Base/primer is very important in makeup. Many people do not take it seriously or just misunderstand about it. Actually, first, base/primer can fix your skin color, eg. green base can reduce the redness on your face, purple base can make your skin less yellow. Second, it can smooth, matify and laminate your skin, make it easier to put on foundation. Third, it can moisture your skin or control the oil, help the makeup last longer. Forth, some base/primer also have SPF.
So well the following products are my recommendations. They are my favourite. (My skin type is combination.)
1. Giorgio Armani Fluid Master Primer (No SPF)
Giorgio Armani has some of the best cosmetics products. Fluid Master Primer is one of them.
Fluid Master Primer is colorless and is inbetween gel and liquid. It is perfect for combination skin and oily skin. After you apply it on your face, you would find your skin very soft and matte. You wouldn’t even find many of the pores any more. Just like what is says, “an invisible second skin”. Also it controls the oil of your skin very well. From my own experiences, generally it would help you hold the makeup for about 8.5 hours to 9 hours.
2. SmashBox Photo Finish Foundation Primer (No SPF)
The best seller from SmashBox.
Photo Finish Foundation Primer is colorless oil-free gel. It contains vitamins A & E, green tea and grape seed extract. This product can reduce the fine lines and pores on your skin and help you create magazine style makeup. It is really professional. You can even get velvety-smooth skin by this product. And it would help combination skin or oily skin hold the makeup. The foundation would not melt after a few hours because of too much oil on your skin. Somehow I also find this primer very waterproof.
3. SmashBox Photo Finish Foundation Primer With DERMAXYL™ (SPF 15)
If you prefer base/primer with SPF, then this one would be a good choice. It also has vitamins A & E, green tea and grape seed extract just like Photo Finnish Foundation Primer. What’s more, this product has SPF 15 and it is an anti-aging primer as it contains DERMAXYL COMPLEX™ which can reduce the appearance of wrinkles over time. So this one is ideal for mature skin as the step 1 of makeup every day.
3. SmashBox Photo Finish Primer Light (No SPF)
For people who have sensitive skin, very oily skin or acne-prone skin, this primer would be the best. It is oil-free and 60% water based. It has oil absorbers for a smooth matte finish all day, light diffusers to minimize the appearance of imperfections. You do not have to worry about the safety. This product can protect your skin while making it look good.
4. Laura Mercier Foundation Primer (No SPF)
This product has 3 types: original, hydrating and oil-free.
The original one is ideal for normal skin and combination skin. It is colorless gel and it contains vitamins A, C & E. This primer can moisture your skin while controlling the oil. You wouldn’t find your skin too dry but actually just very “watery”.
The oil-free one is designed for sensitive skin, acne-prone skin and very oily skin. But if you have combination skin and live somewhere like Hong Kong or Singapore where it is very humid, you should choose this one in summer instead of the original. The more humid and the hotter it is, the makeup would stay shorter. This oil-free primer has oil controlling ingredients to ensure long-wear look and it can also hydrate your skin.
The hydrating one is created for dehydrated and/or aging skin. I have never used it. However, I heard that it was pretty good. According to the Laura Mercier website, you can use it alone without foundation to increase skin’s brightness, luster and texture.
5. Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer (SPF 20)
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer has 2 types: original and oil-free.
This product probably should not be called “base” or “primer”. It is something inbetween base/primer and foundation. If you want something that could create nude makeup but also has some coverage, then this one would be a great choice. You can use it alone without any primer and foundation and it would give you long-wear natural look.
They have 7 colors for you to choose and both of them are good for all skin types but the oil-free one would be better for those people who have sensitive skin, oily skin, acne-prone skin or even combination skin if you live somewhere humid. Or, even if you do not, I reckon you can still use the oil-free one as it could hydrate your skin very well.
6. Shu Uemura Base Control (No SPF)
This is a great base control with colors to correct redness, dullness or yellowish. Usually there are 6 colors for you to choose: purple, green, white, silver, bronze and gold. However, it seems that only in Asia you can get purple and white. I am not very sure about this and I will have a look in Australia.
Anyway, once my skin was allergic when I was in Singapore and after I just got better I went to Takashimaya to look for something that can correct a few red spots on my face but also very safe to skin that just recovered from allergy. Then I found the green Base Control. It did a really good job on correcting and it did not cause any problem to my skin even though it was really weak at that time.
This base is 40% water based and suitable for all skin types.
7. Shu Uemura UV Under Base (SPF 17)
This is one of my favourite in summer.
Shu Uemura UV Under Base is a weightless mousse base that can smooth your skin, reduce the redness and minimize the appearance of pores. It could be worn by all skin types.
This product is ideal when you want some natural every-day look or nude makeup. Or if you have some skin problem, you can just wear this alone and it has SPF 17.
8. Model Co Face Base Skin Primer (No SPF)
This is one of my favourite from Model Co.
Face Base Skin Primer is a hydrating skin primer and it can keep the makeup on for up to 10 hours as it says. I am not sure if it can really hold the makeup for 10 hours as I do not wear makeup for that long. But I am sure that it is working very well for at least 8 hours.
This product is oil-free and it can smooth out the fine lines and pores. It is suitable for all skin types.
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Yalta Reply:
October 3rd, 2009 at 6:47 pm
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