For years, makeup artists have had a sly trick up their sleeves that leaves a finished face looking gorgeous: primer. It’s a simple product that gives you much more mileage out of your existing makeup techniques, but it does require a few tricks to application. Here’s a few tips that will have you applying primer like any pro and treat your acne skin.
Step 1: Go About Your Daily Skincare Routine – Unless You Have Acne
Makeup works and looks best on moisturized, supple skin, so you should never skip your skincare routine before doing your makeup – especially if you have dry skin. Cleanse, tone, and moisturize as you would normally. However, if you have acne, skip any spot treatments if you’re using a primer that already contains anti-acne and blemish-fighting ingredients. Many primers that cater to oily and acne, blemish-prone skin utilize salicylic acid to mattify and treat acne, and if you layer them over a skincare product that already has similar ingredients, you’ll overwhelm your skin and potentially irritate it.
Step 2: Wait Five Minutes
Your skin needs a few minutes to absorb your skincare. If you apply primer and makeup too soon, you risk compromising your skincare products’ effectiveness and you run the risk of seeing your makeup pill. We know you’re busy and five minutes can seem like an eternity, especially during a hectic morning routine, so don’t actually just sit around and wait. Use this precious time to finish getting dressed, do your hair, or finish any small tasks. The easiest way to kill this time is to do your skincare routine immediately after you shower and/or wash your face, then finished getting dressed. By the time you get to your makeup, your skin will be ready for the next steps.
Step 3: Apply Your Primer
Now that your skin has been cleansed and moisturized and has been allowed time to absorb skincare nutrients, apply your primer! Don’t get too generous with it though – when it comes to primer, less is more. For most liquid primers, a pea-sized amount is more than enough.
To apply your primer, you can use your fingers, a cosmetics sponge, or a foundation brush – as long as it is clean! Squeeze a small amount of your primer into your (clean) handsand use your chosen tool to dab it gently onto face, starting under eyes. Gently work it out toward your nose forehead, cheeks, and chin. Cover all areas as evenly as possible. In places where your makeup tends to wear off quickly or you run extra oily, such as your T-zone, use a little extra if needed.
For spray formulations, such as Skindinavia’s Makeup Primer Spray, 2-3 spritzes in an X or T formulation will do.
If your primer is also formulated for use on your eyelids and lips, the way that Skindinavia’s is, work on this step next. Spray the formula directly onto the brush (or dab a clean makeup brush into the formula). Do not saturate the brush. Gently glide over lids and lips.
Let your primer dry for a few minutes to dry before applying your foundation.
Step 4: Apply Your Makeup
This is the fun part. Apply your foundation and color products as you would normally. No pro tips needed here! To really get the most out of your makeup, apply products in the following order: skincare, primer, liquid makeup (such as foundation, tinted moisturizer, or bb cream), concealer, blush and/or bronzer, and translucent powder.
Step 5: Set Your Makeup
What’s the point in doing all that work if you don’t set your makeup? You might think a light dusting of translucent powder does the trick, but that technique is rather dated – especially since powder can’t control or adjust to your skin’s temperature. A few spritzes of Skindinavia’s Finishing Spray will keep skin cool and temperature-controlled throughout your day, fighting off any makeup meltdown.