Beauty Blunders: Volume 1 - Primers

After having drinks with a friend the other night and hearing her say "what's a primer?", I realized this is not the first time I've heard the question, and definitely won't be the last. But to me, I nearly choked on my drink. "HOW ARE YOU LIVING?!" Came to mind... A primer can change the whole base of your face while you apply your makeup, and how your shit's gonna last throughout your day (or night). So here, my beauty blundresses, is your guide to everything you need to know about primers. And also, some of my shameless recommendations of course.

In painting, a house or a canvas, a primer is considered a base coat for the paint you're about to apply. Picture that same mentality for your makeup. Primers can even out, prepare and even blur imperfections on your skin before you apply foundation or bb cream or whatever you use. They can come in many forms, either a gel or cream or liquid substance, and honestly, I apply mine with CLEAN fingers, but you can use a brush as well. Primers can be water-based, mineral-based or silicon-based, which you can choose what works for you. Most primers also have the added bonus of SPF in them, which you should be rocking daily people! There are also different finishes in various primers, skin color adjusting, mattefying, etc. and I switch mine up depending on the look I am going for.

An illuminating primer, such as That Gal by Benefit or Magic Lumi will brighten and infuse your makeup with a good type of shine and luminosity. I really like That Gal, but it is pinky toned, as brightening primers tend to be, so you might have to try out a few to see what works with your skin. I enjoy illuminating primers when I'm aiming for a dewy and bright look to my makeup.

A poreless or sometimes mattefying primer is my usual go-to option. A popular choice is Benefit's Porefessional, which is a flesh-toned cream, but I tend to go between my two favorites, high-end being Tarte's Clean Slate Poreless Primer and the (newer) Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser. Each of these are a clear, gel like consistency and feel like pearls when rubbed on the skin. They really give the effect of that "photoshopped" blurred skin look, minimizing pores and evening out and inconsistencies. These mattefying primers seem to work best with oily-to normal skin, so as not to cling to patchy areas of dry skin, but I do have dry skin episodes myself at times, and I can just use the primer in the areas I need to blur out, rather than over my entire face.

For dry skin, I've enjoyed the Laura Geller Spackle Primer on my winter days, but I don't find this to have the greatest longevity. I also have tried a sample of the Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Primer which I think is a great option, definitely lighter weight, as are all Smashbox primers (love!). I am obsessing over the Laura Mercier Radience Bronze Primer currently, which is really smooth and hydrating, with a bronzing tone to it, which really gives you a nice amount of color to your base, which is readily welcomed in this bleak season!

Guess what people, it doesn't stop with the skin. There's also the best thing since sliced bread, EYESHADOW primer. If you are wearing any form of eye makeup beyond mascara, liquid or gel liner, eyeshadow, matte or shimmer or smoky or neutral, you can not achieve optimum results without the holy grail item of eyeshadow primer. They can even out your eyelid color, reduce oilyness (which often leads to creasing or smudging eyeshadow) and even intensify the color of your product. There are two extremely popular eyeshadow primers starting with the Urban Decay Primer Potion, which comes in four finishes, I use Eden, a nude matte finish, and there's also Sin, a champagne shimmer, Greed, a yellow-gold, and Original, a clear drying nude. Second is Too Faced Shadow Insurance, which is lightweight and crease proof. If you're on a budget.... too bad, these are literally the be-all, end-all. Just kidding, but they're really the best. Perhaps try out the Elf Mineral Eyeshadow Primer, which I find to work pretty well and is only $1.00!! I also occasionally use eyeshadow bases, such as MAC Paint Pots or Maybelline Color Tattoos, but that's a whole other post. Prime on, ladies!