In which Demi plays with primers and talks beauty confidence

Primers are my secret weapon when it comes to make-up.

I've been using primers ever since I started to seriously use make-up, making the switch as an early teen from 'Oh God, pile some foundation and powder on my face to stop it looking so shiny!' to 'Hey, if I'm a bit more careful about all this, I don't look half bad.'

It sounds silly, but getting Sky TV was the factor that changed everything. Mum and I started to watch QVC, and their live product demonstrations taught us all sorts of tips and tricks, while their 30 day money back guarantee meant that we could try products out on our reactive skins (I have no doubt in my mind where I've inherited mine from!) and send them back if we didn't have a good experience. We were also introduced to a whole range of brands which we had never seen in shops, whether they were American or more boutique. My mum fell in love with Liz Earle, Elemis and Gatineau, and I found Smashbox.

Smashbox original Photo Finish Primer - Source

This product changed how I applied make-up. And, although it may sound silly, it helped me to change how I felt about myself and my appearance. I no longer felt like I should go out wearing a paper bag to cover my oily skin.

It continually astounds me how few of my friends are aware of the benefits of primers. But then again, they all have naturally better skin than I do, or don't care about make-up in the same way that I do. I love make-up and beauty products because of the confidence they instil in me. With the right face base on, I have no fear about trying out a vampy, dark lip, or electric blue eyeliner. It even extends to my clothes - as long as I feel like I have natural-looking, even-toned skin, I have the confidence to try out different styles, or wear pieces that I maybe don't think I could get away with - but try anyway. My confidence in my exterior is able to match my interior confidence of myself, as a person.

A couple of my close girl friends have pulled me aside before now, to ask me why I feel like I have to wear 'so much' make-up - are trying to make yourself more attractive? You're not trying to change yourself just to try and attract boys are you? You know you don't need to wear so many products? You look fine already!

And the answer is always no, I don't - I don't feel like I have to. I just like to. I like applying the layers, putting the pieces together. Layering products, I've found, gives a more natural look than one thick swath of foundation anyway. Male friends have commented that they don't even realise I'm wearing make-up most of the time, unless it's obvious. I apply make-up for myself, and whenever I challenge my girls in response, asking them if they can honestly say I look better without make-up, I'm met with guilty silences.

But I digress. Smashbox Photo Finish was my primer of choice for many years, helping to fill in my pores and smoothing out my skin tone to a soft-focus sheen. One thing I will say is that it wasn't very good at keeping me oil-free; the high-silicone content stifled my skin and I had to keep powder handy to deal with the effects.

Smashbox then changed to formula of their Photo Finish, and within a couple of days of using the new batch I had worse skin than I'd had in years. I mourned the loss of my staple product, but instantly set about finding a replacement. For a while I used a Maxfactor foundation, which had a second half to the bottle which held a primer (the name escapes me now), which eventually became discontinued. I then settled on Philosophy's Poreless Flawless.

Philosophy's Poreless Flawless Tinted spf15 - Source

I loved this product. Weird apricot colour aside, this spongey, gooey, creamy substance made my skin as smooth as a baby's bum, and controlled my oily skin much better than Smashbox's offering. Plus it has the added benefit of SPF, and to this day remains one of the few SPF products which didn't make me break out into spots within minutes.

Unfortunately, after a few happy years, Philosophy stopped bringing this product to the UK market, and I couldn't face shipping it over from the States. This was only a couple of years ago now and primers had swept the beauty market, and were now being offered by both high-street and high-end brands. So I tried a few out, from Rimmel's cheap and cheerful version to Laura Mercier and MAC - the latter of which, I am sad to say, I hated! Laura Mercier's deserves a shout-out though, because I did really like it, but I just kept breaking out into spots, so I sadly retired it.

My search ended when I came across NARS. I'd never bought anything from them before, but the lovely sales lady at Harvey Nichols gave me small sample tubes of both the Pore Refining Primer and the Multi-Protect Primer (where the SPF inevitably made me break out, dammit! Are you noticing a pattern here...?) and I soon returned to pick up a full-sized version of the Pore Refining version. I've been happily using this for a few years now.

My well-used, slightly mucky tube... niiice.

It's a lot lighter than the primers I'd previously used, and the first time I used it I was sure that such a thin liquid wouldn't be able to do anything! But it held my make-up well, and acted more like a super-moisturiser than a high-silicone primer. Due to its lower silicone content my skin also improved, as it was much more breathable - so I got the best of both worlds!

However, disaster struck on my trip to Nottingham last month, and I forgot to pack my primer! It sounds silly, but I really did panic! It's the first thing I apply to my face after moisturiser, and with a festival to attend the following day I didn't want to have to worry about my make-up running. So I dashed to Boots to find a cheap replacement, and emerged with L'Oreal's Lumi Magique Primer. Having switched to a L'Oreal foundation about a year ago (reviewed here) I figured it would be a safe bet - plus I got to use the 3 for 2 offer on make-up to pick up another Rouge Caresse lipstick (previously featured here too)

Left: Nars      Right: L'Oreal

Awkward hair tie mark on my wrist: Accidental

As you can (hopefully) see, the Lumi Magique primer is slightly shimmery and luminescent. The shimmer, which is not visible when rubbed in, creates a lovely dewy, bright finish to the skin. My skin looks and feels like satin - plus it smells like chocolate! Divine. I was really chuffed with this primer, and now often find myself reaching for it on a daily basis - maybe because it's summer, and I want a lighter look for my make-up. For nights out and a more polished look I reach for my NARS. But I love them both!

Do you bother with primer? Do you have any recommendations? xo.