Primer

Priming the face before makeup application is such an important step in ensuring the best looking, and long lasting makeup look. Priming for most people I know, seems like such an unnecessary step and feels like an un-needed layer that they feel doesn't do anything. That is simply because they just haven't found the right one, and one that also sits well under their regular foundation they use. Priming does so much more than one thinks. It not just a product to help makeup stay on longer. It also helps in smoothing the skin from fine lines and wrinkles, blurring out pores, preparing and prepping the skin for the best canvas you can give your foundation to do its job on. It's exactly the same as painting your walls. You wouldn't paint over a dark purple wall straight with bright yellow before priming it white. You wouldn't get its truest colour if you did that. Patches of purple would come through and distort the colour just like pores, fine lines and oil would come through your foundation base without priming it first. There are so many primers out on the market, in many different formulas and textures, some with extra added benefits but all still doing 1 main job. Priming.  I get asked all the time which primer I love and recommend, and although I have my favourites, I can never recommend just one. Everybody's skin is different, and as I mentioned before, each primer sits different under many different foundations. Some simply work better under certain foundations than others I have found, so its a bit of trial and error in finding the perfect one that goes with your beloved foundation that you use time and time again. It may seem like a hassle in finding the right primer for you, but believe me when I say, once you do, it makes all the difference.

To help in your search, I have put together my 4 most used primers, that I find work wonders under most foundations I have used on myself and others over the years.

Dermalogica Skinperfect Primer - My most used. It has a light tint of colour that goes away when blended, which I really like over clear ones since you can see the spots where you have already applied it. It blurs pores like a dream and makes makeup stay on all day while making the skin still look smooth and flawless. It lasts all day on actors working 17 hours on set, and thats why it has me going back to it time and time again. My most favourite part about this one is that it also contains SPF 30 without creating any photo flashback. It eliminates shine without making the skin matte, giving you a glow from within base.

MAC Matte Primer - I have been using this product for years underneath foundations as well as on top to help with eliminating shine. It's a silicone based primer that acts like a powder and works great on every skin type. It gives a matte finish with a velvet like texture. A forever kit staple!

IT Cosmetics Serum Collagen Veil Anti-Aging Primer - Baby soft skin in a bottle! A hydrating primer and serum in one! Absorbs into the skin quickly without any greasy residue while diffusing the appearance of visible pores without settling into fine lines and wrinkles. Inside of the little magical bottle includes 10 essential oils and butters, 10 nourishing botanicals, 30 fruit and plant based extracts plus powerful antioxidants and vitamins. They all work together to provide optimal hydration and age prevention while keeping your skin luminous, supple, and healthy looking!

Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer - An oil free primer with SPF 15 that gives the skin a silky, airy like texture, creating the perfect canvas for a smooth makeup application while also reducing the look of redness, pores and wrinkles. It has a very liquidy consistency, similar in texture to a face sunscreen making it really easy to blend in and quickly absorbing.

I hope this helps in finding the right primer for you, and encourages you to use one. Your foundation will thank you for it! 

x Ashley