Primer isn’t a fad product.

If you enjoy wearing makeup, and you get snitchy when that makeup doesn’t last then I cannot for the love of Liza Minnelli understand why you are not wearing primer.

You wouldn’t paint your walls without priming them first, would you? (Ignore the fact that our face is nothing like a house please.) Primer is a staple, you guys. A must-own. It’s not a silly thing that will come and go in the beauty world like nailpolish pens – although I personally wish nailpolish pens would come back hard – primer is clever and purposeful and effectual.

Some reasons that might get you across this g-damn line if you are not already there:

– Most but not all primers have silicone in them. This is a good thing, because it means this non-toxic silicone acts as a wall between your face and your makeup – meaning your makeup stays in place, because your skin cannot eat your makeup all day (because you are not feeding or watering it properly, usually – give it some exfoliation and a mask why don’t you?) It means thorough cleansing and exfoliationg a few times a week, this silicone, though. Don’t let that shit build up.

– Primers are flaw-fixers so that all the heavy lifting isn’t left to foundation and concealer, which to be fair, are not really qualified. Certain primers (I’m looking at you, Smashbox) can conceal the look of large pores, mattify shine, even out redness, boost glow; whatever. There are SO many different kinds now, and they all do different things, so be sure to find one that best suits your personal skin needs, not one some chump on a beauty blog recommends, even if she is a real nice girl and knows heaps about everything.

– Primer pretty much acts as spac filler. If you are the type of dame who sees wrinkles and fine lines as though they are neon lights or small waving hands, then primer helps to fill those in and plump them up before you apply makeup.

– Primer, the right primer, will cosmetically illuminate and add radiance to your skin before your makeup goes on. This is a wonderful thing and I cannot understand why if this was available to you, especially when you want your makeup to look IMMACULATE for an event, or last the whole day at work or at a wedding or your annual fly-fishing conference, you would not adopt it.

My two go-to primers these days:

The Dermalogica Age Smart Skin Perfect Primer one is slightly tinted and full of SPF 30+ skin care and heavy with silicones to really smooth out the skin and plump up fine lines, which I have around my eyes and quite enjoy filling in. It’s very thick and velvety, and adds a lovely evenness to the skin. If you have cracking skin, it could be used alone as a skin perfector on top of moisturiser but I prefer using it under foundation. Also, the size is tiny and perfect and very awesome for this travelbot. I love it.

The Face Of Australia Face Base 3-in-1 Primer is less powerful at skin-perfecting and line-filling, but its benefit is that being all creamy and moisturiser-like, you can skip your daily face cream and use this straight onto cleansed skin which means less layering/build up on the face. That said: I recommend sunscreen first, obviously then primer – the SPF 15 in here and such a small amount won’t do nada. It’s hydrating and helps makeup last longer – simple. Also it is about $10, so that’s something.