4 Kinds of Primer Make for 4 Kinds of Flawless Makeup
Aleetha Clanton, New York-based beauty multi-hyphenate hair stylist and makeup artist, educator and motivational speaker shares her insider’s view on the multiple upsides of makeup primers.
Photo by Franklin Thompson, makeup by Aleetha Clanton.
Four-in-One Foundation Information #1: This is the first of a 4-part Mineral Air series deconstructing the major components (primer, concealer, hydrator, pigment) of our extraordinary multitasking foundation formula.
Primers in action
Top makeup artist and educator’s Aleetha Clanton’s signature look is fresh, dewy skin. “Even if you don’t have great skin,” she notes, “I can make it look like you do.”
There isn’t a professional makeup artist in the business today who doesn’t use primers. “They’re major tools we always have in our kit,” says Aleetha Clanton, “but are the first thing most non-pros leave out of their morning routine to save time. What primers do–just like when you use a paint primer on a wall–is create a smooth surface upon which your color cosmetics can attach. Primers are the ultimate cosmetic enablers in they help makeup do what it’s designed to do but only better. As a result, makeup applied over primer will go one much smoother, blend easier and last considerably longer. Primers deliver a professional polish no matter where they’re used.”
Here is Aleetha’s roundup of primers and what they do:
1. Eyelash primer
“One coat of eyelash primer before you apply anything else,” Aleetha reports, “can double or even triple the intensity of your mascara. Plus, it’ll go on smoother and enable you to apply multiply multiple coats without clumping if you want to.” Her eyelash primers of choice are L’Oreal Voluminous Lash Primer and Diorshow Maximizer 3D Triple Volume Plumping Lash Primer.
2. Eyeshadow primer
“Eyelid primer can be a game changer for eyeshadow application,” says Aleetha. “You can’t do fashion or beauty photography without it.” Indeed, it works to:
・Prevent creases caused by oily eyelids
・Intensify the true color and saturation of eyeshadow
・Enable smooth, seamless blending
・Lock in the color for longevity
Mineral Air in the picture: If you’re going for a natural look, Four-in-One Foundation can be misted directly onto the eyelids as a primer before shadow or highlighter application.
3. Lip primer
“The goal for lip primer,” Aleetha advises, “is to keep as much of your lip color on your lips rather than on your coffee cup, on your significant other or on your associates when you ‘mwah’ them hello.” Lip primers help to:
・Smooth dryness on the lips
・Lock in the color for longevity
・Prevent color bleed outside lip lines
Mineral Air in the picture: Unless you’re going for a super-intense, sharp red lip (in which case you’ll want a heavier product specifically for lips), misting Four-in-One Foundation on the lips makes a good base for lipstick.
4. Face primer
Face primers have a lot going for them but for some people, they can cause clogged pores and breakouts if you’ve got the wrong formula. The right primer applied under your foundation helps to:
・Smooth skin’s surface for seamless foundation and blush blending
・Diffuse fine lines
・Color correct if necessary (for example, a green primer will help color neutralize a red face)
・Balance out skin that’s too dry or too oily
・Lock in the color for longevity
Mineral Air in the picture: Because Mineral Air includes a non-comedogenic (that is, doesn’t clog pores or cause breakouts), micronized hydrator primer right in the Four-in-One Foundation, you automatically every the primer benefit but without the spending extra time, money or effort to get it just right.
We’re all ears
Aleetha notes that one thing she sees most frequently is people forgetting to apply primer and foundation to their ears. Mineral Air can help here too. “Just a light misting around the perimeter of the face at the hairline and on and around earlobes will do,” she says. “Because you don’t want to be running around being perfectly made up but with bare-skinned ears that don’t look they belong to your head.”
“Primers are the ultimate cosmetic enablers in they help every makeup product do what it’s designed to do but only better. As a result, makeup applied over primer will go one much smoother, blend easier and last considerably longer.”
Aleetha Clanton
Hair stylist and makeup artist
W aleethaclanton.com
IG @aleethaclanton