The 7 Best Makeup Primers to Give Your Foundation Staying Power, Per Testers

The 7 Best Makeup Primers to Give Your Foundation Staying Power, Per Testers

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TL;DR

Our favourite make-up primer is the Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer. It feels light-weight on the pores and skin, presents a pure end that works for all pores and skin sorts, and critically enhances the longevity of your basis. If you are in search of an possibility to blur the looks of pores and create a matte canvas, we suggest the Tarte Cosmetics Poreless Mattifying Primer.

Makeup primer bridges the hole between your make-up and skincare routine, serving to make-up adhere extra simply to your pores and skin. The finest make-up primers create a easy canvas for make-up software, enhance the inspiration’s endurance, and forestall make-up from creasing, settling, or slipping from prolonged put on.

We researched the very best face primers, surveying Byrdie editors to get their tried-and-true favorites and in search of skilled steering from knowledgeable make-up artist and a beauty chemist. Then, we put 38 of them to the check, evaluating them based mostly on ease of software, really feel/texture, and the way nicely they held our make-up in place. These are the make-up primers that earned the Byrdie seal of approval.

Credit: Sephora

Key Ingredients: Blue agave extract, hyaluronic acid, hashish seed extract, niacinamide | Skin Type: All | Size: 0.33, 1.52, 5.28 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer is a must have in order for you pores and skin that appears prefer it’s lit from inside. The gel goes on utterly invisible (regardless of the bottle having a greenish tint), and smooths the look of pores and skin straight away. All you want is a pea-sized quantity, and it grips any and all make-up you placed on high of with out sacrificing hydration. The substances are equally spectacular; the system comprises hydrating blue agave extract and hyaluronic acid, anti-inflammatory hashish seed extract, and niacinamide to assist brighten and tone the pores and skin. Something to think about: It can really feel cheesy upon software, nevertheless it dries fairly rapidly.

  • Credit: Byrdie
  • Credit: Byrdie

Credit: Ulta

Finish: Matte | Shades: 23 | Size: 0.11 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

You don’t have to spend a ton of cash to get a top quality face primer. Case in level: This creamy primer from Nyx smooths pores and skin, giving it a soft-focus end for slightly over $15. Not solely does it work nicely below make-up, nevertheless it’s formulated with anti-inflammatory marshmallow root extract which makes it best for individuals who want slightly additional pores and skin soothing. We have been impressed with its high quality, particularly given the value. We beloved its even consistency that left behind no residue. Plus, it absorbs into the pores and skin utterly after a couple of minutes, making a gentle, hydrated canvas in your make-up.

Note: the primer has a delicate candy scent. So when you’re delicate to perfume or simply don’t love the idea of your primer having a odor, preserve that in thoughts earlier than shopping for.

Credit: Ulta

What We Like

  • Soothing, hydrating substances

  • Provides a dewy end

  • Radiance-boosting probiotics

Key Ingredients: Coconut water, probiotics | Skin Type: Dry, mixture | Size: 1.35 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Primers aren’t only for the oily pores and skin sect; there are many hydrating choices on the market that are perfect for including additional moisture to dry pores and skin, too. The Too Faced Hangover Primer made our checklist for the very best primer for dry pores and skin, because it’s infused with moisturizing substances like coconut water, glycerin, and probiotics (recognized to enhance pores and skin’s seen radiance and elasticity), making it a terrific system for reviving parched, thirsty pores and skin. We discovered it was efficient at extending make-up put on and ensured our basis stayed brisker for longer.

  • Credit: Byrdie
  • Credit: Byrdie

Credit: Sephora

What We Like

  • Soft focus that blurs high-quality traces

  • Natural substances that strengthen pores and skin barrier

  • Has anti-inflammatory properties

Key Ingredients: Silk, squalane | Skin Type: All | Size: 0.7 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Infused with each silk extracts and silk powder, this velvety Tatcha balm makes your pores and skin fairly actually really feel as easy as silk. Ideal for all pores and skin sorts, the multitasking system (it may be used on eyes, lips, and face) helps to decrease shine and presents a soft-focus end that blurs the look of imperfections and high-quality traces, making it a best choice for these with mature pores and skin. It additionally comprises pollution-fighting pure actives like camellia sinensis leaf extract, meant to not solely restore rapid injury but additionally strengthen the pores and skin barrier to defend in opposition to future injury. Plus, it comprises the model’s signature Hadasei-3, a trinity of Japanese superfoods, inexperienced tea, rice, and algae – antioxidants that go away pores and skin gentle and radiant.

One factor we want we may change is the pot. Although it is an lovely addition to any self-importance, it’s not essentially the most hygienic—use the included spatula, or make sure to wash your palms earlier than utilizing it to keep away from contamination.

