Primer is one of those beauty essentials that often gets skipped in makeup routines. I know I’m guilty of forgetting if I’m in a rush or doing my makeup on the go. But primer is an important part of every makeup routine because it preps your skin for makeup, giving you smoother skin for a flawless finish. It fills pores, fine lines, and wrinkles to even out your skin texture and it keeps your makeup lasting longer so it looks fresh all day. The best part about primer is that you can use it with or without foundation. So you can use it to even out your skin tone without needing to put on a full face of makeup.
So I’ve put together a list of makeup tips when using primer.
Don’t Skip the Moisturizer
While it may not seem like a ‘primer’ tip, moisturizing is an important part of prepping your face for makeup. Your face sheds skin cells more rapidly than other parts of your body, so it needs moisture to repair itself. Moisturizing can reduce the development of dry or oily skin. When you don’t moisturize, your skin will work harder to replenish the moisture by secreting oil to your face. And makeup sticks to dry skin, so keeping your skin hydrated is important. Make sure you allow time for the moisturizer to absorb into your skin before applying primer. My favorite moisturizer is this one by Clinique. It is water based so it leaves your skin feeling so smooth and hydrated!
Wait for Primer to Set In
After you apply a pea size amount of primer (remember, less is more!), wait a few minutes before applying your foundation. Similarly to how you want your moisturizer to sink into your skin, you want to let the primer absorb before applying foundation.
Use Anti-Aging Primer
It’s never too early to start taking care of your skin. Primers fill in your fine lines and wrinkles to give your skin a smoother and more youthful appearance. But some primers also offer anti-aging ingredients to help protect and repair your skin. This Cover FX anti-aging primer and this Charlotte Tilbury Wonderglow primer include ingredients that protect against premature aging as well as support skin repair and collagen production. Although if you use anti aging skin care products, you could use a regular primer.
Control Oil + Make Pores Disappear
If you suffer from oily skin, then you will want a primer that controls oil. And unfortunately, oily skin and large pores kind of go hand in hand. So you might want to choose a primer that fills in your pores to even out skin texture and give you a smooth surface. My favorite oil free, pore filling primer is this Smashbox Photo Finish primer. But some of my other favorite oil free primers that are great for hiding pores are the:
Use Blur Primers for an Airbrushed Finish
Blurring primers use light reflecting technology to created a blurred effect on your skin. This creates an incredibly smooth finish, hiding your pores, fine lines, and smoothing uneven skin texture for a photoshopped appearance. This YSL primer is my favorite blur primer, but a more affordable drugstore option is this Maybelline one!
Boost Skin Hydration
If you suffer from dry skin, or just want a more dewy finish, use a hydrating primer. It’s an extra boost of moisture and hydration for your skin while giving you a base for your foundation. Look for primers that contain Glycerin or Hyaluronic Acid. My favorites are the Marc Jacobs Coconut Primer and the Too Faced Replenishing Hangover primer. Both are extremely hydrating and they smell great!
Use Multiple Primers
Some of the pore filling primers are thicker or heavier, so you won’t need to use them all over your face. Instead, use different primers for different parts of your face. For example use the Smashbox Photo Finish primer in your t-zone to fill in your pores and then the Too Faced Hangover primer to hydrate the rest of your face.
Match Your Products
When picking your primer and foundation, make sure you choose products that are compatible. Oil and water don’t mix, they separate. The same thing will happen on your face if you use an oil or silicone based primer and a water based foundation. So make sure that you pick products with the same base to keep your makeup from separating on your face!
Prevent Under Eye Creasing
To prevent under eye creasing, apply primer under your eyes. Look up and gently dab the primer under your eye with your finger.
Color Correct with Tinted Primers
Color correcting is all about knowing the colors on the color wheel. Use a green tinted primer to neutralize redness. Blue and lavender shades help with sallowness. And pink or peach shades brighten dull skin and blue veins (under eye area). This Stila palette has all the colors you need to color correct. Or you can buy individual colors from Smashbox or Urban Decay.
Use it On Your Eyes
Applying primer on your eyelids helps reduce eyeshadow creasing and helps the shadow to last longer. I like to dab any leftover primer oton my eyelids and then use an eyeshadow primer. I’ve been using this Too Faced eyeshadow primer. To set your primer, lightly dab it with a light or skin colored eyeshadow.
Hopefully these tips helped you and you learned something new! What’s your favorite primer?
Hi Catherine – thanks for the primer tips! I was a lost cause prior to this…. Do you know anything about Retinol Creams? I recently was reading an article and Sephora made me want to go broke over them (perhaps that was their intent)….
Oops hi Courtney! Your comment didn’t pop up in my notifications! I’m glad this post helped you out! Unfortunately I haven’t used any Retinol Creams, but I guess I’ll have to look into them!