Face make-up Primer: necessary or not?

Every day I go through the motions putting on several layers of make-up to look how I deem to be presentable a.k.a. cover up my skin blemishes. Overall I find make up to be very enjoyable and fun to buy new products and try new things. The fun things though are colorful products that make a visible change i.e. blush, eye shadow, lipstick. Trying out new foundations and concealers isn’t that fun for me so the thought of using a primer was just annoying; how much difference could an invisible cream make? The answer: a lot.

A primer is a type of lotion or crème that is supposed to even out your skin’s texture to make foundation application easier and more blend able; it is also supposed to make your foundation (and thus the rest of your make up laying on top) last longer. There are many primers on the market now, though the influx of primers is fairly new, and although you will have to shell out more than five bucks for a jar there are many different price points. A very popular primer is Benefit’s “The Porefessional” that costs about $30 a tube and is in line with many prestige brands. I cannot afford to spend as much on a primer so instead I opted for the Revlon Photoready Perfecting Primer that costs about $12.

To apply a primer it is important to apply a very thin layer or it may clump with your foundation causing a cake-y appearance to your make-up. Primer is to be applied after moisturizer but before foundation. Primers can also be used on their own for their oil absorbing qualities.

I wanted to try a primer after I noticed my make-up slipping and degrading on my face in the summer heat and I have to say, it definitely fixed those problems. Since I started to use the primer I noticed less try spots when I apply my foundation and by the end of the day I see no degradation or disintegration of my make-up and my face is much less oily than without the primer.

Overall, I am very impressed with my primer and will continue to use it throughout the summer. When winter comes I may stop using it because I find my make-up doesn’t break up on my face like in the heat, but I may use it for the easier application of my make-up.