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

November 2011 Favorites

Greetings and happy December to all my beautiful readers! Can you believe it? December is here! I hope every one had an amazing Thanksgiving. We absolutely did! Now our tree is up and the house is decorated and smelling amazing, thanks to this awesome simmer pot recipe I found on Pinterest! I love this time of year. I also happen to love some pretty stinkin' awesome beauty products! Which is why you're here.... So let's get to it. My November 2011 favorites...

1. Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark Circle Eye Roller

Maybe it's the time change, possibly the weather, or maybe it's being a stay-at-home mom to the cutest soon-to-be two year old little boy in the world that's making me look so tired lately. Regardless of reason, I have been thankful to have this little eye roller on hand. This version is infused with caffeine, lemongrass essence and mineral pigments which allows it to act as a de-puffer and concealer in one. I think what appeals so much to me is the consistency. Most concealers can be thick and cakey, sinking into under-eye lines and wrinkles. Because of the very thin consistency of the Garnier roller, I like to use it for an everyday concealer. It is a great brightener, and when set with powder or a setting spray, it can have a lot of lasting power. If I happen to want a more full-coverage look, I use a small amount of my regular under-eye concealer over it and it creates an extremely flawless look. The one and ONLY thing that bothers me about this product is that it only comes in one shade! For instance, if it was Summer time, I wouldn't be able to get away with using it. It would be far too light to use. Right now, I am an NW35 and if I blend it extremely well and use a small amount of my usual concealer, I can get away with it. To those of you medium/tan skinned ladies, I wouldn't suggest this product. Hopefully, one day, they will give us a few more color options!

2. Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Lotion

What made me realize how great this stuff actually is: I ran out. (Well.. maybe not totally ran out. I could cut the bottle in half and scoop out any lotion that might be left behind. You think I'm joking!) I go to my makeup storage and pull out another random facial moisturizer and I realized how much it was NOTHING like my Kiehl's. It couldn't even compare. I love how cooling this lotion feels on my skin, I love how moisturizing it is without feeling the least bit oily, I love how it absorbs into skin and I love how there really isn't a scent at all. I'm not typically someone who likes to spend a lot of money on skin care. I just drink a lot of water and eat healthy on top of a daily skin routine. But ol' Birchbox decided to throw this into my box several months ago and just like a fish, I'm completely HOOKED! If you are ever wandering around a Kiehl's store, I would be appalled and ashamed if you didn't purchase this immediately. Hey, if I'm willing to go to such lengths as to destroy the packaging completely to get what may or may not be considered leftovers, then you know it's good stuff!

3. Flawless Fake Bake

Last month, I talked about Xen-Tan and while I still use it frequently, it's only a face tanner. I was on the hunt for a full body self-tanner that WASN'T a spray tan. I saw smlx0 on YouTube talking about some of her favorite self-tanners and she mentioned this one. My gripe with spray tans are the messiness and smell. You can spray yourself in the shower, but it's still going to travel through your bathroom to your floors, sinks, toilets and pretty much anywhere else you can think of. The smell is so overwhelming that I will hold my breath for what seems like forever, start to become light headed and almost pass out JUST to not have to inhale that horrid stuff. I can literally taste it in my mouth it smells so disgusting! BLEH. I am not a tanning bed girl anymore, I feel like a wised up since high school. I wear sunblock and treat my skin a LOT better than I used to. If self-tanners are what I have to do in the winter to avoid that olive skin tone, I'll do it. I just will not go to the tanning bed. Flawless Fake Bake is definitely the opposite of everything I dislike about spray tans. You apply it with a mit! Therefore, no mess and no inhaling gross smells! The color is extremely natural looking and it starts to show up immediately. That, to me, is a huge deal for preventing streaks or missing areas on your body. I've used it over 5 times and the bottle seems as heavy as it was the day I got it. If you are weary about using self-tanners because you don't want to look like an Oompa Loompa, my suggestion would be to apply it to an area of your body that is covered, like the top of your leg or stomach. From there you can make your own decision. I also recommend ordering it online as it is much cheaper than in the stores. Here is a link to get it for only about $12!

4. MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle

This MSF is, by far, my favorite product to use for highlighting. Unfortunately,  it's $28. However, less is best with this stuff. I purchased this well over a year ago and I'm not even close to hitting pan. The MAC website describes it as a "gilded peach bronze" that gives an "ultra-deluxe polish to the face". I wouldn't recommend applying highlighters for every day wear. Typically, I like to wear this for special occasions or for going out. It gives such a beautiful glow and transforms dull skin into radiant skin. To apply, sweep this from the top of your cheek bones to your temples in a "C" like shape, as well as down the bridge of your nose and on your cupid's bow.

5. Favorite Lip Combo: Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Primrose + Bonnebell Liplites in Strawberry Parfait

I love being able to throw in super awesome, yet, super cheap beauty finds! This combo isn't something I recently happened upon. I've actually loved both of these for a long, long time thanks to so many beauty gurus who suggested them. Lately, I've rediscovered my love and it has been my go-to lip combo of the month. Primrose is about $5 and Strawberry Parfait is definitely under $4. The only thing you can't afford here is not trying this out for yourself!



I hope you all found my favorites and their reviews to be enjoyable AND helpful! Don't hesitate to share your favorites, too.

Thanks for reading!
LoveXoXo,
Katherine