I bought Dr. Feelgood last year. I had no idea what primer was I just wanted it and it was totally an impulse buy. Stupid benefit for making everything look so cute. Anyway I used it maybe a few times and decided that I hated it. WTF was it doing anyway? I don't wear foundation but I use concealer sometimes.

Later on...I decided I had to have Smashbox Photo Finish Primer. This was another impulse buy. I'm sure someone told me it was the "it" thing to have. After I got this I started paying more attention to Dr. Feelgood...and I do actually like it now. It minimizes my pores and makes my face soft. Still smells funny though.

I guess my question is...do I need a primer if I'm not wearing foundation? It just seems like one more thing I have to put on my face. Is there a trick on how I'm supposed to apply it? As of right now...I'm still not liking the Smashbox Primer. I would like something that will minimize pores (suggestions)

ty

you don't need primer even if you're wearing foundation.

clean, moisturized skin is fine for foundation and/or concealer.

if you click on the link to my column in my sig line, my November 2007 column is about primers.

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Rouquinne's Makeup Missive!

Thank you

If you're not wearing foundation, most likely you do not need a primer. Same actually goes for if you are wearing foundation unless you would like it to last. I'm just a makeup junkie who loves anything that will help my makeup go on smoother and last longer, so primers are a must have for me. Though I must admit, I only use my foundation primer (by English Ideas) on days when I need long (6 hour or more) wearability or on special occasions.

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Jessica
Representing the San Francisco Bay Area *the place I call home* 8)
...and yes, I say HELLA

you don't need to apply a primer if you are not wearing foundation.

primers help to make your foundation application more smooth and it helps make up stay on a bit longer. hmm, it's been mentioned already in the earlier comments. =P

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A primer is generally used to prolong foundation wear, but by no means mandatory. If you don't wear foundation, I don't see the point of wearing a primer. Although some have color corrective properties, there are better things to put on your face than primer on its own.

IMHO, I would consider looking into something with a sunscreen if you don't plan on wearing foundation. Clinique's City Block line is pretty good, and it will give your MU something to 'adhere' onto without being heavy. Although it is a primer, MAC's Prep & Prime SPF 50 is also nice and will protect your skin even if you don't wear foundation over it.

Actually Dr. Feelgood when worn alone helps mattify the skin...it's not just used as a primer. I bought that as well but it got dried out! I think the sponge inside absorbed all the moisture and I had to trash it argh. Anyway, I do like Smashbox Photo Finish but I don't use it all the time. A well-moisturised face is sometimes good enough

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I sing Beatles songs to my son instead of nursery rhymes.

I have Dr. Feelgood and I know what you mean about minimizing your pores-it definitely helped me out with that! But other than that I found no use for it...it didn't really do anything for my oily skin and I didn't see any difference in my foundation.

I just switched to Fyrinnae's Rice Powder primer-it's not that expensive and so far, it does minimize my pores and controls oil muuuch better than Dr. Feelgood.

But as the others said, unless you're going to use a primer for pore-minimizing purposes, you don't really need one if you're only using concealer. Good luck!!

I use silk and pearl primer paste even if I'm not wearing makeup because it reduces the shine. Before I discovered this, I spent a ton of $$ on primers from Sephora, dept stores, etc; the common denominator with dept store primers is silicone, which does create a nice canvas to work with but doesn't really control oil and contributes to pore congestions in my case.

Since I started using silk/pearl primer paste, Silken Pearl Products I stay shine-free all day long and rarely have to use blotting papers any longer.

Yea...well that's the reason I bought both primers. "Mattify" caught my eye. Even though I don't use foundation my skin gets oily by the end of the day. Smashbox Photo finish primer was recommended to me...I was told it would "mattify" but I can't really tell a difference. I'll have to check out Fyrinnae...never heard of it :/