Before I add a speck of color, I prep my face. I use a variety of things depending on what my skin is feeling like that day, but here’s a few products I’ve been using as  of late that’s reaping great results.

Jane Iredale Smooth Affair Primer for Oily Skin ($48): Jane Iredale is a premium brand, so you’re going to pay the price. While there are dozens of quality primers on the market, few are actually good for your skin, which is why the company dubs itself, “skin care makeup.” Smooth Affair® for Oily Skin Facial Primer & Brightener uses revolutionary PoreAway™ technology along with state-of-the-art mineral science that: Visibly reduces shine to create the ideal makeup canvas. Noticeably reduces the appearance of pores. Fights blemishes and clogged pores. Creates a smooth, matte finish for an even skin tone. Employs advanced mineral technology that color-adjusts to your skin. It’s silicone based, but also contains a list of healthy-skin ingredients, like Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Raphanus Sativus (Radish) Root Extract, Pistacia Lentiscus (Mastic) Gum, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract,  Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Extract, Rubus Fruticosus (Blackberry) Fruit Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract (and) Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil.

Mally Beauty Perfect Prep Poreless Illuminating Primer ($35): This primer works really nicely when you allow the formula to “bake” on the skin–that just means letting the cream sit for a while on the prepared spot before sponging and blending away. It gives women with a T-zone have a more air-brushed  finish and adds a bit of shimmer. I love that it’s a yellow base, which works well with my undertones. You can apply foundation or foundation powder over the primer and it looks beautiful!

NYX Wonder Stick Concealer – Highlight & Contour -Dark ($6.79): Don’t sleep on NYX Cosmetics! I’ll admit I was skeptical of this brand at first because I thought it was a cheap drug store brand. What a snob I was…the products are excellent, and they offer both drug store and makeup professional-quality products. This concealer is so, so easy to use and oh so affordable. Goes on creamy, but even after blending and setting with powder, it doesn’t feel oily. I have contour kits and sticks that are three times the price but this works just as well. Take a look…

NYX Cosmetics High Definition Finishing Powder, in “Banana” ($9.99): This powder is just as good as what’s the best on the market–including Make Up Forever and Dermablend. Even better, it’s slightly yellow tinted with goes with my undertones, but you can also get it in light green and translucent white. The powder is an amazing finish after you’ve blended your contour or simply just applied your foundation. It also works well alone just to control shine and provide a more even skin tone.