primer 101: not to prime is a crime

Hey guys!

Apart from a good skincare routine, the one other routine I always always always make sure to follow is to use is a primer. Using a primer as base for your makeup is so important, as not only can it help the longevity of your makeup, or 'blur' certain imperfections, but it can also help your makeup go on more smoothly and blend flawlessly.

I really wanted to do this post, because I feel like primers are so neglected when it comes to a beauty routine. This may be because some feel that primers are a waste of money - and to be perfectly honest, that's down to personal preference and opinion. I have normal to dry skin and notice a HUGE difference when I wear a primer and when I don't. This also may be down to a certain primer not working out for you, which this could again be down to personal preference, but it also could be because you are not using one that is catered to your skin type.

Basically, in this post, I want to talk about all things primer. I will go through each skin type and any other additional needs and imperfections, and give you my opinion on what type of primer you should be looking for. Hopefully, this will help some of you that are looking for a primer that is suited specifically for your skins needs!

SKIN TYPES

DRY SKIN

Basically, if you have dry skin you are going to want to look for primer that is going to hydrate your skin, smooth over any dry patches and provide you with a more luminous, radiant, dewy finish. This is because people with dry skin usually have issues with their foundation sinking into their dry patches and emphasising them, rather than gliding over them, and a matte finish can make your skin looking even more dry and dull.

Luckily, drier skin girls will not usually have an issue with the longevity of their makeup. The issues we normally have is it blending over our skin flawlessly, and making it look less obvious and more natural. Unfortunately, without a rigid skincare routine in place already, it can be quite difficult to get our skin to be completely smooth and hydrated before foundation. But, a primer can help, especially those above that both have hydrating and luminous properties (Bourjois Happy Light Luminous Primer and L'Oreal Lumi Magique Light Infusing Primer), and a silicon primer (pictured below) can also come in handy when going over those pesky dry patches.

People with normal skin can usually get away with using any primer.

OILY SKIN

Ah oily skin. Being completely honest, I do not have a drop of oil in my skin, so I cannot comment on any actual primers that are going to completely control your oil. From what I understand, a good skincare routine in place that really caters towards oily skin will make a huge difference in the . Using an oil on your face at night is supposed to stop your skin from producing excess oils, which could help with keeping your face nice and matte.

Usually, people get oily through their t-zone - their forehead, nose and chin. Basically, for this skin type, you are going to want a primer that keeps your face matte. This means keeping your oils at bay so that they do not seep through your primer and foundation, because this happening can cause your makeup to look patchy, uneven, greasy and can also cause your foundation to oxidise. Checking that a primer is oil free can also help, as it won't be containing any other excess oils. Using a mattifying primer such as the Lorac Porefection Primer or Benefit's PoreFessional can help combat the oil!

Apart from primers, another product that can help you keep the oil at bay is a setting powder. Putting this over your foundation once its set is supposed to help the longevity of your makeup and keep it looking matte. I would recommend carrying it with you throughout the day in case you need to touch up.

COMBINATION SKIN

People with combination skin have exactly that - a combination of dry and oily skin. I really feel for you girls who have this skin type, because not only do have to keep your oil at bay, but you have to also make sure that your foundation is able to glide over any dry patches you may have as well.

What I would recommend is that you use two primers - a mattifying primer for where you are most oily and another primer that smoothes down your drier skin. A silicon based primer, like L'Oreal Studio Secrets Base Magique could be a good option for those dry patches.

SKIN IMPERFECTIONS

REDNESS

This is something that I personally have struggled with for a long time. Basically, there are two ways that I have used to combat the issue. One is to use a whitening BB Cream (like the Skin 79 Super+ BB Cream) which will even out your complexion and provide a little more coverage - or you can use a green based primer. Because red is opposite to green on the colour wheel, using green over any redness you have is a great way to even out your skin tone and balance your redness. Two options that I use often are the Lioele Veil Vita BB Cream in Natural Green and the NYX Photoloving Primer in Green.

Another product I have tried recently is the It Cosmetics Bye Bye Redness. This is a neutralizing crème that is supposed to be used under your foundation. I have been using it both under and as a foundation for a couple of weeks now, and have noticed that my redness is showing up less when I use it.

PORES

Basically, if you have larger pores, your makeup can sink into them and make it obvious that you are wearing foundation. If you suffer from this, you really want to conceal them or blur them in a way that makes them unnoticeable so that your foundation just glides over them. I personally do not have large pores, but I do have big blackheads that like to sit all over my nose. To hide them, I use the Garnier Perfect Blur (review here) which is really inexpensive and does a great job at hiding them. The other more high end purchase that is said to be good for larger pores is the Benefit PoreFessional - I have never tried myself, but have heard rave reviews from people who do have bigger pores.

BLEMISHES

To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure if there are any primers out there that help hide a pimple. Really, the best thing to do if you have any pimples or blemishes is to not put makeup on them until they are free from puss, as putting products on them can actually make the pimple worse. But I understand that we are sometimes impatient for things to heal, so what I suggest is finding a primer with salicylic acid in it. This can help to fight the blemish causing bacteria as well as being a primer for your makeup at the same time. One option is the Smashbox Photofinish More Than Primer which claims to help diminish your pimple while also being a great primer!

That's all for this post! Let me know your thoughts on this - this is my first time tackling a 101 post, and I really wanted to give a thorough explanation (which I hope I did). If you have any questions, feedback or things you think I should add to this post, please let me know down in the comments!

Until next time...

xxxx

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