Ever feel like your face is melting off like butter on a hot Danish pastry? And then, the colors turn this weird orange (oxidize) because it is reacting with the PH level secretions from your pores! The colors that looked good on you when you applied them in the morning, now look like they have been squeezed out of a container of rancid oil in a fast food restaurant!
How could this be? Well, many factors can affect the wear of your makeup. The weather definitely can determine its endurance. Heat and humidity will make the ingredients that aren't heat resistant melt. Medication will affect the application too, what was once a great foundation can apply roughly due to a change in medication or even antibiotics will make it slide off the face. And, that night long drinking binge with that oh-so-famous celebrity can make your foundation slimy like algae on a wet rock the next day. Let's not forget that time of the month, pregnancy, stress, bad plumbing; it all affects makeup! So, what can you do to have your makeup last longer? Besides a good skin care regimen, a good primer helps too.
Primers are made to provide a smooth surface on the skin. It also provides a barrier between your moisturizer and makeup. This prevents your makeup from soaking the moisture from your skin care and turning to an off color. There are many primers out there as you well know and out of the few I have tried, I constantly return to Cinema Secrets Ultimate Foundation Primer ($28USD 0.6oz) and now another one that is pretty new, OCC Skin: Primer ($27.50USD 1oz).
Cinema Secrets Ultimate Foundation Primer is a silicone based primer, however, unlike other brands, this one isn't slippery or thick. If it does feel slippery then you have put too much on your face. I usually start with half a pump which pretty much covers my face and neck and ears! I spread with my fingers to feel its application since it is invisible upon application. A brush or sponge may be used but I find it unnecessary. I want the thinnest layer possible, just enough for my foundation to apply smoothly. I wait for it to dry down which is about a minute then apply whatever type of foundation I feel for that day. Whether it be a liquid, cream, powder, or even nothing but a concealer, this primer works for all types of foundation.
OCC Skin: Primer (Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics) is another great primer. This one is another great pro one that works with airbrushing to regular foundations. The texture is different from Cinema Secrets. This one is more of a liquid almost water type with a cornstarch feel. I know it isn't cornstarch but you know when you cook and you want to thicken a sauce you make a water and cornstarch mixture to thicken it. Well, this one feels like that. It has a finish that (it is hard to explain) smooth yet when applied it sticks onto the skin. It sticks but not sticky. Yet it will spread onto the face easily and provide a smooth surface. There is no slickness to this even though it does contain silicone (dimethicone). It is the type of primer that can be used on skin that is oily because it will adhere to the skin. But, do not only think it is for oily skin, any type of skin can use it from oily to dry. Just like Cinema Secrets a small pea size amount is enough to cover the entire face and neck. Fingers are the way to go for application but if you prefer a brush or a sponge, that can be used too. What I like about this primer that has one over Cinema Secrets is that it makes a great eyeshadow base too! The texture is thinner than Urban Decay's so if you have mature lids, this one is fantastic! Only the thinnest layer is needed on the eyes to be used as an eyeshadow base, and there is no dry or tight feeling either and no wrinkling!
What I find different between the two for my normal to dry skin is that Cinema Secrets compared to OCC has more slip but less slip than the other brands out there. OCC allows its primer to stick onto the skin which is great during the hot summer months and also keeps me from blotting. Sometimes, I will combine the two for my own mixture or I will apply Cinema Secrets on areas that need more slip and OCC in areas where I want my makeup not to crease like my eye area. The only problem I have found with OCC for my normal to dry skin is with mineral makeup, I have found my skin to feel slightly dryer than normal. That is uncomfortable for me so I don't use this with mineral makeup. Other than that, with other foundations or even alone, it is still works out fine. Another way of looking at the primers is this way, the climate where you live. If you live in a humid area, OCC could work out better. It keeps the skin dryer than Cinema Secrets. If you live in a cold or very dry climate then Cinema Secrets would be better, it gives some moisture to the skin.
Finally, are primers necessary? Nothing is necessary if you don't like it, but if you want your makeup to apply more smoothly then primers do help. Just remember, although one primer can be used for all skin types, the comfort factor is important too. These are only two of the primers that I find do a superior job in making a face look smooth and flawless without feeling like an extra layer of makeup. You may find another great one out there. Just keep these two in mind when you are searching for a primer.
Primer Ingredients
Ultimate Foundation Primer ingredients: Cyclopentasiloxane, cyclomethicone, dimethicone crosspolymer, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, homosalate, fragrance, matricaria Flower Extract, calendula officinalis flower extract, tea tree extract, aloe barbadensis leaf extract, tocopheryl acetate, retinyl palmitate, safflower seed oil, sunflower oil, grape seed oil, jojoba seed oil, sweet almond oil, apricot kernel oil, c12-15 alkyl benzoate, tribehenin, ceramide 2, peg-10 rapeseed sterol, palmitoyl oligopeptide, caprylyl glycol. Fragrance: Lavender Fields.
OCC Skin Primer ingredients: purified water, glycerin, dimethicone, magnesium aluminum silicate, chamomile extract, cornflower extract, methylparaben, propylparaben, xanthan gum, orange extract.
OCC Skin Primer ingredients: purified water, glycerin, dimethicone, magnesium aluminum silicate, chamomile extract, cornflower extract, methylparaben, propylparaben, xanthan gum, orange extract.
