What Are You Wearing Under That?

PRIMER

Let's talk about it. Primer is essentially just that, something to prime the face. To get it ready for the makeup you'll be putting on top of it. Back in the day before primers became a huge thing, we primed with other mediums. Scott Barnes still sticks to using concealer to prime the face. Some people have gone to the extreme side of things and use Monistat even and swear by it!!! Whatever you use, there is a reason this tried and true method of priming the face is sticking around...IT WORKS!!!

A lot of primers are silicone based (not all) and they are amazing for keeping your foundation from soaking into your skin. All primers, no matter their base, act as a buffer to keep foundation and other products stay put! Nowadays there are primers for every pain point that you can think of. Have too much texture? Do you have fine lines and wrinkles? Do you have hyper pigmentation? Too much red? Need a glowy finish for that dry skin? Need to mattify that oily skin? Start with primer!!! On my IG account I asked you guys what your fav primers were and BOY did you deliver! I'm stoked to see of my favorites made your list and I'm excited to try new ones!

I wanted to give you a list of all my favorite primers that I use on clients and myself and tell you why. Hope you find this helpful and if you have any questions, just leave them in the comments xoxo.

First up! My favorite everyday, normal to oily skin primer hands down right now is the Emma Pore Refiner sold over at Cents Of Style. I say it's my favorite right now because formulations are always changing. Products get better and new ones come out all the time. It's always fun to find a new favorite.

I use this primer aaaalllll the time and because of it's silky feel, clients always comment on it. It goes on silky but dries matte and is infused with natural ingredients (always a plus). I have noticed that this works best with my wrinkly forehead than most expensive brands. An AMAZING thing about this primer is it's price point! It goes on sale quite a bit but with a base price of $29.95, you can't go wrong. You can also use the code CLASSY to get 20% off right now by clicking here. You're welcome ; ).

Next up is a bit more pricey coming in at $42 but is a GREAT primer if you are on the dry side of life. This is Prime Addiction Frankie Rose Cosmetics (also where I get my FAV foundation and under eye concealer). It moisturizes, without feeling too greasy and keeps everything going all day long. The ONLY thing, is that I feel the Emma one still works better on my forehead wrinkles. Less is more with this primer so it does last you a good long time!

If you are dry, want ALL natural and are willing to pay a touch over $50 (when all is said and done with tax and shipping) then you MUST try the Crunchi primer. Guys, this one has ROCKED my world!!!! It's rocked the world of quite a few clients as well in this desert we live in called Utah lol. Especially for those that are wanting to clean up their beauty routine as far as chemicals, this is the first step. You won't be disappointed!!!

Let's keep going, we have a lot of ground to cover! Still keeping with the theme of somewhat dry skin, we turn to Becca. Becca, in my opinion, is a leader when it comes to glow and shine. I haven't been let down yet by them in that department. This one goes beyond just dry skin. This is, not only do I want to be hydrated but I want to GLOW from the inside out!!! The Backlight Primer can be used all over the face, or in specific parts where you want to highlight. I have even used it to sheer out a very full coverage foundation. It's amazing on bride's and I love using it in every season. This one will set you back $39. If you sign up for their email letter you can get 20% off your first order and it's free shipping on orders over $45. Score!

Let's shift focus a bit to more oily clients. This one I tend to correct with foundation more than a primer but I choose the right primer non the less. I just don't expect it to do all the work if that makes sense. I like to use the Porefessional Primer (about $31) from Benefit for more oily clients and then either use Esteé Lauder Double Wear foundation (for super oil control) or at least a drop of the Double Wear to Frankie Rose foundation (if not as oily). Here's a real life practice for ya. Here in Utah, I'm pretty dry and would NEVER wear Double Wear. When I go home to California and I'm hitting the rides at Disneyland all day long it's a different story. I'll use Double Wear and then set with Urban Decay's De-slick setting spray. My makeup doesn't MOVE!!!

If you aren't super oily but need some oil control then another good option is the Smashbox Photo Finish oil-free primer. It runs about $36 but can depend on where you get it. I don't reach for this one a ton but I have had many people say that they like it!

Now, what if you have redness? A little or a lot, I grab for my Makeup Forever Step 1 Primer ($37) in green, yes green. I feel it's become a tip that has permeated everyones brains so maybe I don't need to explain? Well, just to cover my bases ; ).....green on the color wheel is opposite red. Anything that is on the direct opposite side of the color wheel will compliment or in this case balance each other out. Got it? Man, we could open up a whole other can of worms about color theory =). I will say though that I don't like using this if I am dealing with cream foundation. Now, when I am using this and there are some really heavy red spots I like to go in with the Sephora green concealer stick to help out a bit. That's also good to use on blemishes!

Texture is always a hard thing to deal with. There are so many things that can cause texture on the face and so many different places it can be. I just recently started trying this La Roche-Posay primer and I've gotta say......WHAT?????? It smooths over texture like no ones business and has that added SPF for the sunny days about to come. I love that you can find this one in soooo many places. Amazon, Walgreens and Ulta. All for around $35.


My last recommendation is a tinted primer that can help you with products on your face and you need only a minimal amount of foundation (depending on how clear your skin is). Glō Minerals is a wonderful brand and this primer also has SPF 30 to protect your skin. This one is VERY much like the Emma Pore Refiner but it doesn't fill in the pores like Emma does.

So those are my top picks and the ones that I actually USE! I am SO excited to check out all the ones (especially drug store ones) that everyone recommended on IG. I want to leave you with this final thought. The skin on your face is not all the same. If you are oily but want a little glow on the cheekbone, then use your normal oil control primer but then maybe use a tiny bit of the backlight primer there. If you find one work best for your forehead wrinkles (insert me pointing at mine lol)  then use that there and maybe a different one for all over the rest. They'll last that much longer if only used sparingly that way. 

Below are the pics from My IG account and which primers I used on them:

Before I knew about the La Roche-Posay, I would use the Emma Pore Refiner for texture. I also spot concealed with the Sephora green stick. Doesn't she have the most beautiful features???

Becca Backlight primer. Look at her radiant skin!

You'll be surprised that I did NOT use any green on this chica! I used the Emma Pore Refiner then all Maskcara IIID cream foundations. Isn't she a babe?

This one was our all natural Crunchi super moisturizing primer. I also used a touch of the backlight primer on her cheekbones.

This one I used the Emma Pore refiner and mixed Becca's Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal.