It’s one of the most frequently asked questions I get, and I am always afraid to answer it! So I called in makeup artist—and majorly honest—Suzy Martin for the bottom line on primers.
Q: Do I really need a primer?
A. Sometimes. It can feel like an extra step, but primers have come a long way in that they now target specific issues. My favorites are by BECCA cosmetics—there’s for every skin type and situation:
BECCA Mineral SPF Primer ($42) contains SPF 30, has a visible smoothing effect, helps makeup adhere and wear longer, seals in moisture, and increases hydration.
BECCA Silky Hydrating Primer ($39) plumps, tightens, firms and refines the skin to create a soft, even surface for makeup. It visibly smoothes fine lines and pores.
BECCA Mattifying Primer ($39) also smoothes fine lines and pores, but is particularly excellent for oily skin that needs mattifying. It also doubles as a non-greasy hand cream!
BECCA Line and Pore Corrector ($36) minimizes large pores and contains anti-inflammatory ingredients that create a smooth base for under-eye concealer, eye shadow, and lip color. I like to use it as a liquid powder for on-the-go shine reduction.
If the extra step is still too exhausting to think about, all of Bobbi Brown’s moisturizers—which I love—have a built-in primer. They may not perform specific duties like BECCA’s, but you get a 2-for-1 benefit without the added step.
This weekly column features beauty advice from yours truly, with help from some of the brightest experts in the business. Whether you’re searching for the best bronzer or contemplating Botox, send questions to elizabeth@beautybets.com
Filed Under: becca primer, bobbi brown, denny kemp, moisturizer, suzy martin
Hello lovelies! I'm Elizabeth Dehn, a beauty writer + lifestyle editor who's equally fanatical about lip gloss as juice cleansing. I live in Minneapolis with Mr. Bets and our white lab, Molly Thomas . . . 
I use Monistat Chafing Gel – I know! – as my primer and it works amazingly on me. My pores disappear and my makeup lasts longer. It has a lot of the same ingredients in it as the big name primers, and in my experience can do as good of or a better job. The best part? You can get it anywhere (well drug stores and the like – right by the other lady products) and it’s like $7 for a tube that will last you a long time!
If you skip the primer… PLEASE don’t skip the moisturizer. Especially younger women in your 20s who may think they can go without. It’s the best thing you can do to start preserving that beautiful youthful skin. I’ve found one primer I can’t live without is an eye shadow base. My shadow lasts considerably longer without caking at the end of the day, and it’s wonderful for holding the more glittery evening wear shadows in place without having sparkle falling all over your face.
Monistat Chafing Gel? Wow….I would have never thought of trying that. Hmmm. I think I will start by trying the Bobbi Brown 2-in-1 moisturizers! Is there one that works best for oily/problematic skin?
I’m not TOUCHING the Monistat. Nope. But I am coveting Bobbi’s new brightening line – the hydrating lotion sounds perfect for you:
http://www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com/templates/products/spp/index.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CATEGORY23960&PRODUCT_ID=PROD15734
Great product reccomendations! I love Becca’s line too. Since they took it out of Sephora, I haven’t been able to find it and play with it for a while.
-FJ
Becca primers (and the rest of the line) are available at the Denny Kemp Salon and Spa in Northeast. We’re happy to have the line- amazing products; I use the Mattifying Primer and I love it!
@ Christina. This is for you but I have one thing I have to say before I get to you. Bear with me and let me know if you have any questions about what I am telling you.
OK first, Monistat on the face! I don’t care how well you think it works and I can only imagine the ingredients in that product, I am not so sure I even really want to use it for what it is meant for. ON THE FACE, this makes me cringe for so many different reasons but kudos for your bravery in admitting that you use a vag cream on your face. Just sayin’
I would recommend one of two moisturizers.
With out being able to assess your skin, just be careful that your oilyness is not being exacerbated by lack of hydration, internally and externally. A pimple is caused, typically, by dry skin clogging the pore and then bacteria getting in. Skin can overcompensate dehydration by producing more oil, which creates dry cells, which clogs the pore, which can cause breakouts.
