Do you wear makeup on a daily basis? Do you have oily skin? Does makeup keep slipping and sliding around your face through the day? If these sound like issues you deal with then adding a primer to your makeup routine would be beneficial
What Is A Primer
A primer is a makeup product that you apply onto your skin – after moisturiser/sunscreen and before foundation. It acts as a barrier between your skin and the makeup. Typically, a primer is used to brighten, mattify and blur out imperfections and smooth out skin texture while increasing the longevity of your makeup. It smoothens the texture of your skin thereby making your makeup blend in and adhere better. If your makeup tends to look patchy and not blended well in general, applying a primer before applying makeup will greatly affect the way your makeup looks and applies.
Primers are usually made using ingredients like dimethicones and silica among others. These are the ingredients that are responsible for filling in pores, plumping up your skin and making sure your makeup goes on smooth and lasts all day.
Types Of Primers
Depending on your concern and skin type, you can pick a primer that works for you. You can choose between pore-filling, oil-controlling, colour correcting, illuminating and mattifying primers.
If large pores are a concern, a pore-filling primer is your best friend. They have ingredients like dimethicones and silica to fill in your pores and smoothen out the appearance of any textured skin.
Try the Lakme Absolute Blur Perfect Makeup Primer (Rs 533) and the Benefit Cosmetics The POREfessional Face Primer (Rs 1,170)
If oily skin is something that troubles you, an oil-controlling or a mattifying primer will help keep your skin matte and shine-free.
Try the Colorbar New Perfect Match Primer (Rs 638)
Uneven skin? Excessive redness? A colour correcting primer will help neutralise any darkened areas of your skin. Wondering how to choose the right shade of colour corrector? Read this!
Try the NYX Professional Makeup Studio Perfect Primer (Rs 1,325)
Dull, dry skin? Use a brightening or an illuminating primer instead. They have hydrating and light reflecting properties that make your skin look dewy and luminous under foundation.
Try the Wet n Wild Photo Focus Dewy Face Primer (Rs 499) and the Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer – Radiance (Rs 1,750)
Uses Of Primer
A primer is mainly used to increase the wear time of your makeup. It is also used to prep, smoothen, brighten and illuminate your skin before makeup. But there are some very cool, unconventional uses of primer. Curious? Keep reading!
Unconventional Uses Of Primer
Fix Eyeliner Mistakes
Trying to create that perfect cat eye and made a mistake? We’ve all been there. Usual advice would be to use makeup remover on a q-tip, right? What if I told you that you could use a primer instead? It makes it a whole lot easier and you don’t have to worry about taking off any makeup by accident either.
Prevents Static
There are some fabrics that simply don’t mesh with our body temperatures and cause tons of static. It’s the worst when your outfit decides to cling to weird areas of your body. Apply a little bit of primer to areas prone to static like your thighs, stomach and back. It keeps the static away and ensures that your outfit looks as graceful and elegant as it was meant to be.
Instant Lash-Lengthener
Are you struggling with lash-lengthening mascaras in an effort to make your lashes look longer? Just use a little bit of primer on your lashes before you apply mascara. Use a disposable mascara spoolie to apply some primer and then apply your mascara. Your lashes will instantly look longer and fuller!
DIY BB Cream
Did you know that you could make your own customized BB Cream? You can customize the shade and the coverage. All you need is a primer and foundation. On the back of your hand, take a pea-sized amount of primer and to that, add a few drops of foundation. Mix well and dot this onto your face and blend it out using a makeup brush or a sponge. That’s it, you’re ready to take on the day. Because you mixed foundation with primer, it’s going to make sure that your makeup lasts longer and looks smoother.
If you’re feeling a little more experimental, make a concoction using your moisturiser, primer, sunscreen and foundation and apply it onto your skin all at one go. It reduces the number of steps in your makeup routine!
Groom Bushy Brows
If you have bushy, unruly brows that require a lot of setting to stay in place and look neat then this hack is definitely for you. Primer works just as well as eyebrow gel does to groom and tame your eyebrows. Take a smidge of primer on a spoolie and brush it through your brows.
Make Lipstick Stop Bleeding
Love that creamy lipstick but hate it when your lipstick starts bleeding from the edges? Did you know that primer can stop your lipstick from bleeding? Take a small lip brush and put some primer on it, run this brush along the edges of your lips before you apply lipstick!
Clean Up Eyeshadow Fallout Under Your Eyes
It’s only normal to have some eyeshadow fallout on your under eye area while blending. Instead of using a tissue or a baby wipe to brush off all that excess, use some primer. Apply it onto a brush or even onto your finger and dab on areas where you see any fallout. It will pick up all of the excess eyeshadow without disturbing the rest of your makeup!
Make Your Skin Look Airbrushed
Is the skin on your body or decolletage looking rough and uneven? Did you know that you could use makeup primer here too? Go ahead, give it a shot! It works like magic. If you have an illuminating primer, that looks wonderful when applied on your collarbones and on your legs.
Tame Baby Hair
Baby hair is quite annoying, it absolutely cannot be tamed without hairspray. If you find yourself in a sticky situation and without hairspray, take a little bit of primer on your fingers and smoothen it through your hair.
Revives Dried Out Gel Liners
Gel eyeliner is my absolute favourite makeup product to use when I want a thin, crisp line across my eyes. Even to create a winged eyeliner, gel is my weapon of choice. The worst thing about gel eyeliners though is that they dry up real quick – making them quite expensive to replace over and over again. In situations like these, use a little bit of primer and mix it into that dried out gel eyeliner to revive it instantly. Not only will it make your liner as good as new, but applying it too will be an absolute breeze.
Makes Eyeshadow Last Longer
If you have very oily eyelids or your eyeshadow tends to crack and fade away too soon, a little bit of primer dabbed onto your lids before applying eyeshadow will make it go on smoother and ensure that it stays in place all day. You don’t necessarily need to invest in a separate eyeshadow primer to do the trick.
As A Base For Highlighter
Does your highlighter look chalky, streaky or powdery? Use an illuminating primer on areas like your cheekbones, the bridge of your nose and along your collarbone before applying your powder highlighter. This will create a smooth, glowy base and make sure that your highlighter looks absolutely gorgeous on you!
Featured Image: Instagram
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