To prime or not to prime

I get asked often whether primer is a necessary step when doing one's makeup. I think that it is. The reason being, a primer protects your skin....it basically creates another layer on top of moisturized skin to a) allow your makeup to stay on longer, b) to keep your makeup looking fresher and c) to not allow the foundation, concealer, etc.. to penetrate into your pores. Lets me honest, do you diligently wash your face twice a day, tone and moisturize daily and exfoliate 2-3 times a week? Probably not, if you do, reach around and give yourself a pat on the back *pat pat*, however, most of people (my friends especially) fall asleep with their makeup on more often than they will admit to me...im not perfect, ive done it before as well. Primers are another step to further protect your skin from wearing makeup everyday. Most of them have added benefits such as illumination, anti-ageing, pore minimizers, skin smoothers and so on. Find one that works best for you and that you feel comfortable with on. Dont overuse the primers, a nickle size amount would be enough for your whole face.

There are also primers for the eyes. If you're like me, you probably have issues with your eyeshadow creasing after a few hours of wear. Eyeshadow primers help keep your makeup on all day. They dont have the same benefits of a face primer so dont confuse the two. Eyeshadow primers come colorless (nude) or in muliple shades of colors for you to use to also amplify the intensity of your eye makeup. Some formulas however, you have to work with quickly as they dry fast. Make sure that you use only a little bit and blend well, being aware of how high you brush on the primer and make sure you apply your product on evenly. I would advise that you work one eye at a time....primer, apply shadows, blend well and then move onto the next eye. If you let the primer dry, it won't work as well for you as you'd like.

Ive added a few primers for both face and eyes that ive worked with before and also that are popular ones in the industry.