Optimal Primer - Bogus or a Necessity?
Towards the end of the nineties, specially with the introduction of Laura Mercier’s Foundation Primer to the market, consumers were now being coached into use pre-foundation product on their skin before starting to apply the rest of their makeup.
Designed to shield the skin from makeup, moisturize it and create a new “pavement” for foundation to adhere on a primer is something that still very few wear.
What is the difference between using a regular moisturizer and a primer?
Most will say “nothing”, but I beg to differ, primer can have multiple other functions like creating a matte canvas, color correction, illuminate, hide pores, even skin-tone, etc etc etc.
A primer will also make sure that your skin doesn’t absorb the foundation mistaking it for nourishment and therefore will prevent your pores from becoming clogged and reduce breakouts.
One of my favourite primers is from Make Up For Ever, they’re called Corrective Makeup Bases and come in a wide array of colors to ensure you will achieve your goal, lighten or warm your skintone, correct redness and rosacea, liven up a yellow and sallow complexion or simply just act as a barrier in its neutral tone. Their All-Mat is also a dream and blends beautifully.
Smashbox also created their Photo Finish primers in oil-free, bronzing, color correcting and lifting varieties to satisfy the consumer’s demand.
While some consider the use of primer everyday a bit too extreme and consider it another layer of a product to their face, depending on what type of makeup you wear and your lifestyle, your job, a primer could ensure your flawless look to stay on for that 8 hour day at the office when you always need to look your freshest, never knowing when you’ll meet a client for a meeting or a business lunch or maybe you take pride in having impeccable makeup throughout the day and this is specially true to everyone who wears foundation.
To us who are mere adepts of concealer and powder then maybe it’s an unnecessary step, but for all those others who put on their faces everyday, primer is a must, so take your pick, there’s a lot to choose from.
