30 Day Makeup Primer Experiment

Posted January 6, 2014 by Prairie Wife - 2 comments

I’m the first to admit that most days I don’t spend a whole lot of time on me and my look. If we are being completely honest there are a good three days a week where I am in sweats all day and most likely unshowered as well. What can I say; it’s one of the perks of being a stay at home mom. So, that leaves me with four days where I spend a little more time on me. On the days I do go out and about town I like to dress it up a little, and you can find me in full makeup and styled hair (or at least a cute hat) and obviously heels of some type.

For me, nothing is more frustrating than taking the time to do my makeup, only to see it smudging and fading and sinking into my wrinkles (caused by smiling of course) by the afternoon. This last month I was inspired by Texas Two Steppin’ and her month long hair experiment and conducted my own experiment, but with makeup rather than hair. I have been reading a lot of articles about primers in my fashion magazines, and frankly the idea sounded too good to be true. According to the buzz, all you have to do is put on the primer after your regular face lotion (and sunscreen) and before your makeup, and you will look flawless…all day long. It certainly sounded fabulous, who wouldn’t want smaller pores, less obvious wrinkles, and no need to touch up your undereye makeup after a nap?

For my experiment I went two days a week with my regular makeup routine, and then the other two days I used primer before I applied my makeup. I kept track of what days I needed to touch up my makeup before I headed back into town for the afternoon or evening. December turned out to be the perfect month for the experiment; I had a of school parties and Christmas programs to attend! We even had a few big holiday bashes that went late into the evening.

On the days when I went with my regular makeup routine it was the same old story. I would check my makeup after naptime and find myself touching up my undereye makeup, and even sometimes needing to add more BB cream or blush. I noticed that the smile lines around my mouth were always more noticeable, but other than tapping a little lotion on them to try and plump them up there wasn’t really anything I could do. For a few of the later night parties I even had to reapply my eyeshadow and eyeliner, what a pain!

So, for my new makeup plus primer routine here is what I did. As soon as I got out of the shower and before I put on myRodan and Fields face lotion I would spray myself with my Urban Decay B6 Vitamin Infused Complexion Prep Spray. Now, I originally got this as a free sample with some other Urban Decay products I had ordered (I love Urban Decay BB cream and Naked Eyeshadow Pallet) but, you better believe that I bought a full size bottle after using it all last month! It freshened up my face and instantly smoothed it without making it feel tight. I felt my lotion going on smoother and sinking in more quickly, and there was no residue. After I had put on my face lotion and sunscreen and before my makeup, I used my Mary Kay Foundation Primer (it now comes with SPF 15). I was expecting it to be greasy but it definitely was not. A little bit goes a long way, and it instantly made my skin appear smoother.

When I applied my makeup over the prep spray and primer I immediately noticed that I didn’t need to use as much product, and that the color of my makeup was truer and more even. I received compliments about my glowing complexion, and people asked if Cowbaby had finally started to sleep through the night (alas my answer was no). After naptime there was no need to touch up my makeup, and when it was time to go to my evening parties all I had to do was add another layer of mascara to make my look nighttime ready. I noticed that my makeup was not sinking into my smile lines, or the lines under my eyes, and that there was no need to touch up my blush. On the days when I used heavier eye makeup I used Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion just on my eyelids. My eye makeup (even my liner) stayed fresh all day, no shifting and sinking here!

After two weeks it was obvious to me that prep spray and primer were the only way to go, but for the sake of science and honesty I continued to stick with two days on two days off. Happily it is now January and I can stop torturing myself for the sake of my blog. On my makeup days I have added using the Urban Decay B6 Vitamin Infused Complexion Prep Spray and Mary Kay Foundation Primer to my routine, and it has only added a minute or two to my getting ready time. Well worth it, with the time I save now that I don’t have to touch up my makeup in the afternoon and evening. On the days where I am wearing a heavier eye makeup I use the Urban Decay Eyshadow Primer Potion, but for everyday wear, I find that the Mary Kay Foundation Primer keeps my eyeshadow and lighter eyeliner in place.

Click on the links below to buy the products

Urban Decay B6 Vitamin Infused Complexion Prep Spray

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion

Mary Kay Foundation Primer

Take the Primer challenge and let me know what you think!