Review: Face Primers

The main purpose of putting on a foundation primer is:

• to prep skin for application of foundation. It does this by creating a smooth canvas to work on - filling in wrinkles and smoothing out fine lines.
• It also diminishes the look of enlarged pores but covering and filling in uneven skin texture.
• Another good thing is it reduces shine on oily skins and can sometimes even out skin tone. For drier skins, it helps to keep it hydrated throughout the day.
• Primers also helps to keep your makeup stay on your skin longer with less need for touch ups.
• Finally, you will end up using less makeup because instead of your foundation absorbing right into your skin, the primer acts like a base for your foundation to adhere to.

I use a makeup primer everyday and it really makes a huge difference from beginning to end. I highly recommend it for long days when you don't have time for touching up or reapplying your makeup. Here are three of my primers that I have been using for while now and in my opinion, they are all good products. But it might work differently on your skin. You just need to find one that works just for you:)

For all the makeup looks I used:

• Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream #23
• MAC Moisturecover Concealer
• Laura Mercier Mineral Powder

Pictures were taken at 7am, 10am and 3pm for photos 1,2 & 3 respectively.

DAY 1
Philosophy Never Let Them See You Shine

This product is for oily, blemish prone skin (me!) and claims to give a velvety, matte finish. The makeup went on smooth with no problems with application. Its like a gel and dries up instantly on your skin and ready for foundation straight away! Looked great in the morning and at 10am it was still not oily or cakey. However I think the shiny nose effect was starting to come through at 2pm onwards. (photo 3) Overall it was a good product and reduced shine for up to 6 hours and the makeup stayed on all day with a bit of shine at the end of the day.

Day 2

Nars Makeup Primer

My favourite primer ever! This product is very light, fast absorbing and soothes the skin so its great if you have red, inflamed areas. My makeup looked even and flawless without the caking but it doesn't cut out shine completely (I don't know if any primer can help my oily t-zone!) but it certainly does help your makeup stay on long. I like using this when I have bad breakouts and it works wonders on flaky bits on the skin so your makeup looks smooth.

Day 3
Laura Mercier Foundation Primer

I think this primer was the least favourite out of the three. It is a great base for makeup and it creates a flawless finish but the makeup didn't look fresh after only 3 hours! By 10am I was already an oil slick and by 3pm I looked like I ran a marathon. Given the money I paid for this product I would assume it would work better than the other three. Overall it was a basic primer with no surprising magical results. I wouldn't repurchase this product in the future.

I hope this review will help you find your perfect primer! If you have any recommendations I would love to hear it! Have a great weekend:)