Guest Post by: Ruth Ann Miller
Foundation primers are all the rage lately but they’ve existed for almost 2 decades. Although Smashbox frequently claims credit for first creating the foundation primer in 2000, the rightful claim goes back even further, to Laura Mercier. In 1995 Laura Mercier created the foundation primer to prepare the skin for foundation. Primers claim to even out skin texture, help foundation to glide on smoothly and stay on longer.
As to whether they really help, the answer is yes and no. Most primers share a common ingredient, silicone. Silicone gives the primer a gel consistency and a smooth, silky texture. It fills in fine lines and pores and does allow a smoother application of foundation. HOWEVER, most liquid and cream foundations are either water or oil based, not silicone based. Therefore, they don’t mix well with silicone and can peel or flake off the skin if applied over a silicone-based primer. The primer will actually break down the foundation instead of keeping it in tact as promised.
If you wear a powder foundation like MAC Studio Fix, Pür Minerals or Makeup Forever Duo Mat, then you are fine using it with a silicone-based primer. If you wear a cream or liquid foundation I highly suggest using a primer that is low in silicone. I never suggest a silicone free primer as I think it defeats the purpose. Most silicone free primers I’ve encountered seem like little more than glorified moisturizers and, in my opinion, aren’t worth the extra cost. Overall this is a category where saving is better than splurging. High-end primers don’t perform significantly better than bargain brands.
