Everyday Guide to Primers

Primers is one of those subjects that once you get started it's very hard to know when to stop - you can now get photography fluids and other post-moisturiser, pre-foundation fluids that I didn't include here. Nor did I include lash primers. I've gone for basic primers as they were originally - to prep the skin and increase the longevity of your make-up.

For a lot of people you don't need a primer but I often get asked about whether people should use them and if so which ones. Primers are great because you can use them for just where you need them, they don't necessarily need to go all over your face. If I am prepping a brides skin I will often use primer over the majority of the face, then a mattifying primer on the t-zone and an illuminating one on the tops of the cheek bones.

I only use them on myself if I am going to a wedding or going out, out. Otherwise I find my foundations last pretty well all day anyway. I do however, always use them when I am working on brides or on someone with an oily skin.

I do use an eye primer every day as I find it really helps my eye make-up stay in place and I am often testing eye products so I'll use primer on one lid and not on the other to see how it affects the shadow/liner I'm trying.

All the products I've mentioned are listed below. Let me know what primers you love or hate and don't forget to subscribe to my channel.

My Everyday Guide to Brows

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer
Laura Mercier other primers
SuperMatte Anti-Shine from Make-up International
MAC Fix+ Spray
Joan Collins Timeless Beauty 10 Effects
Pixi Flawless Beauty Primer
NYX HD Eyeshadow base
Lola Eye Base
Laura Mercier Eye Basics
Urban Decay Primer Potion
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil
MAC Longwear Paint Pot

Face of the Day 27th April 2017

The light's a bit off in this video - sorry about that it's the crazy English spring weather and the fact that I have to set up and film in the brief moments when I am child-free and the builders are not drilling right, next, to, my, head.

I've been loving eye shadow sticks at the moment (more on that to follow) but one that I get almost scared of using is the Colour Chameleon from Charlotte Tilbury because in my head, Bronze Garnet is incredibly orange. It's not. Every time I use it I'm reminded of what a great product this is and how annoying Tilbury is with her cleverness.

All products and reviews are linked below. If you haven't already then do go and subscribe to my channel and now you can sign-up to get a monthly email from me with everything that has been on the blog for that month.

Reviews:
Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon
Lancome Hypnose Drama
Pixi Correction concentrate 

Products:
Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon (bronzed garnet)
L'Oreal Perfect Slim Liner
Laura Mercier Caviar Eye Liner
Laura Mercier Smokey Liner Brush
Lancome Hypnose Drama mascara
MAC Smoulder eye liner
Origins Make a Difference plus +
Joan Collins Ten Effects Skin Treats Spray
Daniel Sandler Invisible Radiance Foundation
Hourglass Hidden Corrective Concealer
Pixi Correction Concentrate
Cover FX Translucent Powder
Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder
Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara
Ilia Multistick in Tenderly
Louise Young Blusher in Coop
Daniel Sandler Radiant Glow Illuminating Powder
MAC Lip Pencil in Soar
Dior Baume Rouge in Lili
Maybelline Brow Drama
Hourglass Diffused Light Powder

Joan Collins Timeless Beauty Ten Effects

Although I have much admired the Joan Collins make-up range when I've seen it in Harrod's I haven't actually got round to trying it so I was very pleased when asked to try this Ten Effects make-up fixer for a review.

Make-up fixing sprays are a strange thing. A good one, used correctly can increase the longevity of your make-up but most of them spritzed directly on top of your make-up won't do much at all. So it's taken me a while to review this one.

Ten Effects claims to; hydrate, firm, refine wrinkles, minimise pores, improve skin tone, add a pH balancing layer to your skin, soften, calm redness, lock-in makeup and cool. That's a lot of claims and some are very vague and hard to judge - you can't actually see your skins pH being balanced for instance. I also think that if you wear any kind of foundation and concealer then spritzing something over the top of that is not going to have many, if any, skincare benefits. If I buy something to benefit my skin I want it to go directly onto my skin, not seep in via my make-up.

However, I have been spritzing this onto my face immediately before applying my foundation and I've found it doesn't make me go red (most things do at the moment), does hydrate, and actually does help my make-up look fresher for longer. One thing I've found it really helps with is when I use a tinted moisturiser that for me is just not fluid enough if I spritz this onto my face first it dramatically improves the way the tinted moisturiser blends into the skin. I wouldn't use my Hourglass Hyaluronic Skin tint without using this first now.