What Does Makeup Primer Do?
Just like snowflakes, no two makeup tutorials are exactly the same. Yet so many of them begin exactly the same way: With makeup primer.
Maybe it’s a cream, or perhaps it’s in spray form, but either way, makeup primer is almost always the very first step in a makeup tutorial right after applying your a.m. skincare.
From breaking down what makeup primer is to why it's such a crucial step in makeup routines across your FYP, your glam besties are here to dish out everything you need to know about primer — and how to choose the right one.
What Is Makeup Primer?
Unlike mascara, lip gloss, and nearly every other type of makeup product, primer isn’t meant to be noticed at all. In fact, the best primer should be entirely invisible. That’s because the purpose of primer is to serve as a base for all your other products to cling onto, giving your makeup a little extra help in the longevity department. It smooths out imperfections and inconsistencies, creating an even base for a MUA to begin sculpting.
Primer helps make your makeup go on smoother and last longer by creating a base for other products to hold onto or keeping excess oil at bay that may otherwise put a damper on your glam. Plus, some primers can even help balance excess oil on the skin. So if you’ve got a particularly long day ahead of you or simply want your makeup to last, primer is your best bet.
It can be a bit overwhelming to know which primer fits your routine, but don’t stress – we’ll walk you through everything you need to know to choose exactly the right product to meet your needs.
How Do I Apply Makeup Primer?
Before we can choose the right primer, we have to make sure our application technique is on point. Makeup primer comes in different formulations, but the most common one is liquid. You apply it just like any skincare product – massage a dot or two of the product into your skin, waiting for it to soak in before moving on with the rest of your routine.
Bonus tip: Some people focus their primer in places where they tend to get oily if they're using a primer made to combat excess oiliness.
Unlike other skincare products, though, primer doesn’t need to be fully dry before applying other products. It will stay slightly tacky, which is part of what allows other products to grip it and last so much longer.
What Are Some Primers To Try?
There are a ton of different types of makeup primers out there. Some are hydrating, others are smoothing, and others are blended with different ingredients to function as a sort of 2-in-1 product. What type of primer is best for you depends on your individual skincare needs and what type of makeup look you’re going for.
If you’re looking for a high-quality yet affordable makeup primer, this is the list for you.
The Ultimate Hydrating Primer
If your skin soaks up moisture like a sponge, we recommend our Good Grip Hydrating Primer. It comes in a cute little silver and teal bottle and is ideal for creating a glowy, hydrated base for your other products. The gel-like texture absorbs into your skin quickly with a refreshing and healthy-feeling finish.
Plus, it’s free of silicones, which can get trapped in your pores and cause breakouts. Sounds like a win-win to us!
A Primer That’s Also Skincare
One of the most critical parts of a good skincare routine is exfoliating with either an AHA or BHA product, both of which clear gunk out of your pores and help prevent breakouts. Our Good Grip Hydrating Primer with Blueberry and AHA taps into those benefits, clearing away any blemish-causing clogs while priming and smoothing your skin at the same time.
In fact, applying blueberry topically (AKA right onto your skin) has been shown to slow down aging by preventing skin damage. Plus, the 10% witch hazel in this primer’s formula helps maintain oil balance in your skin. Talk about a triple threat.
For another primer with bonus skincare benefits, check out our Melon Melt Niacinamide Serum Primer. Niacinamide smooths and intensely hydrates your skin, which is ideal for both creating a base for the rest of your makeup, tackling the look of pigmentation issues, and boosting skin hydration.
Thanks to these hydrating benefits, the Melon Melt Primer can be used as a primer or as part of your regular skincare routine. We love a versatile product, especially one in such a cute little container. (And it’s pink!)
For Extra Smoothing
If you’re looking for a primer with just a bit more blurring power (re: hiding acne and imperfections), our Glacier Glo Smoothing Primer is the product you’ve been looking for. This water-based texture feels like it just melted off a glacier, with a cooling saltwater coconut water formula and ultra-hydrating hyaluronic acid.
This primer fills in pores by creating a smoothing layer that fights oxidation over time, all while cutting down on shine. Plus, the ice blue formula comes in a container that looks like a literal ice cube. We just can’t get enough.
A Primer That Color Corrects
One of the most effective ways to cover up dark under-eye shadows or deal with a breakout is by color correcting. If you haven’t heard of this technique before, don’t fret – it’s pretty basic.
The idea is to cancel out dark shadows, inflammation, or other discoloration by applying a product the opposite color of the blemish and layering the rest of your makeup on top of that.
For instance, to conceal an irritable red pimple, you’d want to dot a bit of light green color corrector over the area, then cover THAT with concealer, foundation, or your face makeup of choice. The green cancels out the red tones of the blemish and makes it much easier to hide.
That’s where our Triple Threat Correcting Primer comes in. This waterproof, long-lasting primer is formulated with all three color-correcting shades, meaning it will wipe out any blemishes or inconsistencies before you take any other products out of your makeup bag.
The green neutralizes redness, while the light purple brightness and the pink conceals any dark shadows. A few pats of this primer, and your skin will be exactly the type of even, matte base you want before applying any other products.
Bye-Bye Oil
If matte makeup is your go-to look, you’re going to love this product.
Our Birthday Skin Oil-Control Primer is perfect for combination and oily skin, cutting down on oil and making a matte look that lasts all day long. It comes in Green and Pink (there’s that color correction again) and is packed with soothing extracts, including rose, peach kernel, peony root, and perilla ocymoides leaf, to give it a non-greasy, gel-like consistency.
This primer is perfect for sweaty summer months, especially since it layers on so lightly and can be easily applied alongside SPF. With this product in your makeup bag, every day is your birthday.
Airbrushed Skin
For skin that looks positively poreless, we recommend checking out our Pore No More Primer. This primer comes in a squeezable container, making it super easy to apply.
This primer is vegan, silicone-free, talc-free, paraben-free, and cruelty-free, so you can prep your skin without a side of guilt. And, of course, it works like magic, blurring out fine lines and pores in just a minute or two.
For days when you need to rush out the door and only have time to apply a couple of products, this is the primer you’ll want to grab. It creates an airbrushed look and grabs onto contour, blush, and eyeshadow, meaning you can use it without foundation or other face makeup underneath.
So Many Primers, Not Enough Time
When it comes to choosing a primer, clearly there are plenty of options out there. It can be overwhelming, but remember, at the end of the day every primer does essentially the same thing: Prep your skin for the rest of your makeup.
You can have fun choosing between primers, but don’t get too caught up in the details – the rest of your makeup routine awaits!