By BR Tabatha
Oh primer, what would we do without you? Actually for a long time there a fair few of us did seem to do without you but in recent years you’ve exploded over our beauty shelves showing us the error of our ways. Beauty Review has been loud and proud in our view of ‘it’s a crime not to prime’ but we also think it’s a crime not to prime with a primer to suit your needs. So what kind of primers are out there and why might you need them? Read on…
The primer to first catch our eye was Benefit’s Porefessional, a primer designed to fill pores. Pore filling primers minimise the look of pores and fine lines while creating a smooth base on which to apply your foundation. Many contain silicone, which while wonderful for creating a beautiful base may not be best for those who are prone to breakouts as it can be clogging to the pores.
Speaking of breakouts, if you suffer from spots why not put your primer to work while it helps your foundation? Look for a product that contains salicylic acid, like Smashbox’s Photo Finish More Than Primer Blemish Control, as salicylic acid works to prevent pores clogging whilst helping heal your skin.
If you love looking radiant than an illuminating primer will be right up your alley. Illuminating primers often contain light-reflecting and/or skin restoring ingredients that work to give your skin a luminous glow. The most famous example would probably be Clarins Beauty Flash Balm, which even gets the royal seal of approval from our very own Queenie!
If too much illumination is your problem, in other words your skin is on the oily side, a mattifying primer may well be your must-have. Mattifying primers work to keep oil at bay so your face doesn’t slip off half way through the day. Our pick? We hit up the Beauty Review primer section to see what our oily-skinned beauties thought and Youngblood Mineral Primer got the big tick, meanwhile the interweb sees many raving about Too Faced Primed and Poreless.
Skin dull? Is redness an issue? Pick up a colour correcting primer. Colour correcting primers can reduce the look of redness, brighten up dull looking skin, even help hide things like age spots and those bruised-looking under-eye patches you get when you’ve had a rough nights sleep. The NYX Studio Perfect Photo-Loving Primer range features specific primers to work with your concerns or if you’ve a whole bundle of concerns Stila’s One Step Correct may just be the ticket.
So have you got your primer down pat? Are you yet to find one that works right for you? Any recommendations to share? Get chatting!
Looking for a nice hydrating primer for dry skin, which can smooth out the foundation nicely without showing my fine expression lines...