THE PRIMER GAME

I'm never quite a face primer wearer, I just never really needed it because I used to be one of those fortunate people that my makeup stay put quite well throughout the day.

Now, things have changed since I now live in Hong Kong.  We have just been through the hottest summer in beautyorbread's history.  I'm sure there had been at least a whole month, if not for longer; that the temperature shot up to 35c everyday and stayed that hot.

I was still wearing makeup but it took me a whole summer to realise that, apart from not wearing makeup (because I love doing so), I could actually wear something called a 'face primer' to help those beauty products stay put a bit better on my face.

As the sun is still relatively visible, and at times it can still feel a bit warm (believe it or not it's already mid-October but temperature can still get up to 30c), so a primer with SPF is a must for me; to give my face that bit of protection.

I first looked at the brand Kate, it has a mineral UV gel base primer.  It comes in a squeezy tube so it's perfect for travelling.  It has SPF32 PA ++ so it also ticks my box of a combo of SPF and primer.  The texture of the product feels quite silicone but blends and applies easily on the face.  I feel that it is not too 'siliconey' that my makeup can't sit on top of it well.  It does help my face products last a bit longer.  It is absorbed by the skin quite quickly and doesn't dry out my skin.

Obviously, I wouldn't just stop trying out one product.  I then saw the Max Factor Face Finity Primer with SPF 20, and said to myself, 'oh yes of course there's a face primer by Max Factor and why didn't I think of that!'.  The texture of this primer is a lot more liquidy than the Kate's one.  It feels more like a face lotion than a conventional face primer would feel.  This then makes the application even more easier and feels more hydrating on the skin.  Although I wouldn't necessarily say that the Kate's one is less hydrating as both products are absorbed by the skin equally well and fast.  Again, this also helps my makeup to stay put fairly well.  The glass bottle makes the product looks really nice but not a travel friendly product I don't think.

I would recommend both products as they both perform equally well - it just depends on if you prefer a thicker textured primer or something similar to a face lotion.

Do you wear a primer?  Is it a step that you swear by it or 'nah it's not for me'?