Tag Archives: Primer

Benefit Stay Flawless

Benefit-Stay-Flawless

A good hair day is empowering. A good makeup day, for me, gives me that same “conquer the world” (or at least my to-do list) attitude. There is nothing as defeating as walking into the bathroom and seeing a smudge of eyeliner or a less than flawless complexion. Especially when it looked so good in the morning! Fluorescent lights are the enemy. For all of the above reasons, I tend to wear a primer under my makeup. Remember this or that? Well, Benefit Stay Flawless is the other thing. It’s different than any other primer I’ve used. There’s the stick application – packaged up in the most adorable polka dot print, I’ll add – and the light cooling effect you feel immediately. Invisible to the eye but not to the touch, as there is a semi-sticky feel. It doesn’t feel weighty or heavy, rather that stickiness was by design so it would physically grab your makeup like a magnet.

I watched this video from Benefit’s Maggie Ford Danielson applying Stay Flawless under her foundation. My initial instinct was to blend the primer into my skin before applying makeup, but it is most effective to apply makeup directly on top of it without messing or blending first. Taking Maggie’s advice, I also focused this on my problem areas – around the sides of my nose and forehead (typical t-zone drama!) and found my makeup to stay pretty darn near flawless all day. You can shop it here!

This or That: Makeup Primer for Summer

Makeup-Primer

Any time the temp hits above 85, I know I have my work cut out for me. Looking (and feeling) put together in the summer requires some premeditation. I know I’m going to sweat (tote around the deo) and I know my thighs will rub together (can’t fight heat expansion). But wearing primer, even if just under CC cream, sunscreen or bronzer, keeps my face from looking like it is melting off. Don’t think of it as wearing another layer — this is the one that counts. Primer helps fill pores, smooth skin and make for an even canvas for whatever you need to layer on top of it. I’m in the pro-prime camp. I’ve narrowed the field down to two vastly different formulas that I think cover all summer woes.

Matte skin is never my default since I want all the radiance I can get, but I cannot deny the need for BECCA Ever-Matte Poreless Priming Perfector on those awfully hot days. My pores appear massive in that kind of weather and this formula is designed to control excess oil and stand up to humidity. The bonus? You can dab on throughout the day like you would blotting paper and it doubles as an eyelid primer.

On the flip, we have NARS Light Optimizing Primer, the newest in the brand’s pro-prime lineup, which gives skin the luminosity that I crave. The slight iridescence in the formula is the perfect balance of white/champagne/pink tones to light up the skin. It also extends the longevity of your makeup but in a dewy way. This formula practically doubles as a highlighter and it doesn’t hurt to have the added SPF 15.

Shop this or that!