Primer: The Unknown Ally

Beauty | Nasia Asimakopoulou | Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009 at 10:25

By Nassia Asimakopoulou.

When I was younger, I was under the impression that, wearing a jacket tied around my waist would make me look slimmer by hiding flaws on my body. Alas, all it ever did was make me look much bigger than I actually was. Last week, while I was taking a walk around the market, listening to the new Noisettes album on my iPhone, I realized that, foundation for many women today is exactly what the jacket used to be for me, a trap!

ermoumag ermoumag makeup doll Primer: The Unknown Ally

While I was walking and with the music blocking the sound of the city around me, my attention drifted away from the shop windows and I concentrated on the faces of the women passing by. What I noticed was that 1 in 3 women wear way too much foundation. By trying to look flawless they fell into the “jacket trap” applying layer over layer creating a caked effect which is rather noticeable in daylight (not that they would get away with it in a club).

Salvation lies in the primer

Suddenly I felt like those paranoid homeless people in the movies, the ones that the camera shows from within a passing car holding a sign that reads “REPENT, THE END IS NEAR”. Mine would read “SALVATION LIES IN THE PRIMER”.

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Ah, the Primer (also known as makeup base). It’s one of the most reliable, useful and miraculous allies a woman can ever have. How? Let me count the ways:

1) It fills every line, pore and scar creating a smooth surface

2) It evens out the complexion

3) It reduces redness, inflammation, dryness and oiliness

4) It helps foundation stay put during the day and most importantly

5) It helps us use less foundation.

In other words, it creates a canvas upon which foundation can create a beautiful, healthy, dewy effect. It actually helps our skin look its best which is exactly what we are aiming for when we apply foundation. The product itself is usually clear or white and you choose it just like you would choose a moisturizer, according to your skin type. It goes on after your day cream and before the foundation and the best part is you don’t have to be a beautician to apply it, it’ll only take you about 15 seconds to rub it on.

Makeup, in our case foundation, was created to conceal imperfections but above all it was created to enhance our beauty, not disguise us into someone we’re not. Primers are the products that help foundation do its job which is to make us look beautiful in a natural way just like we never needed it in the first place.