Make-Up Encyclopedia: Face Primer

Question: What is a Face Primer?

A face primer is a cream or lotion which is applied onto the face prior to applying the concealer and the foundation and after the moisturizer. What is does is that it lengthens the staying power of your make-up, as well as minimizes the appearance of oil, fine lines and large pores. 

Is it really that necessary?

Well, we have gotten through some decades without using primers, so why start now, right? Wrong. Primers were invented for a reason. The tendency is, if you do not have a perfect, porcelain face, your make-up will start to crack and melt in 2 hours. Using a primer prevents that from happening. For us oily-faced dudettes, we GREATLY need this. I cannot stress how important this is. It absorbs the oil from the face and keeps it from ruining our foundation. The foundation basically sits on top of the primer so it won't get absorbed by the skin. So the answer to that is a great, big, resounding, YES.

Recommendations?

• Budget-friendly -- ELF Mineral Infused Face Primer (400 PHP in Watsons and in leading department stores)
• Can afford -- Revlon Photoready Perfecting Primer (825 PHP in leading departments stores)
• Extremely Well Off --  Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer ($36 per Ounce or 1,476 PHP.. Good luck to your pockets, ladies. Not sure if we have any here in the Philippines but it is available on line. But if your buying online, try buying Monistat Chafing Gel. It's a good sub for Smashbox and it costs 8$ -- 500 PHP! )

Ja ne, pretty ladies! ^^

UPDATE:

As of March 2013, I have gotten my own Monistat Anti-chafing Gel and I am loving it! Its one of my 2 HG's, along with Etude House's Pore No More Primer Essence! Review coming soon on my new Blog:
tornadoyuie.weebly.com!

Make-Up 101: The Routine

The following is my usual make up routine. I refer to how other people do their make-up routine, so my routine is actually a mix of how other people do theirs. This is not really a strict guide, simply a rough sketch for the basic routine.

• Prepping

• Cleaning the face -- This is something really basic and I don't think I need to elaborate much on this, however, I would like to stress how important this is though. A thoroughly washed faced makes a good canvas. Who wants to work with oily skin? You get the idea. ^^ 
• Toning -- If you have perfectly fine skin, (i.e., does not sweat too much, does not dish out too much sebum), you may wanna skip this step. But you may wanna do it if you have uber oily skin like mine,or if you are acne prone. This helps reduce the oil produced by your skin, as well as keeps your skin nice and tight.
• Moisturizing -- For goodness sake, do not ever skip this step! I am an avid advocate of moisturizing, and I never get tired of stressing how important this is, especially for folks like me. I won't go through on what it does to your skin, but please do not assume that just because you have oily skin, you do not need to moisturize. Golden rule: Oil is not moisture. Your skin produces oil either because it has hyperactive sebaceous glands, or your face clearly lacks moisture. So please, moisturize!

•   Make Up Proper -- Setting the Canvas

• Primer -- After your moisturizer dries, apply an ample coat of primer on your face. The primer basically makes your face a bit smoother; it fills in the gaps in your face and makes your make up last longer. It doesn't really prevent oil from coming out, but it does help keeping the foundation intact. I do strongly recommend Revlon Photoready Perfecting Primer. It glides on the skin like silk and makes your skin really smooth and silky. But, it will set you back 825 PHP, which in my case, is really out of the budget. For people on a tight budget, like me, I recommend ELF Mineral Infused Face Primer. It costs only 400 PHP, so it really won't set you back too much. 
• Eyelid Primer -- After I apply my eye serum, I let it dry for a few minutes before I apply my eyelid primer. I am using ELF Eyelid Primer. It really keeps my eyeshadow and eyeliner intact the whole day, even with the very humid weather we've been having all week.
• Concealer -- I always make sure to use a concealer. I don't really have a lot of problems with my skin, but I still use a concealer for under my eyes, my laugh lines and my nose. I use my ELF Undereye Concealer and Highlighter for my under eye area, and I use Mary Kay Concealer for the other areas. The coverage from Mary Kay is unbelievable! I strongly recommend getting this. 
• Foundation/BB Cream -- I am currently using a BB cream for my daily coverage, because I think using foundation everyday is too heavy. I use Maybelline's Clear Smooth 8-in-1 BB Cream. It really gives you ample coverage without the weight. Good for daily use.
• Finishing Powder -- Me, being quite oily, usually would use powder after foundation, especially if it is liquid. I just use it on the T-Zone and under my eyes because that is where I am oiliest. I currently use Nichido Final Powder in So Natural. It's great because the powder is not actually tinted, so it doesn't make me look pallid at all. And it's only 105 PHP. Great deal!

•  Make Up Proper -- Putting on the paint

• Eyebrows -- I usually start with this area, since I put make-up on at work. In case I don't finish, I won't look like a monkey without my eyebrows. I just trace the shape of my brows using a medium coffee color. I'm using IN2IT Waterproof Eyebrow Color in Eyebrowns. It's actually a palette with 3 colours: Light Brown, Medium Coffee Brown, and Brown-black. It comes with a great applicator, but I still use my own brush. You can also use the palette for smokey eyes. 299 PHP in Watsons.
• Eyeshadow -- I am a warm toned person, so I prefer neutral colors. I love browns, beige and golds. I'm using IN2IT Island Sands. This palette has 5 awesome shimmery colors great for blending and layering. 375 PHP at Watsons.
• Liner -- It use my eyeliner sparingly nowadays. I used to be a liner person in college, but I mellowed down a bit when I started working. It made me look too aggressive, so I only use it sparingly. I'm a fan of liquid and gel liners because they are more precise. I'm using AVON Extra Lasting Liquid Eyeliner in Black. For my gel liner, I use Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner in Black. 
• Blush -- I am still working on blushes, since I have not really studied the techniques in applying it effectively, but I am using ELF Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder. Close dupe of NARS Laguna/Orgasm Duo, but not exact. I love it because it just gives me a natural looking glow without looking like a slapped tomato.
• Lipstick/balm/stain -- Perfect final touch to the ensemble. I am loving pinks and nudes right now since it exudes innocence, hahahaha, which I unfortunately lost a while back. I'm loving Cover Girl Lipstick in Rose Quartz. It's kinda hard to find here. Had to have it shipped from the US.

And that's it! That is actually my basic routine. If you have suggestions, please comment below! ^^

Ja ne, pretty ladies!^^

We love make up!

I love make-up!

I really am not a professional make-up artist, nor have I had any training on putting on make-up. I just know I love make-up and the skills that I have, I learned on my own (albeit, with help from professional make-up blogs and tutorials.. ^^). I aim to provide easy to understand explanations, tutorials and reviews for those people who are like me: uber loves make-up, but lacks the know-how and is completely clueless.

I will be posting my hauls, and my reviews regarding the products I will be using. I will also be explaining some generic terms which are confusing to newbies. I may be dishing out some of my make-up techniques later on.

Hopefully you will find my blog helpful and fun!

Ja ne!