Today I wanted to talk about a product I’ve been using ever since I really got into makeup. It’s something that’s never failed me, never made my highly sensitive skin break out and always kept my makeup looking flawless. As I’m sure you can guess by the title it is of course the Skin Base Visage primer by MAC Cosmetics.
I can safely say I have never been without this since the very first time I got my makeup done at MAC in Brown Thomas in Co. Limerick by a woman named Gina (who was incredible might I add). I got my makeup done for my 13th birthday, and, being an adolescent my skin was an absolute nightmare. Gina did an amazing job and made me feel really gorgeous and confident. She started by prepping my skin with “Complete Comfort Creme”, another holy grail product of mine from MAC and then she proceeded to apply this “Skin Base Visage” primer. Now, being 13 and the majority of my exposure to makeup coming from pictures/sample products from “Girl Talk” magazines (DOES ANYONE REMEMBER GIRL TALK???) I had absolutely no idea what a primer was or how to use it. And so began my journey down a road from which I was never going to return from, and that was using primer.
For those of you who aren’t familiar, a primer acts as a barrier between your skin and your makeup and helps to make it last longer. It is applied after your moisturiser but before your foundation. It helps to even out the skin tone so that your makeup applies much smoother and makes your skin look more flawless. I like to think of it as creating a veil between your skin and your makeup.
This particular primer suits all skin types. At the time my skin was very irritated and sensitivite and to top it all off I suffered from both excema AND acne (I was a lucky, lucky teenager) and I still struggle with severe dryness and the odd patch of excema to this day. However, this primer never irritates my skin. In fact, it makes my skin feel incredibly soft.
SCIENCEY BITS:
MAC’s Prep and Prime Skin Base visage is a smooth, lightweight lotion that perfects the skin’s texture while simultaneously hydrating the skin. It contains silicone which evens out the skin tone and plumps up the skin and it also contains silica which is a natural anti-inflammatory and reduces the appearance of redness caused by excema/psoriasis etc, something I struggle with in particular.
So I was already obsessed with this as a product for myself, a dry-skinned being, but then when I actually started working for MAC I learned of the benefits it has for people of not only my skin type but also those with the complete opposite, oily, and everything in between. The primer contains oil controlling lotion which is perfect for those of you who find your skin gets shiny or starts to look slightly greasy throughout the day but it DOES NOT dry out your skin.
So if you are looking to try out a different primer or even if you’re interested in adding a primer to your makeup routine I would highly recommend this one. Even if you’re unsure about whether or not it will work for you or if it will work well with your skin, try out a sample first! Keep in mind, something you will notice when you apply the product to your hand is that there is a slight glitter off it but DO NOT WORRY, this is just because there are no pores on your hand and so when it is applied to your face, this glittery effect does not show as the product works to fill in your pores.
I don’t think there’ll ever be a day when this isn’t a staple in my makeup collection. I’ve consistently had a back up bottle for the last 10 years and if I’m ever going to an event or out for the entire day you can be sure I have this primer on underneath my makeup.
MAC Cosmetics “Prep and Prime: Skin Base Visage” retails for €27 and can be found in Arnotts, in-store and online, the duty-free section of Shannon and Dublin Airports and any Brown Thomas or BT2 store and the Brown Thomas website here .
Any questions, just comment or tweet me at @michelley_mc
Happy shopping ☺️✨
Michelle
Xoxo
