Three High End Primers.

I used to think that I didn't like primers and perhaps I didn't because my early experiences of them were of ones that were largely silicone based. They felt as if they were sitting on the surface of my skin and felt uncomfortable, they clogged my pores and gave me zits and the wrong combo of products on top made them roll up into balls meaning that I had to clean my face and start all over again. 

Nowadays things are much more sophisticated and there are a whole host of primers out there that do a zillion jobs. While I've yet to find a cheaper primer that I love, I have three high end ones that I love to use depending on my skin's needs and the seasons.

The one that Lasts: 

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer (30 ml $52.00)  

 This may well be my favorite Primer ever! Mineral based, it feels velvety and leaves my skin feeling silky smooth. It calms down any redness in my cheeks and keeps my t-zone in check. But what this does best is keeping everything in place. 

If you have skin that is oilier, an active T-zone or live in a hot or humid environment put some of this on (one pump is all you need) and you will be seriously amazed at how your make up lasts.

 I like to put this on and wait a couple a minutes before applying tinted moisturizer or foundation, you can actually feel this gripping your base as you put it on - it seems to bond product to your skin but at the end of the day you can still cleanse it off easily.

  And it has SPF15 (I know you ideally need more than factor 15 but every little helps right?) My only issue with this is that sometimes the pump can become blocked causing the product to spurt out but other than that it's pretty much a perfect primer as far as I'm concerned!

The one that Plumps:

By Terry Hyaluronic Hydra Primer (40ml $61.00) 

This is a lovely, lightly textured cream that feels cooling and refreshing on application. You need very little of this as it has great slip and whilst it doesn't make my make up last as long as Veil does, it does keep it in place for much longer than if I use nothing. This gives my skin a nice smooth surface onto which it is easy to apply make up and it makes my skin look plumper. 

I particularly like to use this in colder weather as I love the extra burst of hydration it gives. 

The tube makes it easy to travel with option - bonus!

The one that Covers:

Sunday Riley Effortless Breathable Tinted Primer (30ml $48.00)

Effortless is a tinted primer. It is very sheer yet it does a great job of evening out your complexion and skin tone. It isn't intended as a TM or a foundation but you could easily wear this alone on a good skin day and when used as a base it not only prolongs the life of your make up, it makes your skin look fresh and dewy. 

Effortless comes in a pump bottle that I have found you need to shake a little before use as it has a tendency to separate and can feel oily if you don't do so. Once shaken it sits very nicely on the skin and also feels moisturizing.

As with Veil, I like to put this on and wait a couple of minutes before applying make up to let it set off. My only real criticism with this one is the color range - just three shades are available...

You can find all of these at us.spacenk.com