What is primer and what is it used for?

Primer is a cosmetic product that has become an indispensable item in our makeup bags. Find out about all its advantages!

What is makeup primer and what is it used for?

Primer is a cosmetic product that we use to prepare our skin before applying foundation. It readies your skin before applying the rest of your makeup products. It has many advantages, including shine regulation, redefining pores, more uniform skin texture and colour, blending blotches, moisturising, etc.

There are all sorts of primers which can be in gel form, liquid, mousse or cream and they are classed according to their functions:

Mattifying: recommended for oily skin. These primers control the production of oil in the skin on our faces and keep it fresh and without shine.
Highlighters: these are ideal to improve the appearance of dry and dull skin. They can be used without applying a foundation on top.
Colour corrector: these primers contribute to reducing or blending small unsightly blotches that appear on our skin.
Pore reducers: the purpose of these primers is to fill in pores so that our skin is more uniform when makeup is applied.
Moisturising: these primers give extra hydration and are perfect for dry skin.
Long-lasting primer: for people who need perfect makeup over a long time, there are also long-lasting primers that keep your makeup perfect over many hours.

Moreover, our skin type plays a fundamental role when choosing the right primer. Matte or powder primers are better for oily skins. Long-lasting and light texture primers are best for mixed skins. For dry skins though, moisturising primers work best.

How to apply makeup primer

The first thing you need to know is that it is best to apply primer using your fingers, starting from the middle and gradually working outwards in gentle circular movements. This will make sure the product is spread out better over all of your face. In any event, if you prefer not to use your fingers to apply it, there are also sponges for this purpose.

You should also be aware that you should wait a while after applying it so that your skin absorbs it before you apply other products over the top of it.

As for quantity, you should use an amount equivalent to the size of a small coin. This will be enough to cover your whole face.

Of course, you should always clean your face properly before applying primer to make sure your skin is properly ready for it.