Primping and priming

As we all know, good make up starts with good skin. Boring but true. I remember reading that in Just Seventeen years ago. So we'll talk about skin care another time, for the time being I am going to assume we are all doing that bit. In recent years, the beauty industry has been finding yet more ways to get us to part with our cash by introducing primers. Primers prepare your skin before you put make up on. No, they are not instead of moisturisers, they are an extra layer and a few more minutes in the morning.
Are they worth it? I say yes and no. I have two primers in my life. One is the Laura Mercier eye primer. You put this on your eyelids and then apply your eye make-up. I do recommend it. I find in the summer, my eye make up can slide off by about midday. This really helps prevent that. It gives the eye shadow/eye liner something to adhere to.

The other primer is the Nars primer for your face. You put it on after moisturising and it mattifies your skin. It is good and I do see a difference. Blusher especially seems to glide on a bit more easily. My reservation with both of these products is who really has time for this in the morning? I can get ready very quickly but this is just a few extra seconds of primping that I can't be bothered with most days. However, for special occasions where you are going to want look good all day (weddings) or dancing the evening away, then I think they are worth it and yes, they do work. Maybe you are not as lazy as me and can be bothered to use them everyday.

If you want your eye make up to stay on a bit longer and can't be bothered to prime, then a light dusting of loose powder works pretty well. And that hint comes straight to you from my mother. Sometimes mother really does know best.