out there, and I would love to hear your personal recs.
My final comment is absolutely pertinent to brown girls: what about those tinted primers?
The short answer is that they’re a no-go. Primers are a relatively young product on the make up scene, compared to say, lipstick. So, we’re not really seeing a lot of primers that are tinted appropriately for darker skin. A clear primer will work on your natural coloring. If you’re interested in reducing discoloration or brightening under-eye areas, which are common reasons for using tinted primers, I’d suggest other products to achieve the effect. A wrongly tinted primer starts the whole canvas off all wrong, and we, lades and gentlewomen, are masterpieces waiting to happen.
Happy priming!
Via
