There are many a product on the entire male grooming market gents, where one may raise the perfectly justifiable question...is it worth it?  Shaving blocks, badger brushes and pre shave oils are just some of the products that spring to mind.  However, when it comes to male makeup, the only individual category of product which always seems to spring up a few questions is skin primer for men, sometimes called a makeup base.

In today’s men’s makeup blog, we’ll be running the rule over just how effective men’s skin primers are with a little help from our experts and will conclude with a few pointers in the right direction, in terms of what one to choose and which application method to take.  

Are they needed?  Is it worth the expense? and are they just a glorified moisturiser? are just some of the questions regularly asked by our male makeup following and today I can say with complete confidence that we will surely discover the answers.

If that wasn’t quite enough, we’ll be including a few reviews on men’s skin primer’s and how fellow gentlemen have experienced such a range of makeup for men product after slotting one into their makeup routine.  Costing anywhere between £8 and £26, skin primer’s come in a variety of different forms.  Whether they are targeted for anti-redness benefits, for men with irritation prone skin or are packed out with moisturisers to tackle dry skin, depending on what exactly you wish to achieve with primer, you will inevitably see that reflected in thel amount you are likely to pay.

So gents, let’s begin with the four main benefits of makeup bases.  Primer’s create an invisible protective barrier between your makeup and skin, with it bringing a whole host of advantages.  Firstly, such a barrier protects your skin from excessive makeup wear, which can be detrimental to your skin’s health and ensures your pores do not become clogged with the likes of foundation and concealer.  The truth is gentlemen, makeup wear without a primer can often be quite suffocating to your pores, especially if you choose lower quality products, and in the long run end up doing more harm than good in your fight against imperfections and skin issues.

Secondly, men’s makeup bases provide complete round the clock moisturisation to your skin, tackling the drying tendencies of male makeup, especially present in the height of summer and winter.  Often packed out with nutrients for your skins overall health, for a completely moisturised feel it’s time to deploy the power of a primer.

The advantage of both of the above and the third key benefit is that your makeup for men products are able to stay in place all day long.  Where sole use may result in fading into your afternoon or night, makeup bases leave such products looking fixed for longer, with it bringing a brand new level to your makeup’s subtlety.

Bringing us nicely into the fourth main benefit, such a long lasting nature to your makeup will bring with it enhanced subtlety.  When coupled with the fact that primers allow the likes of bronzer and foundation to sit more evenly on the skin, enjoy and experience a completely natural and unparalleled look when utilizing the power of cosmetics.  An even blank canvas created by primer allows such products to reside more closely to your skins surface and ultimately refines your complexion for a smoother and perfect finish.

Moving swiftly into the best methods of application, most guys tend to love skin primers because of their complete ease in application.  Applied in exactly the same way you would a moisturiser or serum, simply use your fingertips to rub the formula in quickly, easily and evenly before quickly moving onto your other cosmetics.

At present there are only six main primers for men on the makeup market, most notably MMUK MAN’s luxury version and the hugely effective Camera Ready skin primer from W7.  Both, in their own right do much to justify their huge sales numbers but the term ‘unsung heroes’ often comes to mind in describing them, simply because most men often over look the need for them.  Recipe For Men’s under eye primer also does a great job before the application of under eye men’s concealer, without forgetting Calvin Klein’s expert whitening treatment base.  All in all, it’s great to be able to enjoy the power of a cosmetic category as a male makeup buyer, without having to choose between tens and tens of what is effectively the same product.

So gentlemen, before we wrap up today’s blog, why not have a quick read below of how some of your fellow makeup advocates found the use of a good men’s skin primer?

‘’I started using skin primer after receiving it in a kit earlier this year.  I didn’t really get what it was for as I brought the kit mainly to save money on the main products I wanted.  I always used moisturiser before my cosmetics but found my skin to get greasy throughout the day and my makeup would  always tend to fade.  I was really impressed when using my MMUK MAN primer.  My makeup stayed in place for longer and didn’t fade.  I am a personal trainer and sweat a lot in hot gyms all day, so to have a product which didn’t let my skin fade away was really important to me.  I’d definitely buy this product as part of a kit and it lasts a long time as you only need a small amount.’’ (Phil Howard, Leeds)

‘’I always struggle with redness and rosacea and decided to go for L’Oreal’s anti redness primer.  It really worked well.  A clear formula which actually made my foundation look more natural and gave my skin a good head start.  It goes on just like a moisturiser and quickly absorbs to give my skin a velvet feel.  Really loved it and would certainly recommend it if you are using just foundation to cover red and uneven skin tone.  Would certainly recommend!’’  (Andy Stewart, Sussex)

‘’A perfect tonic to my men’s cosmetic products.  I never really rated moisturiser but always read that you should apply it before makeup.  I cannot believe how Calvin Klein’s helped my skin look more even and literally created a perfect base to build upon.  I was absolutely distraught when the product was discontinued, however, reverted to MMUK MAN’s after speaking to their team.  It’s a little more oilier than I’d have like but my skin is able to maintain a non shine look.  I tend to wear a lot of bronzer in the winter and it sometimes looks a bit odd if i’m not concentrating whilst putting it on.  i’d say to sum up a good skin primer would be to call it my makeup insurance policy.’’ (Ryan Hardy, Chicago)