Everything You Need To Know About Primers.

Now, primers are a big deal to me. Doubling up on primers is an even bigger deal – you may remember my ‘The Ultimate Priming Duo’ post, or even the ‘Another Perfect Priming Duo’ feature. I really am big on primer – any kind of primer…

When it comes to primers, I know the recipe for a fantastic base and so I wanted to share it with you. In case you don’t already use a primer (we need to have words), they come in many different shapes and sizes. I think they are a must, and not for helping makeup to stay in place (or, not just for helping makeup to stay in place) but rather to expertly perfect your skin so you don’t have to use a heavy foundation. Go in with a primer or two first and I promise you will be so much more smitten with your complexion.

TYPES OF PRIMER
Correcting Primers
Correcting primers are usually slightly tinted to neutralise the skin tone – yellow or green helps to cancel out redness, lavender tones disguise sallowness (a yellow tinge to the skin), peach tones help to even and brighten. The two I use most are the Clinique Superprimer Colour Corrects Redness (£20) and the Stila One Step Correct (£24) – while the Clinique offering deals only with redness (angry blemishes, acne scarring, redness around the nose etc.), the Stila One Step Correct contains three tinted ribbons to help perfect a variety of issues – redness, sallowness and dullness mainly.
I would recommend these for any skin type or concern – the Clinique Superprimer comes in 6 varieties so you can choose one to match your concern. These two have very different finishes, the Clinique primer is very matte and very smoothing – it can even be quite drying if you overdo it. I tend to mix it with an illuminating primer so my skin feels hydrated and also benefits from the brightening properties (see more below) – my favourite to use this with is the Revlon PhotoReady Skinlights in Bare Light (£11.99).
The Stila offering is much more hydrating, it leaves the skin looking very dewy. This doesn’t do much in terms of smoothing so I like to mix it with the Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch (£22.85) – both are light and work well together, either mix them in or layer them up.

Illuminating Primers
As you would expect, illuminating primers deal with brightening the skin. They usually contain light-reflecting pigments that soften the skin, giving it a lovely soft-focus look that blurs imperfections. Sounds like a load of rubbish, but I swear by illuminating primers – I have a lot of angry blemishes and acne scars and any sort of illuminating primer really, really helps to minimise these imperfections. Really!
Two of my most used are the Revlon PhotoReady Skinlights in Bare Light (£11.99) and Soap & Glory Hocus Focus (£11) – again, I chose two quite different options here. The Revlon option is slightly tinted, I love this because it sort of adapts to the skin and helps even more to achieve a lovely, imperfection-free finish, whilst also promoting an illuminated skin tone. It really is amazing stuff, I feel so much more confident with my complexion after I apply this.
The S&G Hocus Focus is quite a pearl shade, once blended you only have a ‘lit from within’ look to the skin so it’s not going to leave your skin a pasty shade – it’s just lovely to use. I often combine it with the Stila One Step Correct (£24) for an extra boost to my skin, the results are incredible! Such a dewy, flawless glow.
Again, illuminating primers work great for all skin types – even those suffering from redness, acne scarring etc.

Tinted Primers
Tinted primers are pretty few and far between; I can really only think of the Sunday Riley Effortless Breathable Tinted Primer (£38) – I like this but in all honesty I think you’re better off with the Revlon PhotoReady Skinlights in Bare Light. The Sunday Riley offering is quite a thin fluid, it comes in three shades and helps to perfect the skin while allowing it to still “breathe” – something I don’t really agree with, skin is always breathing, surely?! It’s nice enough, but it didn’t wow me. (Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lovely product but I don’t think it’s worth it.) You would be better of using a budget CC cream or similar for a fraction of the cost – applying it lightly under your foundation for a more natural base.
When I do use it, I find that although it does perfect the skin a little, it doesn’t do much for refining the texture or helping to brighten, so I tend to mix it in with one of the above – usually the Clarins Instant Smooth to get more results from it. Mixed with the Clarins offering it really makes for a lovely product – expect a concealed complexion and a lovely soft look to the skin.

