The 8 Very Best Primers
Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your account’s‘Saved for Later’section.
Comment
In this article
Applying a primer as the first step in your makeup routine can work wonders to ensure your final look stays seamless and long lasting. Primers help fill in fine lines, blur blemishes and imperfections, minimize pores, and create a smooth, even surface for a flawlessfoundationapplication. They’re especially helpful if you’re looking to minimize the appearance of skin concerns or need yourmakeup to lastfor a good long while; makeup artistMarquis Wardalso suggests using primer to target specific areas that tend to get oilier throughout the day, like the T-zone. Below, we’ve consulted with multiple makeup artists and beauty experts about the primers that have earned a permanent place in their kits.
Whatwe’relookingfor
Consistency
The consistency of a primer will depend on its intended purpose and finish. Primers with a lighter serum or gel texture tend to be more lightweight and hydrating, generally with a dewier or more radiant finish. They’re ideal for nourishing flaky patches and plumping up dehydrated ordry skin. Primers with a thicker cream or balm consistency tend to be more blurring and pore diffusing with a matte finish, which also makes them suitable for people with oily or textured skin.
Base
Primers are either water- or silicone-based. Silicone-based primers are highly effective at smoothing over imperfections to create an even, silky base. They’re great foroily skin, as they create a stronger barrier between your skin and your makeup to prevent oil from causing any creasing or sliding. (However, those withacne-proneorsensitive skinshould be mindful that silicones can clog pores.) Water-based primers tend to be thinner, lighter, and more moisturizing, ideal for those with dry or sensitive skin.
No matter which base you choose, you’ll want to be “very cautious about which particular foundations you’re using with your primer” to ensure the product doesn’t roll or pill, says Ward. Your primer should have the same base as the foundation or other complexion products you want to use with it; pair silicone-based primer with a silicone-based foundation and a water-based primer with a water-based foundation to avoid separation.
Price
Primers are available at a wide variety of price points, from high-end options to drugstore alternatives. We’ve noted the approximate cost per ounce for each primer listed below.
Best primer overall
New! You can now save this product for later.
Consistency:Gel |Base:Water |Price:Approx. $29/ounce
Milk Makeup’s Hydro Grip primer has been on the market for six years and in that time has garnered an intensely devoted following. It’s racked up thousands of five-star reviews, professional makeup artists and beauty vloggers have sung its praises, and it’s routinely gone viral on TikTok. (Simone Bileseven shared that it was the first step to her competition glam during the Paris Olympics.) It has a lightweight, hydrating feel and nonetheless keeps makeup looking fresh for hours; makeup artistShanzey Al-Aminattributes its performance to the product’s tacky texture, which “lasts really long on the skin without being super-heavy or cakey — the application goes on super-smooth,” she says, adding that “the other reason I really like it is that it works with various foundation formulas. If I wanted to do a full glam on a client or bridal makeup, my primer of choice would be Hydro Grip for sure.”
Ward echoed that it lasts an impressively long time (“for sure at least eight hours”) and advises using asetting powderorsprayto further amplify its longevity. He also shouted out the aloe and blue-agave extracts in the formula, which help keep the skin feeling comfortably hydrated. That explains its appeal to such a wide swath of fans with a variety of skin types — it won’t parch already dry skin but won’t feel heavy or fail to perform on oily skin either.
The Hydro Grip does have a radiant finish, however, so if you prefer to look less dewy, the brand also offers a mattifying version called thePore Eclipsing primer. Strategist updates coordinatorNajwa Jamalhas been using it to control her shiny T-zone: “Even though it’s silicone-free, it still has a lush, slip feeling and leaves my skin with a satin finish,” Jamal says. “It’s never clung to dry spots, or created any unnecessary dry patches, and has always left me with a smooth base for makeup.”
Best less-expensive primer
New! You can now save this product for later.
Consistency:Balm |Base:Silicone |Price:Approx. $16/ounce
For a more budget-friendly pick, Al-Amin recommends Sephora Collection Smooth + Blur primer, which costs about half as much as the Milk Hydro Grip. “This is a product that really rivals the high-end options,” Al-Amin says. “It blurs like the others do; it hydrates really well. It basically grips the foundation all day and keeps you nice and oil-free.” The formula includes gingko extract and vitamin E among its ingredients to help protect your skin from environmental damage. It works for all skin tones and skin types, though those with oilier skin may find it especially suitable as it smooths out into a translucent, soft, powdery finish; those contending with dull, flaky skin may want to check out another Sephora Collection primer, theHydrate + Glow primer, which will provide extra radiance and moisture.
Best luxe primer
New! You can now save this product for later.
