Top 10 Face Primers

Primers act as a base for you makeup to sit on and stay put through out the day. The best primer acts as a barrier between your makeup and skin. It allows your make up to glide on smoothly on the skin and look naturally airbrushed. When it comes to makeup, primers are your best friend. They stop the skin from looking oily, full of pores, greasy and prevents makeup melt downs.

The internet describes primer as, “A cosmetic primer is a cream or lotion applied before another cosmetic to improve coverage and lengthen the amount of time the cosmetic lasts on the face. There are different kinds of cosmetic primers such as foundation primer, eyelid primer, lip primer, and mascara primer.”

Since there are so many primers in the market right now it is hard to pick the best one.So today I am going to list down the top 10 primers.

Benefit Pore-fessional Primer: ($31) As the name suggests, this primer helps minimize the appearance of pores on the face. It gives a smooth, matte base for foundation and concealers. As instructed, the primer is to be applied on top of your moisturizer and can be reapplied to absorb more oil and minimize pores. However, sometimes moisturizers can enlarge pores which is why if you have oily skin or have a lot of pores, it is advisable to use a light, gel moisturizer.

Too Faced Hangover Primer: ($32) This silicone-free facial primer promises to boost skin’s radiance and moisturize it thanks to the presence of coconut water in it. This primer has turned out to be a best friend for oily skin beauties. Since there are so many matte finish primers out there in the market, this primer is a great pick for the people who want something that suits dry skin.  It eases dullness slightly and sets a soft surface for makeup to be applied over.

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer: ($49) It is a silicone based primer which if used too much has the potential to clog pores. However, this primer gives a very smooth and sleek finish and base for makeup application. Less foundation is needed when applied over this primer as the foundation easily glides on. It makes the makeup last for 6-8 hours. Only a pea size amount is required to cover the whole face and it comes in a travel friendly squeeze bottle.

Rimmel Stay Matte Primer: (Various prices in various stores) It works as a nice matte primer and doesn’t allow oil to appear on the skin for several hours. It successfully makes the makeup stay put for a long period of time. Unlike rest of the primers, this is actually very affordable and get’s the job done.

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer- Radiance: ($36) This primer gives the skin a very luminous, youthful glow. It should be used all over the skin for a dewy glow, or can be applied to the cheekbones, the bridge of the nose and the forehead for a subtle but noticeable radiance. It holds the makeup in place through out the day and is a perfect choice for people who don’t want a matte finish.

Pixi Flawless Beauty Primer: (24 Pounds, $29) This is a sheer, lightweight primer which has a silky texture and a pale, bronze tint that leaves a shimmer finish. The formula isn’t as elegant as many other primers nor does this smooth over pores or wrinkles the way some can. It’s more of a moisturizer than a primer, though it works under makeup if you don’t mind shine peeking through.

ELF Studio Hydrating Face Primer: ($6) It is a great primer at a great price for sensitive, normal and dry skin types! The product smooths on easily and does what a primer should, which is prep skin for makeup application. It contains some really good antioxidant vitamins which considering the price, is a really good thing.

Tarte Clean Slate Poreless 12 Hour Perfecting Primer: ($31) This primer has smoothing effect on skin texture and its silky finish helps your foundation to stay put for a long time. The smoothing effect of this product also helps reduce the appearance of minor dryness or flaky skin. This primer offers a good combo of antioxidants, but it contains a few fragrant plant oils that can be potentially risky for all skin types, especially if you have sensitive skin.

Dr. Brandt Pores No More Pore Refiner Primer: ($45) This silicone based primer fills in pores and gives a very matte finish to the skin. It is a highly recommended primer that stays put for a long time and provides a smooth base for makeup. It diminishes the appearance of pores as expected from it.

Becca Ever Matte Poreless Priming Perfector: ($42) This primer excels at providing an immediate matte effect that lasts and helps diminish the appearance of pores on the face It is a light, water based primer which has the potential to keep the shine away from face for hours! It is a very beloved primer and buyers have claimed that it exceeds expectations.

Hope you guys found this post useful and if you aren’t a member of my S&S family yet, be sure to click on the follow/subscribe button! 🙂

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Nivea After Shave Balm As A Primer: Review

Hello beautiful people!

First of all I would like to apologize for not uploading a post on Monday. My laptop had some technical issues when it was updating itself. The update didn’t go properly and relsulted in loss of all my pictures and articles. Since they were new, I had no back up so I had to take new pictures and rewrite the article! 😦
Let’s not dwell on that for long and continue with the review! 🙂

The Review:

I first heard about the Nivea After Shave Balm from Kathleen Lights the YouTube beauty vlogger a few months ago and ever since then I had been very keen on trying it out. This was originally tried and tested out by Nikki Tutorials and then it spread a lot!

In case you all are not familiar with what I am talking about, Nivea After Shave Balm for Sensitive Skin has created quite a big stir among beauty gurus as one of the best PRIMER. You heard it right, primer, the product we apply on our skin before applying foundation and other makeup. It completely freaked me out!! I was shocked as to how can a men’s product be used as a primer?

However, I had to give this a try because you know me, I am all for the affordable alternatives and if such a good primer was being sold for so less, I had to get it. I wouldn’t have purchased it if I hadn’t heard Kathleen talk about it so well so I decided to give it a shot.

So I headed out with my friend got the product for INR 225. I wouldn’t have picked up the product at all if it was not ALCOHOL FREE which ensured that it would not be harsh and harmful to my skin as I was going to apply it to my face.

PACKAGING:

The product comes in a milky white glass bottle with dark royal blue shapes on which the writings are present and a white plastic twist on cap. The bottle is quite heavy and susceptible to breakage. The writings are quite clear and easy to understand. The mouth of the bottle is not too big which is why the flow of product is manageable.

TEXTURE & FRAGRANCE:

The texture of this product is milky white, thin and a bit runny which is why don’t hasten while pouring it out as you might end up pouring out way much. It also feels a little like jelly and spreads very easily. Not much of it is needed as a little goes a long way. It has a slightly strong musky fragrance which may be a turn off for most of you but I like musky fragrance so it was alright with me. The fragrance lasts on the face for some time but gradually dies down and the other makeup products mask it up.

MY TAKE ON THE PRODUCT:

DAY 1: I applied the product after I had moisturized my face. I used a little amount and let it sit till it dried out. I used my everyday use foundation which is Fit Me by Maybelline and it spread very easily as the main ingredient of the balm is GLYCERINE which is present in most of the face primers in the market. I properly buffed it in with my Real Techniques Buffing Brush and it gave a very natural finish. Since the climate here is very humid and hot, usually oil begins to show on my face after an hour or so but I was very surprised when it stayed on me for full 6 hours without being greasy or sticky. However, it did start becoming greasy so I had to wipe it off. I was very impressed how it made my make up stay put for so many hours in the heat.

DAY 2: I got the same results as day 1 but it seemed to itch a little, especially on my jaw line. I have very oily and sensitive skin.

Sadly after that, the product started to break me out. My face broke out in rashes and became a little red which is why I had to discontinue using it anymore. I will however use it again just to make sure but only after the rashes die down.

If you have sensitive skin and want to give this a try, just swatch it on a little part of your face first before applying to your whole face as you might experience some redness and rashes. If you are alright after 48 hours, continue by applying it to the whole face.

I hope you found this review useful! Have you used it and what do you think of it?
Did it break you out as well?
Do let me know about your experience with the product! 🙂

Please join the S&S family if you haven’t already and I’ll see you guys on Friday!

Much Love! 🙂