Primers vs. Bases, what's the difference?

     Today's post is going to be addressing the differences between primers and bases in the makeup world. A lot of us are familiar with these products, but sometimes it becomes pretty confusing as to what does what. This will (hopefully) make the differences quite clear for everyone.

Products shown, left to right: Urban Decay Primer Potion in Greed, Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Primer, Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Original, Maybelline Baby Skin Primer, Benefit POREfessional, Benefit Stay Flawless 15 hour Primer, Urban Decay Primer Potion Original.

Primers:

The main purpose for primers is to prolong the wear of your makeup; in other words, to prevent creasing, fading, slipping, and sliding all around. Not necessarily to improve colour payoff and help them appear more pigmented. Pictured are an array of different primers in my collection, I didn't want to show all of them only because I'm a primer addict and there are way too many in my collection. These are probably the most well known primers so I figured I would use these as an example. The swatches provided are just for eyes, but you get the general idea right?

Products shown, left to right: Stila Smudge Pot in Kitten, NYX Eyeshadow Base in Skin Tone, M.A.C Cream Colour Base in Bat Black, M.A.C Paint Pot in Blackground

Bases:

Here's where people start getting confused. Technically, a base is used only to give eyeshadow a different effect and/or better colour payoff. NOT to increase the wear time of a specific product. These are often creamier in consistency, and don't fully dry as primers do. They can still crease and fade if too much product is used, or if no primer is applied underneath. I have provided swatches below to show this.

Left photo in artificial light, right in natural light

Swatches from top to bottom (all using M.A.C pigment in Milk): Urban Decay Primer Potion Original, NYX Eyeshadow Base in Skin Tone, M.A.C Cream Colour Base in Bat Black, M.A.C Paint Pot in Blackground, bare skin on bottom

As you can see, UDPP provides no added benefit to the pigment itself. It does stick better since it stays tacky for a little while, but no different colour payoff is visible. Continuing downward you can see that each different base provides a different effect. The pigment also becomes brighter and more pigmented than if just used on bare skin or UDPP. Overall, you can use just a primer for a little more colour payoff and longevity when using products; and same goes for any base although longevity may be compromised due to the consistency of the product. It's all based on personal preference to which you use on a daily basis, I just hope this has given some insight into the key differences of a primer and a base