Since I do a lot of testing of products as-is, I rarely use things like primer or setting spray. I tend to forget under eye concealer and concealers in general, even though I try to remember to use them!
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Colour correcting products, thankfully. I have a good skincare routine that renders higher-coverage base products unnecessary in general. Also separate setting and finishing powders – that seems like overkill even for my oily skin, and I just dont see the point at this time. BB creams and most tinted moisturizers just don’t seem to fit into my routine either, and I usually go with liquid concealer and powder foundation to cut down on how many layers of product go on my face.
I do try to remember primer, because it really makes a difference for my face, but most setting sprays are either just too dewy (the ones that are basically toners in a spray bottle) or they create a film on my face and break me out (the ones that are basically repackaged hairspray), and I dont see the point.
Most setting sprays are loaded w alcohol which why you have breakouts. If not from the alcohol but the fragrance (synthetic and plant based). I forgot about setting sprays. I don’t use those either. Or color correctors. I guess there are a few things I don’t use 🙂
Setting spray is totally unnecessary for me but primer is a must!
Foundation and primer
I rarely use concealers of any type. Aside from the occasional use of green for facial redness, I don’t use any color correctors.
I rarely use liquid liner, since my eyes are slightly hooded and winged liner doesn’t look great with hooded eyes (unless you have the lid space to do a large wing, which I do not.) I also don’t use setting spray, since I’m allergic to all the good ones (Urban Decay.)
Face primers. I’ve tried ones from too faced, MUFE, Hourglass, MAC, and beyond but they don’t do anything that lasts. I feel my skin is in a better condition without them. I do put a concealer under the eye to brighten but in general I don’t spot conceal unless I do a big blemish which is rare anyhow. Again, the less I put on my face the better and I don’t have time for touch ups. But I laugh at all the gurus who put a pound and a half of concealer, foundation, etc. I’m sure they look great at the 8th hour. I wouldn’t with all that on. Less is certainly more w me!
FAB triple duty eye…I think of it as a primer primer for lids and a concealer primer for undereye, (though it is neither; it’s kind of an eye TM.). And Paula Resist long name TM. Sometimes I wear only those. It can be enough sunscreen and blurring. I will forego either, rarely, if using other product on top, that does not play well.
Note note to self. Learn to read.
My makeup needs to last at least 12 hours on an average day, so base products are super important to me. I regularly use primers for eyeshadow, face, and undereye. I set my makeup with powder and setting spray.
What I never use: Color corrector or lip primer
I rarely use primers, color correctors, or contour. I don’t think they are useless, I just don’t use them in my daily looks. I’m always trying to look just a little more polished, awake, or colorful and not like someone else.
Setting powder as I am more dry
Because at present we are still in summer, I only bother using primer if I know I need my foundation to last impeccably through the day. Basically, because primer doesn’t allow pores to “breathe”, it contributes to my getting deep cystic acne type pimples. I’ll save primer for 85°F and below!
I’m not entirely sure what is meant by “base products,” so I’ll just say that I don’t use color correctors or setting spray. I’ve been curious about the sort of setting sprays that are less about “fixing” the face and more about knocking down the dustiness of the final setting/finishing powder, but I haven’t experimented yet.
I guess I have products that I deem unnecessary but still occasionally use: I have concealer that’s meant to be used in non-eye areas (for correcting dark areas due to aging — around nose, below corners of the mouth, etc.), but I’ve only used it once since I got it about three months ago. I have lip primer, but I use it only very very rarely, and only with certain lip products (so … maybe a dozen times since I got it near the beginning of the year). I don’t use separate setting and finishing powder much anymore (though my setting powder is a homemade blend of powders marketed as “setting” and “finishing”), but I do own Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light, and will occasionally — maybe once every couple of weeks — treat it like a highlighter when the mood strikes.
I rarely grab primer.
I use colour corrector for under my eyes and concealer on top and find the two absolute necessities. I have discolouration and baggage.. my skin is otherwise pretty good.
I do not bother with colour corrector for my face and use higher coverage applied lightly.
I do not use a eye primer per se, but use concealer instead.
Setting spray I pass on unless I expect my makeup to last for a long period. It’s more about tamping down powder which I tend to use a bit more for long days.
Color correctors, concealer and contour. I’ve never used color correctors. I was going for a ‘less is more’ look this summer and stopped with the under eye concealer and found I don’t need it. I have tried countour but it was just an unneccessary step – I don’t see that it did anything for accentuating (I may have used it incorrectly but don’t really care) my features, and everytime I’ve gotten my makeup done, the MUAs have never used it either.
Setting spray, specialized powders (ie one for baking, one setting powder, one finishing powder – I just use one), and color correcting products if I’m using a foundation that has medium coverage or higher.
For primers I will usually use a multi-tasking product, like a primer with SPF, and I never use different primers on different areas of my face like some people do.
A blurring primer is essential to me and I use a high SPF every day. I use color corrector under my eyes fairly often. I have the Coola setting spray with 30 SPF in it but if I use it, it is only to refresh the sunscreen, not to set makeup. I gave up powder years ago. After watching so many You Tube videos that recommended setting powder over under eye concealer, I tried that but found it didn’t make the concealer stay on longer so I stopped.
No to primers, color correctors, finishing sprays, tinted moisturizers. I am 58 and still have an oily T zone and occasionally get cystic pimples and/or blackheads from rich products. So for me the fewer “layers” of product on my face the better.
I tried MAC Prep & Prime 50spf & it was fine but no better than just using a good sunscreen under my foundation. I used a sample of Hourglass Mineral primer but it had no spf and i’m not willing to pile on another layer. I also tried color corrector on my horrendous dark circles (allergies) but it seemed to magnify my lines. Have never tried setting sprays & just feel they are unnecessary for me. I’ve tried tinted moisturizers but there are usually so few shades I never got a good match. I’d rather just go with a very sheer application of regular foundation or apply sparingly to areas that need it.
