Make-Up For Beginners #2 - Primers

For my second post in this series - you can read my first post here - I thought I would take a closer look at primers.

For me primers are products that have taken me a while to get into, it's not always something I reach for, especially if I am having a quick make-up day to pop to the supermarket but I do think for any beginner it is necessary to see what all the fuss is about.

Lets talk primers.

1. What Is A Primer?

Very basically a primer preps the skin and leaves an even surface that allows your foundation and other make-up bits to apply to the best of their abilities - bit like priming a wall before painting really. It also provides a certain amount of longevity to these products as well.

Looking at it a bit further primers tend to fill in any fine lines on the skins surface, as well as smoothing out your pores. The benefit of this is that the foundation that you apply doesn't sink into these areas and make everything look uneven. Instead, what you get instead is a beautifully smooth layer or make-up on the skin, with minimal imperfections. At least that's the idea anyway.

Another added bonus can be that if you find your foundation tends to oxidise when it comes into contact with the skin, the primer will act as a barrier and should prevent this from happening - kinda cool eh?

2. How Best To Apply Primer

As with anything there aren't any 'strict' rules to applying primers. On the other hand, I do have some tips to help you get the most out of your product, rather than spending the money and finding it to be a total waste.

• Use a small amount to begin with - you can always add more later
• Ensure that you have a light coverage, you don't want it to be too heavy
• Dot it around the face before you begin to massage it in
• Massage/apply it from the centre of the face to the outside
• Allow it time to soak into the skin before moving on to foundation
• Can be applied with either fingertips/sponge/buffing brush

3. What Primer Do I Buy?

When it comes to buying a primer I wouldn't say that there is a set one to suit all people. There are lots of different primers, to suit lots of different people.

• Silicone/Smoothing Primers
• These kind of primers rest on top of the skin
• They have a slippy consistency which makes the skin feel soft and smooth
• They can be super adherent allowing your foundation to stick to the skin well
• Needs to be removed at the end of the day as they can stick to pores
• Don't use a silicone primer if you use a water based foundation
• Using too much silicone primer can cause your foundation to slide off the face sooner

• Mattifying Primers
• Best for people with oily skin
• Helps to prevent oil coming through the make-up causing the skin to become shiny
• Oily skin types usually mean larger pores so these primers will reduce pore size
• Can help keep breakouts at a minimum if primer has anti-acne type ingredients

• Cream Primers
• Usually best for those with dry skin
• Can contain moisturising ingredients
• Can give you a dewy finish - which is a fancy word for shiny
• Shiny finishes can emphasise any dry flakiness
• Best to look for a light cream texture that provides hydration

• Primers Containing Glycerin
• Glycerin is a skin repairing agent
• Becomes tacky when patted into the skin meaning foundation sticks to it
• Controls oil and minimises pores
• Can be found in products such as Nivea Men's Post Shave Balm and Nivea Daily Essentials Express Hydration Primer

4. Can I Use More Than One?

The very simple answer to this question is - of course you can! You can use as many kinds of primers on your face as it needs. Combination skin cannot find all of its requirements from one product so it can be very useful to apply different ones to the areas that require it.

For example if you have an oily forehead, chin, t-zone etc then you would apply a mattifying  primer to this area alone. You could then apply a hydrating primer to any areas of the face that are dry. It's really up to you and what your skin needs. You know your skin best after all.

5. Are Primers Just For Your Face?
Wouldn't it be so simple if they were, but no, I can confirm for you they aren't. There are many kinds of primers available:

• Facial primer
• Lip primer
• Eye primer
• Eyelash primer
• Brow primer - yes I really am serious

As you can see there are many primers out there but they all work on the same premise. To provide an even base to put make-up on top of. They also work to increase the staying/lasting power of each product!

I hope you have found this small guide to primers helpful. As I have said before i'm not an expert and I don't claim to be. These are just some of the points that I have picked up over the years and I wanted you to all know.

If you think I have missed anything please leave them in comments below.

What primers do you like to use?

Always start with a good base