Makeup 101: Primers

So, every day is the same story. Before you leave in the morning, you go through your daily routine. For most women reading my blog, I'm sure part of that routine is applying your every day makeup. By lunch time, your makeup looks nothing like it did when you first put it on. You grumble to yourself about the pointless effort of even applying it in the first place. It sucks, I know. But keep reading.

Okay, now cut to Friday night. You and your girlfriends have planned an extremely fun night out on the town, full of dinner, drinks and dancing. You spend several grueling hours getting your hair, makeup and outfit looking amazing. Heck, you never know who you're going to run into. Not to mention, your girlfriend Rachel always takes 7 gazillion pictures and ever so promptly posts them to Facebook the next day, or WORSE, twitpics you right away! Right before you leave, you do the last "mirror check" to discover you look smokin' hott and are ready to go! Who cares if Rachel tags you in a mobile upload? Not you! Fast-forward a few hours. Dinner was awesome, drinks were delish and you just finished dancing to your new favorite hot jam, "Sexy and I Know It" ,when your girlfriend begs you to come to the bathroom with her. Once you get to the bathroom, something horrible happens. Another mirror check ensues and you realize your foundation has completely melted off your face, your eyeliner is running, eyeshadow has creased and to put it bluntly, this is not a good look for you. Some one could probably use your forehead as a mirror,  it's that shiny. Yikes, I know.

I know every girl has been here, but thank goodness your time as "that girl" is over! I'm about to introduce to those who don't know, that primers are makeup's greatest invention for long lasting, gorgeous makeup. And for those that do know, I'm going to introduce to you my favorite primers to use!


Firstly, what is a primer? Primers essentially are canvases for your makeup. They create a ultra-smooth finish for your makeup to stick to, fill fine lines, wrinkles and pores and keep the oil and bay. Most importantly, they can be the difference in 4 hour makeup or 12+ hour makeup.

Here are some of my long time favs and reasons why I think they kick major butt.. ;)


1. Smashbox Photofinish Bronzing Primer

Smashbox has several different versions of their long-time award winning primer. The bronzing version is the first one I ever picked up- so it will be the one I talk about, although, the other versions are just as awesome! Smashbox photofinish is, hands down, my favorite face primer. It creates the perfect canvas for applying foundation, it is super silky, lightweight and one bottle of this magic potion lasted me fooorrreeeevvvverrrrrr (think Sandlot impression). Antioxidants, vitamins A & E, grape seed extract, and green tea are all agents that work together to create the ultimate formula for long lasting, flawless makeup. I can always tell a huge difference in my makeup if I decide to skip the priming step. Apply prior to foundation, pumping only a pea-size amount onto fingers. My method is usually a few dots on the forehead, nose, chin and cheeks, then, gently smooth the product evenly onto moisturized skin. A little goes a long way!

2. Benefit POREfessional Face Primer

Porefessional sets itself apart from other primers in a few ways. Instead of only applying under makeup, you can also use this balm over makeup, too! I find this great for touch-up purposes, especially brides who need a little something extra after hours of pictures! Secondly, it truly does minimize the appearance of pores. I can visibly tell a huge difference, most notably in problem areas around my nose and cheeks. I think its lasting power is really great, but I would have to say Smashbox Photofinish takes the cake in longevity. Ultimately, If you want a great base for your makeup- Benefit Porefessional is just what the doctor ordered!

3. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (original formula)

The heavens opened up the first time I used this glorious primer. It's amazing and I would never, ever, EVER for the rest of my life want to be without it. As a young girl wearing makeup, I used to get so annoyed with creasing eyeshadow. Some of us have oily lids and it's inevitable to find your eyeliner and eyeshadow sliding down your face. Not with this stuff! Not only will it last 24+ hours, you will achieve a more vibrant and pigmented payoff from your eyeshadow as well as absolutely NO creasing. This is a holy grail around the beauty community and with good reason!

4. MAC Paint Pots

MAC has several different shades of paint pots that work great as bases for eyeshadow. My favorite staple paint pot is Painterly because it works well with many skin tones. The skin around the eyes is extremely thin, causing problems with discoloration, especially red and blue/green tones. Painterly is so pigmented that it cancels out these problematic colors, therefore, giving you the best opportunity to see your gorgeous eyeshadow in its true color! The only set back I have found with MAC's Paint Pots is the product drying quickly. If you want any hope at blending out eyeshadow applied over a paint pot, you have to do it almost immediately. Still a great eyeshadow primer and I highly recommend them. I guarantee you won't be running out any time soon as a little goes a very long way!


These are just a few of my all-time favorite primers! I hope this helped those of you who were looking for great products to give your makeup significantly more lasting power or those who were still on the fence about purchasing.  If you have any questions or makeup concerns, please leave a comment below. I would love to help!

Thanks for reading and Happy Friday,
Katherine xoxo