Make sure you are exfoliating regularly to remove the dead skin, use something manual like Bobbi Brown Buffing Grains which you can add into your cleanser, I especially like their lathering tube soap, cleans, foams and does not strip skin.
http://www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com/templates/products/spp/index.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CATEGORY22773&PRODUCT_ID=PROD1307&cm_vc=XCATEGORY22773
http://www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com/templates/products/spp/index.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CATEGORY22774&PRODUCT_ID=PROD9406
The moisturizer I would recommend, especially with the exfoliator and cleanser is the Protective Face Lotion SPF 15
http://www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com/templates/products/spp/index.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CATEGORY22768&PRODUCT_ID=PROD1250
Bobbi also has a Oil Control Lotion SPF 15 but I would say switch up to that when the weather gets hotter and more humid.
http://www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com/templates/products/spp/index.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CATEGORY22768&PRODUCT_ID=PROD12723
For an extra to help with your problematic skin, try the Intensive Skin Supplement. It has a white birch and grape extract, along with a vitamin cocktail to improve and clarify the overall appearance of your skin. Use this post cleanse, pre moisturizer.
I would also recommend an overnight cream to boost hydration and a eye cream.
For overnight cream and eye cream, I can save you some $. I really like, and use, Earth Sciences Apricot night cream, you can get at Linden Hills Co op or Whole Foods. It costs $15 – $18 AND it can be used as an eye cream. LOVE. I actually liike the products I have tried from this line and the Alpha Hydroxy overnight treatment is a great way to further exfoliate the skin for a brighter, clearer complexion.
http://www.shopearthessentials.com/pd_apricot_night_creme_2_oz.cfm
http://www.shopearthessentials.com/pd_betaginseng_ab_hydroxy_night_rejuvenator.cfm
Oh and on another note.
You can get BECCA products locally at Denny Kemp Salon and Spa in NE.
http://www.dennykempsalon.com/
612.676.0300
I just trained Joan at Denny Kemp on the BECCA line, she already had a great understanding of BECCA before I even got to her and knows how to work with the product. She has a good many years of experience as a make up artist, is a super nice lady and comes to the great white north by way of New Orleans. If you are tired of hot dish and “Minnesota nice” go see my girl Joan @ Denny Kemp. She will show you the lovelyness that is BECCA and teach you some tricks and you will have a blast with her.
If anyone on this forum has any questions about the line, I am a National Make up Artist and Trainer for BECCA, please feel free to contact me @ suzymartin@mac.com.
Suzy, thank you for giving the monistat comment the response it deserves! I was too disturbed to even touch that one!
Thanks for answering this question! I’m glad to know, and will plan to score some Bobbi Brown 2 in 1 moisturizer whenever I next see a Bobbi Brown counter. I’m traveling now, and have two minor face revelations to share. First, I forgot to bring any kind of exfoliating stuff for my face and have yet to explore the aisles of a drugstore in Bangkok. Thank goodness for the age-old (in my world) sugar+shampoo exfoliating scrub. Works like a charm – just rinse (very, very) well.
Second, I’m wondering about these face whitening sunscreen moisturizers that are advertised here. What’s up with that? I may try this and apply strategically – but where? Face? Face and neck? One arm but not the other? Watch for soon-to-come updates on http://www.allthebestplaces.wordpress.com.
Beauty Bets, I wasn’t sure if my Monistat critique would make it past the administration but I had to say it none the less. LOL
[...] a primer. Your makeup will last 10x [...]
@ Beauty Bets and Suzy: you might like to check out this post for a sensible take on the Monistat http://thebeautybrains.com/2008/04/12/is-monistat-bikini-chafing-gel-a-good-makeup-primer/
I haven’t tried it so can’t comment on the effectiveness — just wanted to say that their anti-chafing cream is a different product to the anti-fungal cream used for thrush.
Besides, if someone were to use a “vaginal cream” on their face, what of it? If anything, something formulated for the vag would be much gentler than something formulated for anywhere else on the body, you know what I mean? It’s not as if “vaginal cream” = “stuff excreted from someone’s vagina”. Just sayin’.
Beauty Bets, I came across your site from Yes and Yes, loving most of your posts, but had to give my 2 cents on this!
T, who knew? Thanks for the link, and for following along! I suppose it really comes down to the ingredients, not the vajay-jay-approved thing.