Smoothing Primers
These are some of my favourites, you won’t believe you ever lived without one of these until you try one! Does that make sense? My favourite is of course the Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch (£22.85) – I’ve been through POTS of this stuff! It’s been a staple in my routine since I can remember, probably about three years. I always have a tub in my makeup bag. If you buy it on Escentual (linked above), it’s cheaper than in store and I find a pot (when used liberally) lasts about a year. Pretty good going!
The best bit about this is that it really helps to minimise acne and blemishes – the smoothing formula really manages to hide the size of those big under the skin spots that look like a mountain on your face. It’s also amazing for combination types as it deals with oil, reducing shine – yet it also helps to keep dry areas hydrated. It’s amazing stuff – oh, and it does wonders for helping pores!
You do get quite a few smoothing primers, but I find that the Clarins one never breaks me out, always does an immaculate job and really results in longwearing, flawless makeup.

HOW TO APPLY
Primers are designed to be used over moisturiser and under makeup (if you wear any) – they can be used alone, but it’s usually always over moisturiser. You only need a tiny amount, just use fingers to blend.

CLEANSING
A lot of people avoid primers because they see them as comedogenic – meaning they clog pores, cause blackheads or irritate acne. I have a blemish-prone skin type and I never see any evidence of this from the ones I use – but I think it’s really, really important to double cleanse in the evening to make sure you remove every trace before you go to bed. By that I mean you use a cleansing oil/balm to remove makeup thoroughly and then another good cleanser to purify the skin and give back whatever your skin needs. I usually follow this up by toning (usually twice) and so I know that there’s no way any product can be clogging my skin. Even if you don’t tone, make sure you double cleanse at night – it makes a world of difference!

IMPROVING WEAR OF MAKEUP
I never really use primers to help improve the wear of my makeup because I never notice my makeup slipping away during the day! This may be because I always wear a primer. I swear by the By Terry Hyaluronic Hydra Powder (£42) for keeping makeup looking perfect all day – you can dust this on like a primer or apply it over makeup to set, it’s completely translucent.
If your makeup isn’t lasting the day, I would reconsider what you’re already using; a too-rich moisturiser perhaps? Too much or the wrong type of foundation? I do think that all primers help to keep both skin and makeup fresh, but if your makeup is slipping off throughout the day, I would think about what you’re using currently as that might be the source of the problem, or try a makeup setting spray.

PRIMER V SKIN CONCERNS
Acne: I tend to find that some of the illuminating primers can make acne more obvious; since illuminating primers use light particles to make the skin appear brighter and more dewy, these particles can make bumpy skin stand out. Therefore, I think it’s best to use a smoothing primer in this instance – stick to the Clinique Superprimer that helps to neutralise redness, and the mattifying properties will help to keep lumps and bumps to a minimum. As I said already, the Clarins Instant Smooth is also amazing for helping acne and pores. Remember, you can always apply two different primers but to different areas of the face – an illuminating primer where you need it, a mattifying/colour-correcting option over problem areas.

Redness: I think I’ve just about covered this, remember that anything with a yellow or green tone should minimise redness. If you want a dewy glow, go for Stila. If you want more of a matte complexion, go for Clinique. They’re both pretty amazing in terms of correcting. There’s no reason you can’t use a brightening primer with redness, remember these ones help to soften flaws and promote a healthier glow to the skin. I also love the Revlon Bare Lights for helping to minimise redness.

Scarring/Uneven Tone: I use a lot of different options to help minimise my acne scars, namely the Revlon Bare Lights, the Sunday Riley offering or any of the illuminating primers. I mix them up to see best results, but I think the illuminating products do the most good – they really help to blur out uneven tone and create a healthier tone.

Oily Skin: If you have quite an oily complexion, I would stick to something mattifying – the MAC Matte Gel (£15) is really good, I haven’t included it here but it’s a great product. You can apply this over makeup throughout the day, it doesn’t wipe away your foundation but instead it absorbs any excess sebum. The Clarins Instant Smooth is also really great for balancing the skin – apply it under your makeup to keep skin fresh but not shiny.

Dry Skin: Anything offering to hydrate the skin or keep the complexion fresh will help with dryness. I love the Clarins Instant Smooth and the Stila Option – both keep skin in check.

I think I’ve covered everything now! As you can see, I’m quite the primer fan – do you use one in your everyday routine? If not, why not? Maybe I can change your mind…