When do use primer

Yes, apparently there is a wrong way to apply primer. If confusion and frustration are the main reasons you've been avoiding primer, we're here to change that. Ahead, find professional advice on how to properly use it, recommendations for every skin type, and what you should never do when it comes to this pre-base product. Put simply, primer is exactly what its name implies: It's a preparatory product that's applied after your skin care to create an ideal canvas to hold onto whatever makeup comes afterward — like foundation, tinted moisturizer, or concealer.

Your primer might come in the form of a hyaluronic acid-spiked facial serum that boosts hydration, a sunscreen that protects and softens the appearance of pores, or a traditional silicone-based primer looking at you, Smashbox that smooths and blurs.

It's worth pointing out that the newest primers don't just smooth skin, keep makeup in place, and blur pores to near invisibility. They can also brighten, fade fine lines and wrinkles, target acne, and add tons of moisture. Some can even give skin a temporary face-lift, all without feeling heavy. The bottom line: If you're wondering whether or not you need a primer in your life, just ask yourself how happy you are with the overall look, feel, and finish of your face makeup.

If there's something off or missing — maybe you want to add more overall glow or trim shine from your T-zone — a primer could be precisely what you need. Unlike products that lock your makeup in, like setting powder or setting sprays , primers are almost always applied after your last skin-care step and before your makeup. Phillips also recommends giving primer a full minute to dry before layering anything on top in order to avoid disturbing the makeup.

For updates, feel free to follow me on Twitter haniyarae. We respect your privacy. All email addresses you provide will be used just for sending this story. By Haniya Rae. Updated April 19, More on Interior Paints. When to Call a Painting Contractor. Makeup primers are used underneath eyeshadow, foundation, lipstick, mascara, and even nail polish to create a smooth base that helps keep your other products in place all day.

Primers can also reduce the amount of makeup you use and make application a little easier. Essentially, they're meant to create a barrier between the product and your skin, giving you beautiful and long-lasting results.

Since there are specific options for different parts of our beauty routine, we're breaking each one down with pro makeup artists Juliette Perreux and Lindsey Trop. Meet the Expert. Read on to find out what primer is used for, how it works, and the best way to apply it. Think of makeup primer the way you would paint primer—it's used as a base to improve the rest of your makeup application.

Primer can be used to enhance many parts of your beauty routine, including your eyes, face, lashes, lips, and nails. Face primer, for example, can be used to smooth out pores, create a base for long-lasting makeup, manage oily skin, or prevent excessive shine, explains Perreux.

Trop adds: "Whether you have dry skin, oily skin, dull skin, are concerned about acne, hyperpigmentation , sun protection, pollutants, or have multiple concerns, there is a primer out there for you. And if you're looking to minimize the number of products you use altogether, take a page out of Trop's book.

Wondering how to use face primer? It's simple. If you're using a moisturizer, apply that first, then let your skin dry for a few minutes. Allow the primer to dry for a few minutes before applying your foundation. When it comes to eyeshadow primer, Trop notes that they can be applied with either your fingers, a brush, or a sponge. To apply mascara primer, curl your lashes, then sweep the primer from the base to the tips.

Do just one eye at a time because you want to follow up with your favorite mascara before the primer dries. Paint primer, being slightly rough and porous, provides an excellent texture for the paint to grab onto. Paint primer is also valuable for covering up lower stains.

With the stains covered, the color coat is free to do its job of providing beautiful colors instead of covering up stains. Also, because primer is typically less expensive than paint, it makes economic sense to use primer for base coats rather than paint. You can never go wrong with priming.

If you have little confidence about the condition of the wall prior to painting, the default choice is to prime it. Not all conditions need to be present for you to decide to prime the surface first. You may want to use paint primer if you encounter any of the below situations during your painting project. A highly porous surface usually means that primer is needed. Newly installed drywall is highly porous in two ways: the bare facing paper on drywall and the dried joint compound covering the seams.

Bare wood is even more porous and always requires a primer. Masonry such as retaining wall blocks and bricks need paint primer.

A skim coat is a thin swipe of drywall compound laid over bare drywall. Considered a level five finish , the highest grade possible, a skim coat is not something you encounter often. But as with bare wood or drywall paper, it is highly porous and thus requires at least one coat of primer before painting. Glossy base coats do not hold paint well.

A light scuffing with sandpaper and a coat or two of primer will help the color coat stick. Even if you decide not to scuff that glossy sheen , using a primer will help subsequent coats stick.

Plastics and glossy paints nearly always require some type of roughening of texture prior to painting.