How I Figured Out What the Dickens “Primer” Was

Now, I’ve mentioned the site before, but MakeupGeek did a lot of the legwork in guiding me through a phase what was basically a blind man navigating a Tom and Jerry cartoon. Through that site, I learned a lot about what the various products were and what they did and why I did or didn’t need them. Handy.

It is how I came to know about a weird thing called primer.

This is something I had never heard of prior to the start of this girly little journey (apart from it being a book detailing the key principles of a subject) but from Makeup Geek to all kinds of other sites and blogs, all seemed to agree: you don’t need primer, but you should use it.

Basically, I have discovered that it is something you whack on your face before any makeup to help your makeup stay in place. Now, I’m thinking: why the hell doesn’t the foundation do this bit as well? The answer I found was that apparently, different skintypes can mean that all types of foundation behave differently on your face. By using a primer, you’re giving all those different types of makeup a relatively neutral “slate” on which to work.

On top of that, primer also helps fill in fine lines (which I don’t have) and reduce the appearance of large pores (which I have ALL OVER MY NOSE), smoothing out your skin so that when your foundation goes on top of it, it doesn’t sink into your face-craters and look weird. Instead, your foundation should go on smooth over a good primer, which thereby helps makes your skin look smooth, too.

These are just the basic functions of primer. There are primers that are formulated to also help mattify your skin (i.e., make it look less oily), control oil on your skin, moisturize your skin, and few super expensive ones that even fight acne while you’re wearing it. Neat.

Awesome, I now know what primer is and that I should get it… but what should I get, given that there are so many to choose from?

Being that it is a product that is going right on my face, I figured deciding to account for the sensitive nature of my skin was a good place to start. On recommendations from both MakeupGeek and users at MakeupAlley.com and Sephora.com, I wandered up to the Clinique counter at my local department store. The price for the Clinique Pore Minimizer? $42 (versus the $17.50 RRP in the USA). Fuck THAT.

They did have a slightly cheaper option that the sales assistant said was great for oil control and sensitive skin, so I picked that up and used it a few times. MISTAKE. Turns out, it has a sheer tint to it that actually made my skin several shades lighter, which in turn made my foundation look lighter, which in turn made me look like I had just had a pale face transplanted on a tanned neck and shoulders. (Embarrassing yet hilarious sidebar: I didn’t realize this until I had already used it a few times. Hah.)

So, LESSON LEARNED: don’t buy shit you don’t know anything about. More research ensued. I explored every affordable option that was meant to be available here in Australia but either I couldn’t find it in stores (Face of Australia, damn youuuu), I didn’t like how it made my skin feel, or it was not suitable for sensitive skin. I decided I might actually have to check out my original choice, until I wandered into the MAC counter just for shits and giggles and asked one of their makeup artists if they could help me out with some makeup tips. They said sure, have a seat, we’ll sort you out, what did I want them to help me with?

I said: can you please show me an efficient way to put on face makeup?

First thing they did? They covered my face in MAC’s Prep+Prime Skin Primer. One pump of the bottle was all it took and suddenly my face ended up feeling like velvet. I quickly checked the ingredients list: no known skin irritants there. The price? Higher than I would’ve liked, but on seeing how little it took to get my skin feeling THAT amazing, the bottle should last a good while, and yes, I am still using that SAME bottle right now! No breakouts, good oil control and while it does add a touch of shimmer to the face, I’ve found that it actually made me look more awake! Neat.

TIPS AND TRICKS

Primers come in all kinds of weird forms: creams, gels, foams, and all kinds of weird textures in between. Some are tinted (in which case you’ll have to make sure you get the right match for your skintone) and others are not.

The very best advice I can give was already imparted in this post: do your research. Know what you want from your primer (do you want it to control oil? control breakouts? correct uneven skintone? moisturize?) and then find a primer in your price range that helps you do that.

THEN, check reviews online for that product. There are TONS out there; you’ll have to figure out for yourself which ones are most relevant to you, but sometimes it’s nice to have feedback from people who’ve actually used it!

Where you can, use testers, and use them as you would the actual product: all over the face, not just one patch. If you have the time, wait a few hours (or even a full day), gauge how the product has done, then go back for it if you liked it. Hey, it’s time-consuming, but it’s better than wasting money!

It’s entirely possible that you might use different primers for different occasions or even with different foundations, but for my part sticking with one is enough, particularly since I’m still a beginner.