When you get to a certain age skin care becomes all about creating the illusion of youth rather than looking older. Gone are the days of piling on the foundation and eyeliner, wearing a ton of eye shadow and teasing our hair to within an inch of its life just to look older so we can get into Chasers. Come on- don’t deny it – I wasn’t standing in line by myself back then!

These days it’s important to have a good base for our make up.

Primers help to smooth out the skin. They’re almost like using filler for a wall before you paint it. They eliminate the appearance of pores and fine lines and give your skin an even tone.

I’ve been using primers for the last couple of years and I find they really give my complexion the boost it needs. Why just the other day while going for a walk with my twin boys a man dropped to his knees and said “How sweet of you to take your younger brothers out.” Okay so he didn’t drop to his knees, more stumbled out of the pub- but hey it’s a compliment and I’m taking it!

Here are my top 3 primers:

Napoleon Perdis once famously said “Not to prime is a crime”.

And he was right- why wouldn’t you use a primer if it made your skin feel as gorgeous as this does. Auto Pilot contains Chamomile and Vitamin E and it instantly hydrates the skin while smoothing it out. It’s gel based and doesn’t feel greasy at all. It retails for around $40 and is definitely worth the investment, as you don’t need to use as much foundation on top.

Rimmel, at around $13 is the most affordable one of the 3. It feels lovely on the skin and goes on quitae smoothly. It comes out in a tinted shade and is supposed to turn transparent on the skin. I however found that it made me look paler so I ended up using more foundation to get my normal colour back. It is quite hydrating though and for the price isn’t a bad option.

The Porefessional by Benefit is by far my favourite primer. What I love about this product is that you can use it on its own, under or over make up. Its silky and lightweight and it makes your pores vanish right before your eyes. Skin is left smoother and fine lines softer. To use under make up just pat it on after your moisturizer and before your foundation. You don’t need to put this all over the face – just on your problem areas. You can use it during the day also for touch ups. Just pat it on your skin, over your make up and it looks like you’ve redone your face. I like to use mine just on top of my cheeks where my pores are quite visible.

This retails for around $47 but I just got some from Sephora (thanks to a good friend who bought some while overseas) for only $30. Otherwise you can buy Benefit from Myer or online.

Chrystal Lovevintage is a mother of twins, loving wife and vintage tragic. A child of the 80s who loves pop culture, Danish design and vegemite toast with honey. Loves fashion, reading autobiographies and has a knack for turning trash to treasure. Chrystal’s honest reflections are an insight into her colourful and at times crazy world.

You can follow her blog at www.chrystalovevintage.wordpress.com