For me less is more as I don’t care for the feel of too many layers of product.
Under eye concealer. All that i’ve tried just seem to make things worse and at times actually draw attention to my dark circles. I just work with my dark circles nowadays. I’ve learned what eyeshadows make it worse. I need to be very careful with blacks and greys in a smokey look. Makes my circles look hella bad.
No primers, no color correctors, no BB or CC creams, no highlighters, no setting spray, no lip primers and no eyeshadow primers. I grew up when none of those things were invented yet so I went decades without all that and I don’t want to start now. My makeup seems to stay on fine, so does my eyeshadow which I wear everyday. I really don’t get all that stuff!!!
I like to keep my skin light of product, and looking like skin so color correcting has not made it’s way into my routine lately.
I used to use a white color corrector from Estee Lauder to really lighten my complexion under my foundation many, many years ago, but now I wonder what was I thinking.
The base products I find unnecessary are:
Concealers – luckily I don’t need them
Eye shadow primer – the primer I use (Nude by Nature face primer) works just as well on my eyes without needing anything else
Setting Spray – I find the mist annoying
Colour correctors – my foundation takes care of any minor redness
Liquid eyeliners – my hooded eyes, plus wearing glasses make using these products difficult to apply with awful resutls
Lip gloss – totally ruins my lips.
Bronzers/contouring powder – on my very pale skin it would look unnatural and just weird.
I use eye and face primer pretty much everyday but try to stay away from silicone primers. I like moisturizing primers because my skin is dry. I occasionally color correct my hyperpigmentation but I don’t find that it does very much so usually I don’t. I do use concealer both under my eyes for my dark circles and over hyperpigmentation on my face. Again, it covers some and not other areas so not sure why that is since they all appear to be the same to me! I usually use It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores just under my eyes and cheeks next to my nose where my pores appear more pronounced and I use Guerlain Meteorites as a finishing powder after all products are applied. It is the finishing touch that kind of brings the whole face of products together and melds them into my skin. I rarely ever contour but when I do I use either NYX Taupe e/s or Sephora Tranquility e/s as they are the right tone for my fair skin. I do love a good highlight. I prefer my highlights to blend with my blush and generally either use a blush/highlight fusion or apply my highlighter first and then my blush and the finishing powder brings them together. I do not bronze as I think on my super pale skin it looks kind of crazy, even if I use a lite shade and a lite touch.
Don’t use face primers. I always have moisturizer and sunscreen on so it seems overkill plus I have dry skin. Only for special occasions will I pull out pore filling primers for some acne scars and to look particularly immaculate.
I occasionally use setting sprays especially if my face looks cakey from over-powdering or it’s a bad dry skin day.
I do use colour corrector (peach) on my under eyes because my eye bags create shadows but itself little shadowy.
I used to never use concealers but recently bought the colourpop ones and I’ve loved using them for concealing and highlighting. I used them to contour as well but bronzer seems to work fine for me.
No face primers of any kind I tried them and they make me breakout getting melea the tiny white bumps plus I really don’t notice a great difference. Since I purchased them I will only use on eyes when I wear the super shock from Colourpop or any eyeshadow with glitter it tends to hold it well but I’m not really sure and I don’t like feeling extra layering or adding extra steps.
Liquid eyeliners never. Even pencil I smudge it and make light. Don’t like the severe Cleopatra look on my small hooded eyes.
Spray setting of any kind.
Color corrector don’t need it i do use light concealer under eye sometimes love the Maybelline one or the WetnWild sticks perfect match.
No baking and no contouring. Already have high cheeks just apply bronzer under blush and voila!
I wear minimum foundation to even skin color throughout face and neck area followed by either setting powder or bronzer in Summer not both. I don’t like feeling caky, sticky heavy coverage and prefer to let my skin breath and keep breakouts away.
Since trying out bronzer I think I will keep wearing in Summer and even winter it makes my face look so much more healthier! Even the lightest touch up. I’m very pale. And blush! Oh do I need blush. Blush is my favorite helper. A swipe of mascara also makes a nice difference!
I do wear eyeshadow, eyebrow filler preferably in powder love the lightest color duo set from Elf. Love blush! And lipsticks! And a bit of highliter. Oh! That Essence mascara with the green color design is noticeable just tried for a wedding and am loving it!
6 months ago, before I discovered YouTube beauty channels, I would have said primer, concealer, contour, setting spray, and highlighter. Now I use all of the above. I still don’t use color correctors, because I’m still about enhancing rather than concealing. But I’m not sure I think setting sprays are worth it. They DO help when sprayed on a shadow brush if the color wasn’t applying evenly, but I don’t feel they actually make my overall makeup last longer. But since they don’t seem to be hurting anything (apart from the 1st time I used one and got it in my eye), I keep using them. I kind of feel like I’m starring in the Emperor’s New Clothes though. All the other products mentioned above do have value to me though. I think the one I notice the biggest improvement from is eyelid primer/shadow base.
Color-correctors. It’s not that couldn’t use help canceling out the redness… I have translucent, pale pink skin and rosacea, including some broken capillaries on my cheeks. At some point, I just decided to embrace the “flushed” look and keep the correctors for special occasions.
Color correctors or lip primers. I just don’t find color correctors useful to me and my routine. I don’t think it does what it’s supposed to do on me. The same with lip primers I just find the idea gimmecky. I have pretty oily skin and oily eyelids so I do notice a difference when I use mattifying face primers and eye primers for sure.