Top 10 Makeup Primers.

Top 10 Makeup Primers.

Makeup primers are one of the best inventions ever when it comes to makeup.  A makeup primer will help makeup go on more smooth, minimize pores and fine lines. Not only that, a makeup primer makes sure that makeup lasts on your face all day long, though heat, humidity -- all the elements of the day. Makeup primers are not solely for the face either. There are makeup primers for eyes and lips too and all are part of my makeup routine. If they are not a part of your makeup routine, you need to check out this list and make at least one a part of yours.

Top 10 Makeup Primers

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MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Complexion Starter Kit.

Looking for the perfect, flawless canvas to start your makeup? Instead of continually trying and mixing and matching brands, try this HD Complexion Starter Kit from MAKE UP FOR EVER and have your look changed - for the better.

Seriously, just think about the different combination of primers, foundations and powders you have tried in the past. Or maybe you are new at getting started with perfecting your makeup look. Both answers can boggle your mind. Finding not only the right shade, but the right primers and finishing powders that actually work with the foundation - not against them - are not as easy to find as you think. No more with this kit, which MAKE UP FOR EVER has perfected. The HD Complexion Starter Kit not only gives you the perfect primer and powder, this one actually gives you a choice of foundations. And not just a few shades. You can select from any of MUFE's full range of 26 foundation shades.

The HD Complexion Starter Kit contains:

  • HD Microfinish Powder
  • HD Kabuki Brush
  • HD Microperfecting Primer
  • HD Invisible Cover Foundation

The kit retails for $79, which is a great deal considering the foundation alone is $40.00.

Selecting one of the foundation shades is a breeze too. All you have to do is use MAKE UP FOR EVER's interactive shade finder: www.hd.makeupforeverusa.com/shadefinder. MUFE created the shade finder tool to help women find their perfect foundation match online. Since they hear from clients all the time that they are too afraid to buy foundation online for the first time because they don’t know what shade they are, this tool helps you find the perfect shade - the first time. It is just two steps, and it recommended the shade that I use, 120, which I had matched in the store.

The result from using all three products is pretty flawless.  I smooth on about a pearl sized amount of the HD Microperfecting Primer and rub it gently into my skin. After a minute or so, when it feels dry, I use two pumps of the HD Invisible Cover Foundation.  I actually squirt it on the back of my hand and apply it with my damp beautyblender sponge.  With a bit of the foundation I have left over, I apply a bit to the bottom of my cheeks with my fingertips.  I have a bit of redness here, and using my fingertips insures more of a full coverage, where I need it.  Finally, I finish with a very light dusting of the HD Microfinish Powder. The HD Kabuki Brush makes this process seamless.  I actually gently shade the powder, and swirl the brush into the cap.  You will barely notice any powder there, just a very light dusting, and that is really all of the powder that you need. The result, is a natural, beautiful, almost perfect looking canvas. It isn't too dewy or not too matte.  My skin looks and feels like satin, ready for the rest of my makeup. The best part is, it looks that way all day!

Just in case your new beautiful complexion has you feeling like a model, enter MAKE UP FOR EVER's first ever open casting call to find the model their upcoming unretouched ad campaign.  All you have to do is create your own picture-perfect make up look and then submit it for consideration via the microsite, www.hd.makeupforeverusa.com by February 1st.  All finalists’ photos will be posted on Facebook and the winner will be flown to NYC for a professional photo shoot in late February. How fun! If you enter, let me know.

Make It Last All Day: My 5 Favorite Makeup Primers.

I am talking makeup here, my friends. Trying to have makeup stay put while making it look fresh all day is no easy task when using makeup alone. In case you have not heard, the answer to making it last all day is by using a primer. Primers are popping up from brands big and small, and not all are quite cracked up to what they should be. I have tested and tried my share of primers, and I am here to present you with the ones that have worked for me the best.

Laura Geller Spackle Tinted Under Makeup Primer - $25.00
I am a fan of Laura's Spackle Under Makeup Primer so when I saw a tinted version that can add a glow to my complexion, I had to buy it right away. This primer cools and soothes skin with Aloe Vera Gel, natural plant extracts and the powerful anti-oxidants, White Tea and Centella Asiatica. Choose from Champagne for an extra added pearly glow or Bronze for a touch of bronze color.

Purple Lab NYC Pearlesque Show Primer - $30.00
Pearlesque Show is a silicone-free primer, so if you are sensitive to silicones (dimethicone) this one will not bother you. Enriched with crushed pearls for a beautiful glow and other ingredients to not only smooth out skin to help makeup apply more evenly, it contains plumping peptides to help fill in lines and pores, any imperfections really. Other ingredients optically dfiffuse skin for a perfect looking finish. I love the soft scent too.

Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer - $16.00
The travel sized version (in the most convenient sized tube!) of the famed Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer is my fave. It is a constant in my traveling makeup bag and I can always rely on it to get my face through the longest and most harsh conditions. This is a heavy duty primer, meaning that I think it contains the heaviest blend of silicones, and I have heard from some that this does irritate them. Photo Finish contains vitamins A & E, along with Green Tea and Grape Seed Extract work to perfect as it preps your canvas (your face).

Luminizing Face Primer by Sally Hansen - $9.99
This is from the Natural Beauty Inspired by Carmindy line, and is another silicone-free primer. Skin-smoothing cork oak and olive leaf nourish your skin and deliver improved radiance while micronized pearls help to create a glow. If you are on a budget and are new to the primer categories, start with this one and you will not be disappointed. Makeup glides on more smoothly and just looks better, as it lasts throughout the day when using.

Laura Mercier Oil-Free Foundation Primer - $30.00
Laura Mercier is one to perfect the application of foundation, so when she created this primer, she took great care in making it work for all, especially those that are most sensitive or acne-prone. Oil-Free Foundation Primer is oil free and is a gel/cream hybrid that seems to sink into skin, not stay upon it as most primers do. Not to fret though, it does act as a barrier between the face and makeup, as this primer indeed keeps makeup looking its' best all day as powerful antioxidants of Vitamins A, C & E help to protect skin as it smoothes it out.

Did your favorite primer make my favorite list?