Skip to main content

What They Don’t Tell You About Primers (Featuring NARS)

Tusen takk, my Glow Girls from Norway! 🇳🇴✨

You’ve made it to #2 on the blog rankings and I see you — glowing, growing, and shining from the fjords to the cities. Sending you all my love and a big warm hug from across the miles. 💖 Are you ready to glow up your week with me? This post is for YOU!




There’s a certain kind of heartbreak that only makeup girls know — when a product looks so promising, feels luxurious, and still doesn’t work for you. That’s the case with the NARS Soft Matte Primer for me.


Let’s get one thing straight: it’s not a bad primer. In fact, it’s beautiful on paper — lightweight, adds a luminous sheen, and blends effortlessly. 





But here’s what no one tells you when you're just starting out: not all primers work with all foundations. 😮‍💨


I discovered this when I tried pairing the NARS primer with my holy grail NARS Punjab foundation. I thought, “same brand, they should play nice together, right?” Wrong. The finish didn’t sit right. It made my skin look cakey and the foundation patchy. It even accentuated the texture I was trying to blur. But, I heard that some ladies swear by it. 


But instead of tossing it out, I did what any budget-conscious beauty nerd would do — I repurposed it. ✨


Turns out, this “meh” face primer (for me) is a great eyeshadow primer. It gives shimmer shadows a gorgeous pop and helps powders grip better on the lids. I applied a generous amount on my lids using a wide eyeshadow brush when I did my make up when I went out one weekend, and the Urban Decay eyeshadows stayed on the whole time I was out. About 4 hours or so.  So now, it's officially part of my Toolbox-but-not-for-the-original-purpose pile.


Moral of the story? Your skin is unique. Your needs are unique. And just because something is labeled “face primer” doesn’t mean that’s where it ends. Experiment. Repurpose. Keep the glow, even if you have to reroute it. 💁🏻‍♀️ Remember, not all primers work well with foundations. You have to experiment and see which primer works best with your foundation. 


So if you’re building your kit or exploring what works for you, here’s your Monday reminder: You’re not doing it wrong. You’re just discovering what works for you.



🌟 A Little Love from the Glow Girls 💫


Hey Glow Girls! If you’ve been enjoying my posts and you’re a mom or teacher to a curious little learner, I just released my Pirates Past Noon Companion Workbook on Teachers Pay Teachers and Gumroad. It’s packed with activities that build reading, vocabulary, and writing skills.


💗 If you’d like to support this blog and help me continue creating content, consider purchasing the workbook or sharing the link with a friend who might need it. Every little bit helps this one-woman team keep going—and glowing! ✨


I also wrote a 3-Part Series about Pirates Past Noon, a book from the Magic Tree House Series. Read Part 3 here.


Thank you always for the love! 🫶


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Alone Time

My good friend Kitten and I were supposed to go out yesterday but she had some unexpected things come up. I needed to buy some stuff as I am packing for a trip and so I went alone. I actually enjoy going out alone as much as going out with girlfriends or MB. It gives me a chance to eat whatever I like to eat and explore new restos. It’s also nice to take my time when shopping. After paying my bills, I had a late lunch at Toast Box: I love Hainanese Chicken. I sometimes cook this dish but it’s too tedious so I settle for eating out. I’m so happy that there are now restaurants that serve proper Hainanese Chicken. Well, except that one above was sooooo bloody. It was swimming in blood when I pulled the meat apart so I had it changed. You know what Gordon Ramsay says, bloody chicken is poisonous. This is the second time I ate at Toast Box and in both times, the chicken was so bloody. After lunch, I started shopping. First stop was Beabi where I bought these: The Sakura thermos on...

Soft Luxe Travels: Day 1 - The Journey to Vigan Part 1

In this post, we will start our journey to Vigan! The Night Before After packing our things, I did a few things for myself to help me relax and decompress so that I can sleep. I'm a night owl and not used to waking up early nor sleeping early, so I have to be strategic.  I painted my nails that night after all my chores, so that the nail polish wouldn't chip.  However, I forgot that I needed to make pressed sandwiches for our breakfast the following day!  Because really, what’s a road trip mom without freshly painted nails and a last-minute kitchen hustle? 😂 So, I had to do a lot of washing and hoped for the best that my nail polish will not chip! Luncheon meat, eggs, Kewpie Trust me, it tastes better than it sounds at 11 PM while trying not to chip your polish. That night, we also tried the Ube Halaya from Amira's. This was from our trip to Tagaytay . I'll try to make a review of this on my food blog . With everything prepped, I finally let myself drift off—half excit...

Holiday State of Mind

  Sometimes, a quick escape is all it takes to reset the spirit. Tagaytay always gives me that holiday state of mind… Even a short drive can feel like a retreat when your heart is ready to embrace rest. My son successfully finished his recital last Sunday and as a reward, my sister treated us to Tagaytay yesterday.  Getting Ready for the Trip I decided to use my BYS Golden Hour Palette for today's look. Makeup, for me, is part of the ritual—it sets the tone that today is special. Here are the swatches: From top to bottom: Polaroid, Candid, Aperture, In Focus, Portrait, Panoramic In Focus is slightly wet, like something between a liquid and cream eyeshadow. The color is gorgeous! I love Panoramic, too! Polaroid is a bit chalky and not as pigmented as the shadows in the Queen Bee Palette.  Here are the face shades: Highlighter: Illumination Contour: Ambiance I haven't tried Illumination yet, only Ambiance. I used it on top of my BYS Bronzer. It's a buildable powder, a littl...