I am SO excited to be sharing this latest launch with all of you, as it is a very unique product that I have been working on for many months in an effort to create the perfect canvas for makeup application, and simplify my routine in the process! Because don’t we all want that?
THE STRUGGLE TO FIND THE PERFECT SKIN 
PREP SOLUTION
PREP SOLUTIONI’ve always had a love/hate relationship with skincare and primers under makeup. Some products can work out really nicely, and others lead to pilling, separation, oiliness, and lessen the longevity of my makeup throughout the day. There is also the compatibility issue. Some products just don’t play nicely together – for example, an oil based moisturizer with a water based foundation or vice versa. And don’t even get me started on silicones, like dimethicone, or anything ending in “-cone”. If you have ever experienced the rolling or balling up of your makeup while blending, that is likely the silicone in either your moisturizer, primer, or both, reacting with the silicone in your foundation. Virtually all conventional primers and foundations on the market contain silicone (that is the “smoothing” effect you see on many product claims). Silicones create a wax-like coating on top of your skin, which is why you feel that faux “softness” to your skin after applying your face cream or a smoothing primer. That is not actually your skin feeling soft and smooth, that is the silicone sitting on top of it. When you follow that up with a silicone containing foundation and blend it out, you are creating friction with the new layer you are adding, and lifting the wax like coating up on itself. This results in pilling, which is incredibly annoying, because you kind of have to wipe off your makeup and start all over to get rid of it. And we all have sooo much time for that!
ACHIEVING FLAWLESS MAKEUP APPLICATION
About a year ago, I was at a shoot for our bronzer and gloss launches, and had to change makeup looks in between shots. I took a makeup wipe and removed everything, and re-did my makeup. I didn’t have my skincare or a primer with me, so I went straight from bare skin into makeup application. I noticed my foundation, concealer, and powders applied so flawlessly and so perfectly on my bare skin that day. It was one of the best makeup and skin days I had in a long time. The next morning at home, I decided to go straight in with foundation immediately after cleansing and toning. No serums, no moisturizer, and no primer. I noticed the same effect – flawless application. I also had to use less foundation because it didn’t slide around and sheer out when blended. It adhered to my skin so much better and the coverage wasn’t diluted by the products sitting underneath. I also noticed my makeup lasted so well throughout the day and I didn’t get greasy pre-midday anymore! I realized all of those layers I was using before were really weighing my skin down. I got into the daily habit of skipping my skincare and priming products, and going straight into makeup on bare skin, and I loved the results.
What I didn’t love was that I wasn’t nourishing my skin with skincare ingredients or hydration by cutting out my skincare and primer products. I still wanted the skincare benefits without excessive layers, unnecessary ingredients, and detrimental effects to my makeup application. That’s when I decided to create our newest product – Set The Stage Hydrating Priming Serum.
WHAT IS SET THE STAGE?
WHAT IS SET THE STAGE?
Is it a serum? Is it a moisturizer? Is it a primer? It’s all of the above – in one simple, beautiful, clean ingredient product that sets your skin up perfectly for flawless makeup application! You only need this one product to cover all of your bases and simplify your routine. This is a multi-faceted, silicone-free formula with antioxidant-rich skincare ingredients that provides lightweight hydration and skin soothing benefits with a subtle and calming lavender scent to give you those namaste vibes. Set the Stage has a refreshing feel upon application, transitioning from a serum-y gel consistency into a high gliding oil, then back into a gel, resulting in an ultra-soft, satin finish. It is packed with powerhouse ingredients, like peptides encapsulated in shea butter, that immediately calm and comfort the skin.
STANDOUT INGREDIENTS
Because I wanted this product to replace my skincare serums and my moisturizer, it needed to be a work horse, fortified with uber-nourishing skincare ingredients in a non-heavy format to sink into my skin nicely and not interfere with my makeup application. And because I wanted this product to replace my primer, it needed leave my skin smooth, soothed, calmed and hydrated so that makeup would blend beautifully on top. I also wanted this product to be completely silicone-free, and non pore-clogging, because duh.
Enter the star lineup: pentapeptide-59, rosehip seed oil, sea buckthorn oil, and shea butter!
Pentapeptide-59: This is a biomimeitc anti-inflammatory that helps to reduce signs of sensitization, including visibly reducing redness. It also helps skin become less sensitive by neutralizing signals in skin’s uppermost layers that would otherwise appear as signs of sensitivity.
Rosehip Seed Oil: Packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory fatty acids like Vitamins A and C that play an important role in skin elasticity, hydration, and healing. Provides antimicrobial, antiviral, and antifungal properties.
Sea Buckthorn Oil: Rich in antioxidants like Vitamin E, carotenoids, and lycopene that protect from free radical damage. May help stimulate skin regeneration, helping woulds heal more quickly, and may also help reduce inflammation.
Shea Butter: A skin “superfood” jam packed with fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals that make it a healing anti-inflammatory moisturizer. This is such an ideal ingredient for softening, conditioning, toning, and soothing the skin. The beauty of shea butter as a skin hydrator, is that it’s readily absorbed into the skin, effectively providing deep moisture without clogging the pores. This is deal for acne prone skin types, because it is non-comedogenic, while still providing intense hydration without blocking pores.
APPLICATION
Set the Stage may be used in three different ways:
1) May be used as a one-step serum, moisturizer, and primer, accomplishing all three steps in one application.
2) May be used alone to calm, smooth, and heal the skin on makeup-free days.
3) May be used as a serum in your skincare routine before or after your moisturizer, morning and night.
I hope you find a new favorite in Set the Stage Hydrating Priming Serum, and have your best makeup and skin days ever because of it! This serum primer has truly made my life so much easier, has reduced inflammation, leaving my skin so much more balanced, clear, and calm, and has made my makeup application so much more fool-proof and flawless. If you are someone that travels frequently, this is also an amazing one stop shop product to throw in your beauty bag, replacing your serums, moisturizer, and primer for an easy, on the go 3-in-1 application. I just love it so so much and I hope you do too! I would love to hear how you get along with it, your favorite way to wear it, and any skin/makeup application benefits you experience from trying it, so please don’t be shy and leave me any comments below!
Lots of love and beautiful makeup days ahead,
XO Annie