What is a primer?
These products act as a partially permeable membrane between the skin and the make-up. They allow the skin to breathe while also stopping dirt, oil and make-up from being absorbed (making your skin look and feel dirty and also causing spots and blackheads). As if this wasn’t wonderful enough, they also create an optimum base for the make-up to adhere to, giving a smooth, even and long-lasting finish. If your face ever feels dirty, itchy or like it needs a cleanse half way through the day, or if your make-up flakes, goes patchy or moves around then you are a prime candidate.
Primers can also have added benefits for specific skin types:
- Hydrating – for dry or dehydrated skins. Ideal if you work in an air-conditioned environment.
- Oil-Free/Mattifying – for shiny, oily or combination skins. However, if you have combination skin then stick to oil-free.
- Illuminating – good for people with dull complexion, usually caused by uneven skin surface. Be careful with lined areas.
- Silicon – fills in open pores, lines and wrinkles. Smoothes surface texture of skin.
Most of these benefits are also available in foundations, however it is unlikely that you will need both products doing the same thing (for example illuminating primer AND illuminating foundation). Except in the case of those of you with very dry or dehydrated skin, then you may want both products to be hydrating.