Consistency:Balm |Base:Silicone |Price:Approx. $77/ounce
At $55 for a 0.7-ounce container, Tatcha’s Silk Canvas primer is pricey — but it’s also undeniably excellent. “It’s really nice in terms of minimizing pores and evening out texture. It creates a soft-focus blur, like a mild filter effect on the skin,” Al-Amin says. Ward also called out the blurring effect: “It acts as a barrier between the actual foundation and the skin. If someone has large pores or texture, it gives me a smooth surface to work with,” he says. (It was also recommended by multiple experts in our guide tosweatproof makeup— celebrity makeup artistMarz Collinsused it on her client Lainey Wilson when shooting Wilson’s music video for the song “Out of Oklahoma.”) Plus, as someone who pays close attention to ingredients lists, Al-Amin appreciates Tatcha’s commitment to skin-friendly formulations; the Silk Canvas has become her personal everyday primer thanks to hydrating ingredients like green-tea, seaweed, and yeast extracts, “which really nourish the skin and help cellular rejuvenation,” she explains. That extra nourishment means its especially great for dry and sensitive skin, though it’s suitable for all skin types — but if you’re on the oilier side, the brand also has an oil-freeliquid versionthat will feel a bit lighter.
Best primer for oily skin
New! You can now save this product for later.
Consistency:Balm-to-powder |Base:Silicone |Price:Approx. $62/ounce
Danessa Myricks’s Yummy Skin Blurring Balm powder has an innovative balm-to-powder formula — its texture is almost akin to a fine, starchy powder — and creates a truly matte, balanced finish that controls oil and grease all day. It’s my primer of choice during the hot summer months when my skin gets very oily; the balm smooths out into a light, powdery coating that’s blurring without feeling drying and keeps me matte all day long with very little touch-up needed. I use the colorless Universal shade, then layer it with atinted moisturizer, and have noticed that I’ll start to look shiny and sweaty much earlier if I don’t use the primer. For that reason, makeup artistElika Hilataoften uses it to prep the skin of clients who “get shiny really easily, where even if you use a mattifying product, it doesn’t stop the shine.” It’s also available in 22 shades, and it’s one of the products Hilata always keeps in her kit when she’s working with clients with darker skin tones.
Best primer for dry skin
New! You can now save this product for later.
Consistency:Cream |Base:Water |Price:Approx. $17/ounce
Strategist writerBrenley Goertzenhas combination skin that veers toward the drier side — she used Accutane in college and has recently incorporated tretinoin into her skin-care routine. She’s been using Embryolisse’s Lait-Creme Concentrate for five years to prime her skin, which she likes for its hydrating and creamy, but not too heavy, texture. “It has a soft finish — light glowiness, but not greasy — that’s great for applying makeup,” Goertzen says. “My foundation always goes on smooth, never pills, and it prevents any dry or flakey patches from forming over the course of the entire day.” That’s because it’s first and foremost a moisturizer, helping to hydrate and soothe skin to create a smooth, supple base for makeup application.
Best primer for redness-prone skin
New! You can now save this product for later.
Consistency:Cream |Base:Silicone |Price:Approx. $42/ounce
If you struggle with rosacea or are prone to redness, a primer with a green tint, such as Smashbox’s Photo Finish Anti-Redness primer, can help neutralize the rosiness. “It’s super-safe for anyone with rosacea or redness or even just someone with a lot of sensitivity,” assures Al-Amin. It’s infused with ingredients that help calm stressed skin, such as algae, rose, and mushroom, plus hyaluronic acid and probiotics to nourish and balance skin and soothe irritation.
Best longwear primer
New! You can now save this product for later.
Consistency:Cream |Base:Water |Price:Approx. $39/ounce
“I’d reach for this if you’re going to have a really long day or a really long night and you really want to secure your makeup,” says makeup artistSteve Kassajikian. “It’s great for weddings or special events when you’re going to be out and about for a long period of time.” As for how it feels when applied, Kassajikian assures that even though it has a matte finish designed to stay on your skin for a while, it won’t leave you feeling parched. “A lot of times, with a thicker primer, it makes the skin feel dry. The Urban Decay one smooths the skin and fills in the pores, but it also hydrates your skin,” he says.
Best primer for spot treatment
New! You can now save this product for later.
Consistency:Cream |Base:Silicone |Price:Approx. $68/ounce
Makeup artist andAlessarro BeautyfounderAshley DiSarroturns to this M.A.C eye primer to smooth out certain spots that need a little extra help, like the eyelids and the nasolabial fold, which can get especially oily and cause makeup to crease or slide. “Oftentimes people need extra coverage on areas that will just kind of repel products,” DiSarro explains. “This primer prevents everything from moving. So I’ll use this on the outer corner of the nose, the corners of the eyes, the eyelids, and the bottom lash line. Sometimes I’ll even use it on the corners of the mouth and the eyebrows.” It also helps cover blemishes that have texture to them: “A dab of this helps to smooth out the blemish, but it also keeps whatever product I’m using to cover it in place,” DiSarro says.
Our experts
•Shanzey Al-Amin, makeup artist and Sephora Beauty Educator
•Ashley DiSarro, makeup artist and founder ofAlessarro Beauty
•Brenley Goertzen, Strategist writer
•Elika Hilata, makeup artist
•Najwa Jamal, Strategist updates coordinator
•Steve Kassajikian, makeup artist andUrban Decay’s head of global artistry
•Marquis Ward, lead makeup artist and educator atLYS Beauty
More From The Strategist
- The Back-to-School Hall of Fame
- The Best Things Strategist Editors Have Bought This Year (So Far)
- Everything You Need to Outfit Your College Dorm
- The Strategist Summer 100
The Strategistis designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read abouthere. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
