A lot of people don’t use a makeup primer, and I think that’s because of two reasons. They don’t know how they should use their prime, and they think it’s too expensive. Well, primer is often pretty expensive, but there are some pretty good cheap primers and alternatives (believe it or not)! So if you want to know how to apply primer, just keep reading 🙂
First thing you should know about makeup primers is that there are several different kinds. This post covers how you should apply a typical foundation primer. However, there are different kinds of these primers. The most common is silicon based. (I’ll have some posts later on about primer sprays and other kinds too).
Wash Your Face
A makeup primer is just prepping land for the foundation of a house. You wouldn’t build a foundation on top of rocks and bumpy land. You’d clean it up first. Even it out and get it ready for the foundation. That’s what you’re doing with your makeup!
Washing your face will remove the oils and cleanse your face, which will allow the foundation primer to do it’s job most effectively. If you don’t do this step, you might have some dirt and oil in your skin that will get between your face and the primer thus making it less effective.
Use Your Fingers!
You can use a brush. But I’ve rarely found that using a brush is better. I do like my Artis Oval 7 brush for this – sometimes. But for the most part, I think using your fingers to apply primer is easy and your primer isn’t going to be absorbed by the fibers of a brush.
Give It Time
This really depends on the primer, but it’s often best to give the primer some time to set before you start applying your foundation. It allows the primer to set into your skin, because if you apply your foundation right away, you’ll likely end up moving the primer around, which we want to avoid!
There is a foundation “primer” that has been pretty popular in the YouTube space called Nivea Men’s Post Shave Balm. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking.. What the? That’s not a primer. Yeah, it’s not, but surprisingly it’s a fantastic primer. Being that it isn’t actually a primer, this one requires some special attention. You’ll want to rub the liquid into your skin until it begins to feel tacky. This is what is going to provide that all makeup lasting power. With this primer, you’ll want to apply your foundation immediately! Don’t wait! But this is just about the only primer I do this with.
So that’s it! Trust me, primers aren’t as daunting as they seem, and if you’ve got time for them in your morning makeup routine, you should definitely consider it! Especially when you can get the Nivea primer for less than $7! (Did I mention that that’s for 3.3 oz of product?? Yep!). Hope this post helped you all with your foundation primer application! Look forward to a post on how to save money on primers (Nivea isn’t the only option).
