THEY may be an often-overlooked part of the beauty process, but using a good primer to prep you skin is an essential tool to making your make-up last all day.
Primers may be an extra investment, but they are worth every penny. There are a range of options available including those that offer no coverage to those which include pigment and offer a light colour pay-off.
All primers should reduce the visibility of pores, even out skin tone and give the best possible base for smooth, long-lasting coverage – and they aren’t just for the face.
Urban Decay has a great range of primers to use on your peepers, especially under brightly coloured eyeshadows, that will ensure that your perfect dark smokey look will stay put for as long as you want it.
Here Pillow Magazine’s Editor Angharad Llewellyn tries some of the best primers available, and give you the low-down on their performance.
Benefit The Porefessional
I love the packaging of the Porefessional and the matte texture and slight coverage is fantastic. It’s a thicker texture which slides over skin easily. I would use a foundation over this unless you want a very natural, fine coverage. It’s £23.50 for 22ml. Buy it here.
Benefit The Porefessional
Purminerals Correcting Primer in Peach
This is a great formula which dries to a matte finish and offers good coverage. However, to achieve my personal desired look, I finished off with a concealer on any blemishes to achieve a perfect base. They are £22.50 but you don’t need to apply a foundation on top of this primer. It balanced and evened out my skin tone which can be quite rosy on the apples of my cheeks. It’s available in Peach (colour balancer), Green (redness reducer) and Neutral (prep and perfect). Great for this who don’t want a heavy base, but still want flawless-looking skin. Buy it here.
Pur Minerals Colour Correcting Primer in Peach
Revlon PhotoReady Primer
This primer is has a great, easy-to-apply consistency. It has no pigment in the formula so offers no colour pay-off, but gives an even, smooth base and every time I’ve used it under foundation, it has ensured my base has stayed on all day. It costs £12, but lasts ages. This is my favourite of all those tested for price vs quality and would highly recommend it. Buy it here.
Revlon PhotoReady Primer
Bourjois Flower Perfection Primer
This may come in a small pot but it has magical powers of coverage. It has a cotton-wool type cream texture which goes to matte when applied on skin which may not suit those who suffer from dry skin. It reduces redness and imperfections and as you would expect, it has a great scent. It comes with no colour-pay off. As it comes in a thicker formula (and just a tiny amount of it), it would take a little more time to work in, and so for me, I’d opt for a liquid that I could apply in moments as I’m rushing out the door. It’s £9.99 for just 7ml. Buy it here.
Bourjois Flower Perfection Primer
NARS Pore Refining Primer
This NARS primer is quite a liquid formula so don’t make the same mistake as I did and squeeze out too much and waste it! You don’t need much, just press it over skin to create an even base and ensure your foundation will last all day. The sleek, black matte packaging is to die for. It’s £25. Buy it here.
Nars Primer
Urban Decay Primer Potions
I can’t talk up this range of eye primers enough – I ADORE them all. Slick some of the formula (we love the natural one, but you can choose one with a shimmer in too) and start shadow/cream/eyeliner work over the top. Shadows won’t budge all day thanks to prepping the socket properly. They are £15 and worth every penny. You only need a tiny amount of product, so they will last ages too. Buy it here.
Urban Decay Primer Potions
No7 Airbrush Away Primer
This primer from Boots’ own range has a thick, almost gel-like texture which sits on the skin giving good coverage, and no colour pay-off. When I applied foundation over the top, I could almost feel the foundation clinging to the primer which gave me confidence that my base wasn’t going to be moving anywhere for at least eight hours. It has a nice smell, and there’s tonnes of product which would mean that you could use it everyday for months. At £19.50, it’s set at a price which rivals the beauty counter brands. Buy it here.
No7 Airbrush Away Primer
Shiseido Refining Make-Up Primer
The packaging on this primer is gorgeous. A glossy black tube which looks great on your beauty cabinet. The formula has a great consistency and smooths over skin easily. It has no colour pay-off and creates a great base to apply your foundation over it. It’s £30. Buy it here.
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