The Base Preppers

There is nothing more infuriating than spending ages perfecting your makeup look at the start of the day, and having it disappear from your face before you even get home. Good face prep saves the hassle of having to reapply your makeup throughout the day, or ending up with faded eyeshadow and vanished foundation. I've assembled an army of base prepping wonders to see you through the day with your makeup intact. 

First off, I like to go in with the Bioderma Sebium Pore Refiner. Now I'm not convinced this is refining my pores, but what it does do is create the perfect base for makeup.  Not only does this prevent your natural oils from coming through throughout the day, by creating a satin finish on the skin, it also completely evens out your skin, disguising lumps bumps and pores, so your makeup looks even better when applied. I even use this on days I don't wear makeup, because it just makes my skin look smoother and less shiny. Thumbs up all round. (I should also point out, I have very 'normal' skin, but I do have oily and dry days, and this ALWAYS works for me.)

Moisturising in the morning is a tricky thing. You need to do it, but it can often make your makeup slide off, particularly if you apply your makeup immediately after. The answer to all your moisturising problems lies with the Origins Ginzing Day Cream and Eye Cream. These two have a more gel-like consistency than your standard daily moisturiser, meaning they absorb into the skin straight away, and they don't leave a residue at all. Bonus points to the eye cream, since it has light reflecting particles that help instantly reduce the appearance of dark circles. Score.

When it comes to primers, I hate to say it but you get what you pay for. I've tried A LOT of primers, and none of the drugstore ones cut it when put up against my high end ones. The cream of the crop is the Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer, which will maintain that 'freshly applied' makeup look all day, but comes in at a mind boggling price. If mind boggling is out of your price range, Smashbox do a full primer range that has something to suit every skin type. It's not as good, but it's pretty damn close. And as far as prepping your eyes goes, I flit between products but right now I am loving the Urban Decay Primer Potion which creates a silky smooth base for you to go in with your eyeshadow, and preserves it all day.

Base prepped with these bad boys and your good to go all day. Using these products means I can wear any foundation I want without worrying about the wear time, since I know it will still be perfectly intact come cleansing time. 

What do you use to prep for makeup?