- Mattifying primer that serves as the wall between sebum (skin’s natural oil) and foundation. It prevents skin from looking shiny and therefore suitable for oily skin.
- Primer covering uneven texture, for those who have acne scars, large pores or other skin texture issues. Most of these primers use as main ingredient Dimethicone to fill out the uneven spots in the skin.
- Primer increasing makeup longevity.
- Illuminating primer that helps to make dull, dry skin appear healthier, it gives skin more or less dewy finish (depends on amount of primer and how you apply).
- Primer combatting redness. It tends to have greenish undertone and should be applied only on specific area where the redness appears.
Lot of primers combine some of the qualities mentioned above, e.g. mattifying primer may have Dimethicone as one of the main ingredients so it not only mattifies but also evens out skin texture as well.
Application
Before applying any makeup, you should prepare your skin well. Peeling and moisturizing is a good start. Let the moisturizer soak for some minutes (I let it work in for 10 minutes before starting with makeup application) and then apply face primer (or go straight to the foundation if you don’t need primer). After primer application you should also allow some time to let it set before going to the next step. If you apply primer having Dimethicone you should only gently blend foundation over it since it tends to move, especially if you don’t let it sit on the skin for a while.
I have mostly dry skin, so most of the year I use illuminating primers. If my foundation is medium or full coverage I mix the primer with foundation otherwise it would not be visible due to higher foundation coverage. If you have sheer or low coverage foundation you can just put it under the foundation and it’s enough to show. Illuminating primer can also serve as highlighter on specific parts of face if you don’t intend to use powder one.
I also use primer to increase longevity of my foundation since most of the foundations suitable for dry skin are not long-lasting at all.
As we get to the warmer part of the year I will also grab mattifying primer for my T-zone which serves also to hide my large pores around the nose. This primer is also nice for photography purposes.
Primers I recommend:
Application
Before applying any makeup, you should prepare your skin well. Peeling and moisturizing is a good start. Let the moisturizer soak for some minutes (I let it work in for 10 minutes before starting with makeup application) and then apply face primer (or go straight to the foundation if you don’t need primer). After primer application you should also allow some time to let it set before going to the next step. If you apply primer having Dimethicone you should only gently blend foundation over it since it tends to move, especially if you don’t let it sit on the skin for a while.
I have mostly dry skin, so most of the year I use illuminating primers. If my foundation is medium or full coverage I mix the primer with foundation otherwise it would not be visible due to higher foundation coverage. If you have sheer or low coverage foundation you can just put it under the foundation and it’s enough to show. Illuminating primer can also serve as highlighter on specific parts of face if you don’t intend to use powder one.
I also use primer to increase longevity of my foundation since most of the foundations suitable for dry skin are not long-lasting at all.
As we get to the warmer part of the year I will also grab mattifying primer for my T-zone which serves also to hide my large pores around the nose. This primer is also nice for photography purposes.
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| (from left to right) Benefit Highbeam, Yves Rocher Perfect base, Elisabeth Arden Let there be a light, Benefit Porefessional, Clinique Pore refine solution |
- To mattify and even out skin texture: Benefit Porefessional (at Sephora, at Inno in Belgium), Clinique Pore Refining solution (at Sephora, at Inno, in Slovakia in perfumeries), L’Oreal Studio Secrets face primer, Catrice Prime and Fine, Rimmel London Stay Matt primer.
- To illuminate your skin: Benefit Highbeam (at Sephora, at Inno), NARS Illuminator (at Sephora), Elisabeth Arden Let there be a light (at eu.strawberrynet.com, amazon.com), L’Oreal Magique Lumi.
- To increase makeup longevity: Yves Rocher Perfect primer (so far the best primer for makeup longevity issues I’ve ever tried).