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  • Credit: Byrdie

Credit: Amazon

What We Like

  • Mattifying for 12 hours

  • Blurring

  • Waterproof

Key Ingredients: Avocado oil, echinacea root, hibiscus flower, rosemary leaf extract | Skin Type: Oily, mixture | Size: 1 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

The Poreless Mattifying Primer from Tarte is a good possibility when you’re trying to shrink your pores and assist make-up look its finest, even when sweat or an sudden rainstorm comes into play. This silky, invisible gel mattifies pores and skin and in addition helps easy uneven pores and skin texture, scars, and dry patches for up to 12 hours. We discovered that it has a Vaseline-like consistency and offers the right quantity of hydration with assist from moisture-boosting avocado oil and echinacea root. Additionally, anti-inflammatory hibiscus flower and rosemary leaf extract scale back redness and help exfoliation.

  • Credit: Byrdie
  • Credit: Byrdie

Credit: Amazon

What We Like

  • Brightens boring pores and skin

  • Hydrating substances

  • Helps pores and skin really feel smoother

Key Ingredients: Jojoba seed oil, glycerin, hyaluronic acid, vitamin E | Skin Type: All | Size: 1 oz | Cruelty-Free: No

This illuminating primer works a bit like a highlighter on boring pores and skin, offering a radiant base for a gleaming make-up look. It’s creamy and skin-conditioning, thanks to a mix of hydrating substances together with hyaluronic acid, glycerin, jojoba oil, and vitamin E. When we examined the primer, our pores and skin felt great to the contact and it saved our basis hydrated with a natural-looking glow. All you could have to do is apply a pea-sized quantity (or two) to your fingertips and mix, for a glowy end. Be conscious that some reviewers discovered this product made them escape.

(*7*)

  • Credit: Byrdie
  • Credit: Byrdie

What to Look for When Buying a Primer

  • Silicone: Until not too long ago, any primer, by definition, contained silicone, some of the efficient substances for making a easy, even texture on the pores and skin. As beauty chemist Julie Pefferman explains, silicones are waterproof and supply a “smooth glide” that helps make-up go on extra flawlessly and stick higher. That apart, there was some proof to counsel it irritates the pores and skin barrier. These days, there are many non-silicone choices on the market, so it truly is a matter of private desire.
  • Antioxidants: Professional make-up artist Nydia Figueroa recommends in search of a system that’s nourishing and filled with antioxidants. “This is beneficial for all skin types because it corrects signs of aging and combats free radical damage,” she says. While a primer could technically be step one of your make-up software, you may as well consider it because the final step of your skincare routine.
  • Finish: Dealing with oily pores and skin? Seek out formulation labeled as “mattifying” or with a “velvet” end—indications that they’ll assist fight extra oil. Choosing a primer with a luminous or radiant end is a good way to assist impart an added glow to dry pores and skin from the very outset of your make-up routine.

FAQ

  • You seemingly want a make-up primer if in case you have seen pores and high-quality traces, dry, oily, or textured pores and skin, or need to protect a full beat so it lasts all day. If your pores and skin is of course balanced, your morning make-up lasts via the day, otherwise you choose minimal make-up, you might choose to skip primer.

  • Figueroa suggests making use of a small quantity, both onto your brush or ring finger, and beginning on the middle of your face, mixing the primer outward. While she personally likes utilizing her fingers to apply, she notes that there are pure oils in your fingertips that may add oil to your face. “Using a flat foundation brush will give an even application and help your foundation go on much smoother since there will be the slip of primer on it already,” she says. Remember, primer goes on after moisturizer however earlier than some other make-up.

  • Yes, in accordance to Figueroa, you should utilize face primer below your eyes. However, she warns you have to be cautious not to work it too shut to the lash line, as you don’t need any to get into your eyes.


Meet Our Experts

To be taught extra about what to take note when shopping for a face primer and the way to choose the very best one in your pores and skin sort, we consulted with the next consultants:

  • Nydia Figueroa is the skilled make-up artist behind Faced By Nydia Makeup Studio.
  • Julie Pefferman is a beauty chemist, magnificence fanatic, and knowledge scientist.

Why Trust Byrdie

Caitlyn Martyn is a former affiliate editor at Byrdie who specialised in cosmetics and skincare. She has examined dozens of make-up primers—together with a number of on this checklist.

Byrdie contributor Esme Benjamin checked and up to date this text, ensuring all the knowledge was right and that each product deserved a spot on this checklist. Benjamin joined Byrdie in 2023, protecting the very best tried-and-tested merchandise within the magnificence house. As a former wellness editor, she has a selected curiosity in clear magnificence and the intersection of magnificence rituals and self-care.