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Skin prep makes all the difference with or without makeup, which is where the best face primer comes into play. Whether you prefer a hydrating moisturizer, a long-wear matte finish for an airbrushed look, or a dewy glow, beauty experts agree that proper skin conditioning can make or break your beat. While Yoko Ono’s personal makeup artist, Christine Cherbonnier, reaches for skin-care products as primers, she notes that “some makeup primers are a miracle when addressing specific skin types or challenges when preparing skin for makeup.”
Vogue’s Favorite Face Primers:
- Best for a Glow: Victoria Beckham Beauty Cell Rejuvenating Priming Moisturizer, $65
- Best for Acne-Prone Skin: Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer, $58
- Best for Airbrushed Skin: Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter, $59
- Best Multipurpose: Embryolisse Lait Crème Sensitive, $32
- Best Face Cream: Merit Great Skin Moisturizer, $38
- Best for Oily Skin: Glossier Priming Moisturizer Balance, $26
- Best Illuminating: Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat Blur Face Primer, $56
In This Story
- What is a face primer?
- Does face primer really make a difference?
- How to Choose a Face Primer
- Meet The Experts
But each has their own preference and bag of tricks, and Jenna Lyons’s go-to pro makeup artist, Kasey Spickard, is drawn to a primer with a matte finish. “I prefer a silicone-based matte finish because they help makeup last longer,” he tells Vogue. “I find if I want a dewy finish I’m not looking for a primer to do that—I’ll go to a radiant complexion product like foundation or tinted moisturizer to achieve that or layer a balm on top of the makeup to achieve a dewy look.”
Meanwhile, New York-based editorial makeup artist El DeBratto prefers primers that leave a dewy finish for glazed-donut glam. “For myself, I always lean towards a dewy finish and something preferably water-based because I tend to have dry skin,” they tell Vogue. "For my clients, I tend to veer away from a one-size-fits-all approach to primers, focusing on what will work best for their individual skin concerns."
At the end of the day, what you use to prep the skin is completely up to you based on what you’re hoping to achieve. “There are so many ways your makeup can look, feel, and perform, and I think that’s unique to each skin type and personal preference. Luckily, there are so many amazing products on the market for every skin type and texture,” says Cherbonnier.
Below, shop Vogue’s edit of the best face primers to try right now—from skin-blurring creams to makeup-enhancing gels.
Best for a Glow: Victoria Beckham Beauty Cell Rejuvenating Priming Moisturizer with TFC8
- Why We Love It: Have you ever wondered how Victoria Beckham achieves her preternaturally glowing complexion? This priming moisturizer she developed in collaboration with Augustinus Bader is her secret. The product uses Bader’s proprietary TFC8 technology to help skin repair itself, resulting in a healthy, lit-from-within look. Clean ingredients and scientifically backed technologies work to revitalize dry, dull skin on a cellular level—delivering the immediate gratification of a radiant, satin-finish makeup look.
- Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, squalane, TFC8 (a blend of amino acids, vitamins, and natural compounds)
- Best for: Hyperpigmentation and dry skin types
Best Face Cream: Merit Great Skin Moisturizer
- Why We Love It: Designed to hydrate, smooth, and prep the skin, Merit’s Great Skin moisturizer instantly provides a radiant, dewy glow while nourishing the skin with ingredients like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and marula oil. Perfect for all skin types, it minimizes the appearance of pores, evens out texture, and creates the ideal canvas for seamless makeup application.
- Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, marula oil, caffeine, peptides
- Best for: Normal, oily, and combination skin types
Best Illuminating: Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat Blur Face Primer
- Why We Love It: Say goodbye to dull skin with Yves Saint Laurent’s Touche Éclat Blur Face Primer. This lightweight, serum-like primer will immediately boost skin’s radiance while blurring pores and evening skin tones.
- Key Ingredients: Corn oil, apricot kernel oil, rice bran oil
- Best for: Textured and acne-prone skin types
Best for Airbrushed Skin: Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter
- Why We Love It: Another face primer to give you that glow from within is Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Flawless Filter. The formula is having earned TikTok’s stamp of approval for its blurring, illuminating, and smoothing prowess under foundation or on its own.
- Key Ingredients: Hydrogenated didecene, glycerin, squalane
- Best for: Normal to dull skin types
Best Gel: Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer
- Why We Love It: “I love this primer because it works well to prolong the wear of your makeup; it has a soothing gel-like feeling and works well with most all skin types,” says Cherbonnier. Formulated with blue agave extract, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide, this cult-favorite primer is a hydrating salve to cling to makeup.
- Key Ingredients: Blue agave extract, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, hemp seed extract, aloe water
- Best for: Oily and acne-prone skin types
Best Multipurpose: Embryolisse Lait Crème Sensitive
- Why We Love It: Face primers aren’t only for those blessed with non-temperamental skin. If you have sensitive or irritated skin, consider this option by Embryolisse. Packed with essential fatty acids and vitamins, this deeply hydrating cream will help lock moisture into the skin, leaving you with a supple, smooth complexion. Mixed with water, this can also double as a milky cleanser—a two-for-one product!
- *Key Ingredients: Soy proteins, beeswax, aloe vera, shea butter
- *Best for: Sensitive and dry skin types
Best Hydrating: Dolce Gabbana Bergamot Glow Primer
- Why We Love It: Get ready to glow big or go home with this water based Dolce Gabbana primer. The luxurious formula blends bergamot extract with a nourishing mix of glycerin and hyaluronic acid for increased skin hydration, creating an ultra-smooth canvas for your makeup. A touch of vitamin C helps brighten and even skin tone, while the non-comedogenic formula makes it safe for those with acne-prone skin and clogged pores.
