Saturday, February 12, 2011

Primers

The basis of primers is simple. As with anything, makeup goes on better when you prime the skin. You need a smooth even base to provide smooth even makeup. Primers even out your skin, and keep oil away from the surface so you have a nice even smooth canvas to place makeup on! Makes sense right? Just imagine rubbing a thin layer of olive oil on your hand, and then trying to put powder eye shadow on top and have it look good. No Buenos.

Eye shadow primers are a MUST. Whenever I work at MAC it’s my favourite thing to show people. The difference in eye shadow on bare skin vs on top of eye shadow primer is astounding. The eye shadow primer should be placed from your lashes alllllll the way up to the brow bone! This makes it smooth, even and keeps oil away. Also, eye shadow primers really help amp up the colour, and keep your eye shadow from creasing for hours upon hours. MAC has a few different eye shadow primers but my favourites by far are the paint pots. They come in little glass jars and is just a cream base. You apply a THIN layer from the lashes to the brow and then simply place shadow on top. Now, paint pots come in several different shades. You can get them in blue, black, silver, gold, brown etc. Or simply get a neutral. I like to use coloured paint pots to help bring out the colour. Like a blue paint pot for blue eye shadows. You can also use more then one at a time! I usually use a neutral paint pot all over, and then the coloured one just on the lid. You aren’t really going to want to put a blue or black paint pot up by your brows ;)
Here is what paint pots look like.





eyeshadow on top of painterly paint pot on the left, bare skin on the right.





Another option I have tried is MAC’s paints. Same premise as the paint pots. Just come in a little tube instead. I only own two, one in red and one in green. I apply these on top of my paint pot but you could just use them alone.

Paints.



If you want to go a non mac option, there is always Urban Decays primer potion. This stuff was ok.. I just find you get a small amount, its pretty expensive and the packaging is god awful. You end up losing a lot of money because eventually the wand wont grab onto the stuff stuck to the sides of the tube.

udpp.




Foundation Primer:

 You need foundation primer in order to have your foundation not sink into little lines and wrinkles or just seep in and disappear. There are two options I’ve had great results with.

One is not sold as a primer but has the same ingredients as smashbox’s foundation primer. This stuff is good!! Lots of professional makeup artists have this in their kit as primer. It’s by the makers of Monistat. (yes ladies I know what you are thinking.) I found it in shoppers drug mart. Its actually a chafing remedy or something. Anyways. Small amount all over face, not eyelids. Let it dry for a min. Foundation on top.
Think its just called chafing relief gel.




The other primer I like a lot is of course by MAC. Its their prep and prime face protect, this stuff rocks cause its spf50. No need to ever apply sun block to your face again! Smooth this all over your face, not eyelids, let it dry then apply foundation on top. This stuff acts like velcro to your foundation. I really like this.





Other things to prime your skin:

MAC- fast response eye cream. :
This is my go to in the mornings when I have to do full makeup and my eyes are all puffy and tired. This has lots of good things in it, one key item being CAFFEINE! YES! Go away puffy eyes and dark circles. This works like a charm. Also is moisturizing and helps those dry under eye areas.
fast response eye cream




MAC- strobe cream:
This is sold in a cream and a liquid. I like the cream cause I have drier skin and this goes on nicely. The liquid is nice because it can be mixed in with your moisturizer or foundation. This is basically a very light moisturizer with slight shimmer in it. It brightens up your skin and makes it look dewy and fresh. This is what those movie stars have on to give them their fresh looking skin. I tell no lies.

strobe cream




MAC- prep and prime skin refined zone treatment:
This you really only need a tiny amount. Spread this on areas where you have large pores. It will make them at the very least so small you barely notice them, at best dissapear completely. I put a small amount of this on my cheeks just under my eyes beside my nose, and on my nose. I get a really big difference with this stuff!





That concludes todays makeup lesson primers. ;)
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1 comment:

  1. Hi! I found your blog from the MAC community on LJ :) Just wanted to say that I love the Monistat chafing gel as a primer, too. It's all I ever use any more. Doesn't break me out or make me oily in the summer. And it's cheap!! People look at me like I'm off my rocker when I tell them! LOL :P

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