Mineral Makeup Primer...Is It Necessary?
This question has been asked by a few women as to whether or not they require a primer before using our mineral makeup products. The good news is, a primer is not needed when using Sterling Minerals. Besides, this defeats the purpose of keeping skin unobstructed from skin occluding ingredients.
The use of a primer with our mineral foundation, is actually counterproductive to the performance of their unique blend of mineral and botanical ingredients. Due to this composition, ours perform best and conceal beautifully when used with an excellent moisturizer and then spray misted to set.
You can get fantastic results when applied with our mineral foundation moist method. This method literally melds the mineral makeup foundation to the skin in the same fashion as a liquid foundation.
Why Are Primers Created Then?
Primers work wonderfully for liquid applications in order to prevent slippage or creeping, and to help fill scars, fine lines, especially around the eyes, or blemishes on the skin, basically creating a smoother surface. Some mineral makeup companies are now creating primers for their product line in order to improve performance of their minerals.
A mineral makeup primer might work well and maybe necessary for products that are made with just mica, bismuth oxychloride, colorants and minerals, and with little else in them. But these ingredients don't perform well for long lasting coverage, whereby, perhaps making the argument for why some (larger well known) companies are now offering them to help with smoothing and staying power for an otherwise substandard mineral product. They may also assist with reducing irritation some mineral makeup products can still cause women.
It also depends on the primer. Using a primer everyday can contribute to bouts of acne and since primers were designed to create a barrier between your skin and the makeup, this can cause problems for mineral makeup application. A primer may smooth the skins surface and aid in preventing melt out, but it may not allow for melding the mineral powders to the skins' facial oils or the moisturizer you used, making the minerals appear chalky, caked or appeared separated from the skin. Basically, staying suspended over the skin instead of blending in and looking natural. In the long run, the skin may actually appear more aged than it is.
Why Do My Minerals Separate From My Skin?
We investigated a variety of mineral makeup primers and in each and every one, they all contained some form of silicone derivative. Not just one, but a variety used in combination. We have explained about certain mineral makeup and moisturizer problems arise due to the fact, silicone only acts temporarily on the skin to provide soft focus, and though it can be an excellent pore and line filler, it will also create a seal over the skin, preventing skin adhesion of the mineral powders.
Again, due to the composition of our ingredient profile, the minerals combined with the other ingredients, including Jojoba Oil, contribute to perfect melding to the skin along with a propensity for having long lasting staying power and soft focus provided by our polymerized methicone encapsulated mica. Creeping, slippage or melt out just doesn't happen with our mineral makeup, and this includes women with oily skin. Our products provide minerals and a primer all in one. They not only aid in keeping skin cool and dry, but perform nicely for all skin types while helping to smooth fine lines and hide other facial imperfections.
They finish the face flawlessly and remove the practice of having to perform repeated touch-ups throughout the day.
Beauty Tip: For best results, we also don't recommend using our mineral veils as a primer prior to your mineral foundation, since best results are achieved when application occurs after you moisturize. These are best used for a subtle finish on top of your foundation and for humidity, perspiration and oil control.