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Make-up primer and sealer?
Since I don’t feel complete either as male or female, without makeup, and the weather has become so humid in my part of the country, I am not too happy right now because the makeup doesn’t want to stay put. I am wondering if anyone here has used either a primer or sealer and your opinion how well it works.
The prices of this type of product has kept me from experimenting with it. If someone has tried it, I would like your opinion.
Thanks,
Rhanda

I used Dermablend. It has a "base" and a setting powder. Can't say either is a primer or a sealer. You don't need anything but the two and they result is impervious to sweat.

My makeup routine has progressed through the years and my learning what works well for me, this way. The products and my system I use when doing my make up includes.

I give myself a good shave. Usually I plan my dressing sessions and if so I let my beard grow a day longer. I use a good D.E. safety razors (I have a few that I collected and enjoy using in rotation and I also use good blades) I use a good shave brush and either a good tube of cream or good shave soap for applying the shave cream prior to shaving.

A good quality face wash, needs not be expensive, often Noxema works for me. But no harsh soaps.

Once I pat my face dry I apply a good moisturizer, again it needs not be expensive. I let it set into my skin fora few minutes.

I then gather my face contouring/concealer kit, a series of color palettes from lighter to darker. I'm lucky as after a close shave my beard is not too hard to hide. I blend a yellowish-biege concealer and I have a specific brush that is quite thick to use it blend in the concealer. I also take said concealer and brush on my eye lids up to my brows and deep under my eyes to remove any dark circles but also to help make my eyes pop. I also blend the concealer on my T zone. I then take a darker color and contour my jaw line, temples and hair line. I let this all set for a few minutes.

I then take a good liquid foundation, fitting my generally fair skin. This is important, one needs to find a foundation that is close to one's skin tone. Remember if you are a Sun worshiper or work out in the Sun you may have to adjust for time of year where your face may have more color. Foundation needs not be caked on. Sometimes us CDers tend to frost our faces like we would a cake. I know I use to. A good job with concealer should reduce the need to go heavy with foundation. Foundation is more for smoothing out our complexion. I put a dollop of foundation on the back of my left hand and let my body heat warm it up. I then have a specific brush for applying my foundation. I start from my nose outward to the left and right pushing it into my pours to help make them less noticeable (got that from Wayne Goss on Youtube) and I feather blend the foundation into my jaw line which has had its darker contouring color applied. I then blend up my forehead into my hair line and also blend foundation lightly down my neck line. Too many people CDers/TGers and even GG's have forgot to blend foundation down their neck line and as result get a hard demarcation between their face and neck.

I then let this all set for a minute or two. It is then time to help it all hold with a good quality and complexion blending pressed powder. I use a matt based powder as I feel it helps hide male features and our often large pours better. I use a very puffy and good quality brush for this. I use to use the applicator pad that comes with these powders but they tend to streak and not apply as evenly. So a good brush helps apply this powder more gently over my face.

Once all that is done I use contouring powders and good brushes to hi-light under my eyes, my T zone and darker shading for the sides of my nose which help make a generally larger male nose look more petite and then I also brush a darker powder on my jawline and temples.

After I do my eyes, lips, blush on my cheeks I will with a big puffy brush blend in a dusting of loose powder which I find using ones with an iridescence sheen looks good on me.

I can go many hours without fear of any beard stubble showing through this technique. I do not find my face to have its make up look too caked on. It's tougher for us CDers as most women do no need as much if any at all unless they have poor skin. We generally have to use more but be careful to not cake it on all on too much.

Well that is my technique.

I always start with primer... then foundation and concealer. Depending on the occasion, I may use powder for some contouring but at the end always use setting powder. Compact with setting powder goes in the purse along with lipstick for touching up as needed. I think that's typical for most girls.

Rhanda wrote:...the weather has become so humid in my part of the country, I am not too happy right now because the makeup doesn’t want to stay put.

My makeup also wouldn't stay put, but it wasn't for the reason you state. I didn't know what it was until I spoke to a woman in a big store selling cosmetics. She said it might be like what happens to women when they go to nightclubs etc.. That is to say my face might be getting too hot when I was applying the foundation.

Donna here said she uses a fan to cool her face down when applying the foundation. I tried that and it seems to work. I do use primer, but my opinion is it's the keeping my face cool that's the important thing.

I have settled for a combination of "Permablend" and "Revlon" products and have had very good results. Both are high quality lines. While "Permablend" has a steep price it gives such good covering qualities that it is relatively economical.

I use Revlon for eye and color. This way I can make choices at the retail store.

Since I started to use Permablend the heat has not done any harm, so I haven't had to use a spray sealer.

Hope this helps someone else.

Rhanda