How to prime your face

Once your moisturizer has absorbed completely into your skin, it's time to apply your face primer. Most primers are silicon-based, which fills in fine lines, wrinkles, and pores, and allows makeup to glide over the skin. Primer can also extend the wear of your makeup, protect your skin from the sun, and condition and repair your skin as well. There are loads of different primers out there so I'll break it down into a few different categories. 

Anti-Aging: May contain hydrating elements as skin tends to dry out as it ages. Usually high in silicon content. Can have a lot of "slip", allowing makeup to move about the face more and sometimes wear away quicker. 

Color-Correcting: Some toners are clear, and some have a bit of pigment added to improve the appearance of your skin. Lavender-toned primers are excellent for pale skintones that appear sallow; for dark skintones with the same problem try a peach or apricot-toned primer-- it will instantly brighten your skin and make you look well-rested. Green primers are excellent for red or broken-out skin as green will cancel the reddish tones. 

Primers for Oily or Acne-Prone Skin: Mattifying or pore-refining primers are excellent for oily or acne-prone skin. However, be careful, as overuse can result in dryness.

Mineral Primers: If you're an all-natural babe or just not a fan of the feel of silicon primers, mineral primers are for you. They also can extend the life of your makeup the most out of all of the primers I've tried. 

A note on Milk of Magnesia (AKA MOM): There's a lot of hype going around about using Milk of Magnesia as an oil-controlling primer. DO NOT DO IT!!! There's this layer of your skin called the "acid mantle". The acid mantle, when it is pH balanced, is a happy place for the good bacteria that live on our face and a bad one for bad bacteria, including the bacteria that causes dryness, irritation, and acne. Milk of Magnesia is extremely alkaline and straight-up DESTROYS your acid mantle. This is why it's so great when you have acid reflux in your tummy but not so great when you have oily skin. Using MOM as a primer can permanently damage and/or alter your skin. Spend the money to get a really good mattifying primer and keep your acid mantle in fighting condition!

How to Apply: A little goes a long way! Squeeze a pea-sized bit of primer onto your fingers and, starting in the center of your face, spread outward. Or, you can use a dampened sponge to dab it on or apply it with a brush. I prefer the fingers because it warms and emulsifies the product and allows you to feel exactly how much product you're applying.