Prime, Set, STAY!

The bookends of your makeup routine are a big business. But are they just hype?

- JAMIE ROSEN

Let’s set the scene.

You’re going to an event in the evening. Makeup must be done earlier in the day. There will be pictures. And sweating. And kissing of cheeks. So what are the most important things to consider to keep everything from evaporating off your face by the end of cocktail hour?

There’s skincare, there’s primer, there’s setting spray. A great many people routinely skip the last two. So are they all actually crucial? And equally important?

“As I always say, darling, you cannot have a beautiful painting without a beautiful canvas,” says makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury, who recommends all three, starting with skin prep. She created her Magic Cream as the ultimate first step; it combines the hydration of a moisturizer with the smoothing effect of primer. The latest version has both Recoverstem Peptide and ectoin, a barrier-boosting ingredient that helps foundation glide onto skin.