A few years ago, foundation primer was all the rage. Primer is applied in a thin layer after moisturizer but before foundation, and is supposed to make foundation go on smoother and stay on longer.
It's one extra step, so not exactly "lazy," but promises that you wouldn't have to retouch makeup.
Smashbox and Laura Mercier were the primers I heard the most about. Over the years I have tried both. I wasn't impressed enough to make it a regular part of my beauty routine, but I did use it occasionally for a special event, or when I thought I really needed to look great for a long period of time.
Smashbox's primer is more of a dry gel, while Laura Mercier's primer is more like a thin lotion.
I happen to have a tube of the Oil free Laura Mercier, so I thought I would do a little experiment to see if foundation primer actually made a difference in my makeup throughout the day.
HYPOTHESIS: No. I seriously doubted the primer would work.
CONTROLS: Well, me. Same skin, same week. And the makeup. For this experiment I used the M.A.C. Studio Stick in NW 20, applied with a brush. I told pictures of myself on both days at 9:30am, just after makeup application, and 2:30pm.
I chose mid-day as opposed to end of the day, because there are just too many variables that can affect a day's makeup. Plus, I didn't want to scare anyone with my end-of-day look.
(I found out that I love beauty experiments, and hate taking pictures of myself. Any volunteers for future Lazy Beauty guinea pigs? You'll save me some humiliation.)Here is Day 1, WITH foundation primer:
(What happened to my lipstick? The world may never know.)
Here is Day 2, WITHOUT foundation primer:
(Dear Lord, what happened that day?! I swear picture 2 was taken at 2:30pm and not midnight. Oh well, I'm committed to being open and candid here at Hollywood Housewife.)
Also, the sun makes different colors in my kitchen from morning to mid-day, which is why the pictures appear to be at a different "temperature." But it was consistent for both days, so they're still judge-able.
VERDICT: I'm shocked, but I do think the foundation primer made a slight difference. I think my makeup went on smoother - one of the claims - and the makeup did seem to look a little better in the first set. I'm not sure you can tell from the pictures. Can you?
The number one thing I learned from this experiment: I need different makeup coverage. I don't really like the way it looks in these pictures. I use different types of foundation all the time: Studio Fix powder, as I mentioned, liquid, mineral, I change it up. I have been using the stick foundation the most lately, which is why I chose it for the experiment. But, maybe no more.
You'll learn quite a bit about yourself if you take pictures of your face twice a day. Try it, or don't. Only for the brave, I'd say.
What do you think? Do you use foundation primer? Can you see a difference in the pictures?
(psst...this post was linked up at Your Life, Your Blog)
