For those of you who have never heard of primer, it’s most commonly known as a prep product for make-up, used to smooth the skin for a flawless base pre-foundation.
BUT that’s not all primers do anymore. These days they can also help to minimise the appearance of pores, keep shine at bay and extend the wear of your foundation, making longer-lasting and youthful-looking make-up more achievable. But in order to reap these rewards, you need to know exactly how to apply it, what your skin needs from it and what to look for in a formulation.
Lucky for you, that’s what we’re here for.
What’s the best way to apply primer?
Your primer fits into your routine after your skin care, but before any make-up. “Make sure you have applied your booster, serum and moisturiser first, [allowing these products] to sink in,” says Stephen Gaskett, National Make-up Artist for Elizabeth Arden. “[Then] follow with your primer, focusing its application in areas [where] you want your make-up to last longer – areas that tend to produce more shine, or over blemishes and redness.” If you have enlarged pores in certain areas, you can also focus your primer in those spots to ‘fill’ them in. It’s perfectly fine to use your fingers for application, but for those who prefer tools, a foundation brush is your best weapon.
How long after applying primer should you apply foundation?
Yep, there’s a rule to this. According to Stephen, you should wait at least 20 seconds after applying your primer before popping on your foundation. “You want it to dry down so the formula will bind correctly to the foundation formula and ensure its benefits.” You can also judge from the feel of the primer. If it’s still feeling wet or sticky, you should wait a little longer.
Which brings us to… what should primer look and feel like on your skin?
They all come in different colours, textures and packaging but once primer is applied and settled, it should look and feel like a fine silk layer over the skin. “The complexion [should be] soft and even to touch and the appearance that of a blurred, airbrushed effect,” says Stephen.
What should I look for in the formulation of a primer?
Primers these days are essentially half skin care and half make-up, so you should consider what your skin needs when choosing one. There are primers specifically formulated for ageing skin, oily skin, dry skin and even more targeted issues like redness and dullness. According to Stephen, a good primer will help to blur imperfections, so the first thing you need to do is pinpoint your skin imperfections, and then choose a primer that has been formulated to counteract them. This way, you’ll be creating the best base possible for your make-up according to what your skin needs.
If you love covering multiple skin needs in the one product, then the new Elizabeth Arden Flawless Start Instant Perfecting Primer may be exactly what you need to kick-start your beauty look.
The new primer contains an anti-ageing triple blurring complex – a combination of light diffusing particles – which Steven says “help to minimise the appearance of pores and fine lines by catching the light and reflecting it back, [instantly smoothing and perfecting the skin] for a more brilliant complexion”. In fact the particles work so well in helping to diminish the signs of ageing, that three out of four women who tried the product over a two-week period agreed it made their skin look five years younger*. And 86 per cent felt that it instantly blurred imperfections and provided a retouched effect!**
In addition to its anti-ageing abilities, the Flawless Start Instant Perfecting Primer also helps balance out the skin whether your concern is shine, dryness – or both! This is thanks to time-release skin balancing technology within the formula, which is a unique complex of hyaluronic acid, botanical extracts and hollow silica beads. These ingredients work instantly on all skin types to fill in fine lines, add moisture and help to absorb oil for a shine-free matte complexion.
The formulation also continues to control shine and maintain moisture in the long term, and contains longwearing polymers that adhere to the skin to extend the wear of foundation. This means your skin will not only get better with use, but your make-up will need fewer touch-ups throughout the day or night.
PHEW, that’s a lot of things that can help improve your skin and make-up. And all it takes is adding just one teeny tiny step to your routine.
*Based on a US home-use consumer study of 110 women aged between 30 and 55 after two weeks of use.
**Based on a US home-use consumer study of 110 women aged between 30 and 55 after 15 minutes of wear.
Do you use primer? Have you tried the Elizabeth Arden Flawless Start Instant Perfecting Primer?