- Key Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Hyaluronic Acid, Bergamot Fruit Extract, Vitamin E, Vitamin C
- Best for: Congested and acne-prone skin types
Best for Fine Lines: Tatcha The Silk Canvas
- Why We Love It: Tatcha’s multitasking Silk Canvas primer targets uneven texture, fine lines, and pores. Infused with the brand’s Japanese superfood trio, Hadasei-3, the velvety formula will blur, prime, and provide a barrier between makeup, environmental stressors (like pollution!), and the skin. The compact design also makes it impeccably convenient for travel.
- Key Ingredients: Silk powder, silk extract, rice ferment filtrate, Hadasei-3
- Best for: Combination skin types, hydration, pore minimizing
Best for Oily Skin: Glossier Priming Moisturizer Balance
- Why We Love It: Oily skin and enlarged pores don’t stand a chance against Glossier’s latest rendition of their classic priming moisturizer. The 3.0 version, Priming Moisturizer Balance, is a fast-absorbing, lightweight gel-cream moisturizer that balances oil without over-drying or leaving a powdery finish. Thanks to a blend of niacinamide and marine extract, pores appear smaller, unwanted shine is gone, and skin is supple.
- Key Ingredients: Apple fruit extract, marine extract, niacinamide, willow bark extract
- Best for: Oily and combination skin types, enlarged pores
Best Satin Finish: Lancôme La Base Pro Perfecting Makeup Primer
- Why We Love It: Lancôme’s La Base Pro light-reflecting primer will leave your skin with that soft satin finish, powered by the brand’s soft-focus technology to refine skin texture and visibly blur imperfections.
- Key Ingredients: Dimethicone, cyclopentasiloxane, glycerin, vitamin E
- Best for: Normal, dry, combination, and oily skin
Best Mattifying: Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer
- Why We Love It: As the name suggests, this Hourglass primer looks to create that photo-finish veil to your skin that could rival your favorite filters. While the silky-feeling formula is a stellar selling point, it also provides broad-spectrum sun protection. Not to mention, it’s a favorite of Debratto’s for clients with oily skin. “It quickly absorbs creams that provide a velvety mattifying finish to help blur the appearance of pores and fine lines,” they tell Vogue.
- Key Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide 2.45%, Zinc Oxide 4.20%
- Best for: Enlarged pores, sun protection
Best for Dewy Skin: Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Hydrating Makeup Primer
- Why We Love It: Armani Beauty’s Luminous Silk primer is a fool-proof choice to prep skin for makeup or just achieve a radiant look. Infused with shea butter, rice bran, and glycerin, this creamy, luminous formula will leave you with a dewy, supple complexion.
- Key Ingredients: Shea Butter, rice bran, glycerin
- Best for: Plumped, dewy skin
Best Skincare-Infused: Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Glow Serum
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- Why We Love It: With this Danessa Myricks serum, expect an illuminated complexion. Enriched with vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide, this hydrates, plumps, and brightens skin to prep for makeup and impart a warm glow.
- Key Ingredients: Vitamin C, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid
- Best for: Dryness, pores, and uneven tone
What is a face primer?
Think of face primers as one of your secret weapons to enhancing the color payoff of your makeup, and making your beauty look last longer. DeBratto reminds us that while primers can have hydrating benefits, they’re not to be confused with moisturizers. “In a nutshell, moisturizer repairs the skin barrier and preps your skin for the elements, whereas a face primer is an additional layer applied after moisturizer and prior to your makeup,” they tell Vogue. Primers deliver a certain freshness to the skin, prepping it for color cosmetics, and acting as a barrier between your makeup and outside pollutants.
Does face primer really make a difference?
Applying primer all over your face is the ultimate first step for creating a flawless, even base. Think of it like prepping a canvas before you start a masterpiece—your primer sets the stage by smoothing out your skin and creating a backdrop for foundation, concealer, bronzer, and blush to glide on seamlessly. This means your foundation and other products won’t settle into creases or cling to dry patches, giving you a more natural, long-lasting finish. “There are many different reasons one might reach for a face primer in their beauty routine with the most common being to help makeup last longer, even out complexion, combat oiliness, maintain dewiness, or minimize pores and texture,” says DeBratto.
How to Choose a Face Primer
Keep these practical considerations in mind to help find the perfect face primer for you:
- Ingredients: Face primers often include a variety of ingredients that serve specific purposes to enhance the look and longevity of your makeup. Different primers target particular skin concerns—whether you want hydration, oil control, pore minimization, or added radiance. The choice of ingredients depends on your skin type and the effect you’re aiming for. Primers often contain silicone ingredients like dimethicone, cyclopentasiloxane, and dimethiconol—these are what yield a smooth, velvety texture that fills fine lines and pores for an airbrushed finish while locking makeup in place to prevent slipping or settling. Dry skin? Hydrating agents like squalane and glycerin tackle dry patches and keep skin comfortable all day. Oily or combination skin? Salicylic acid and niacinamide absorb excess oil, reduce shine, and help with acne-prone skin.And for that glow factor, light-reflecting ingredients like pearl extract and mica catch the light for a radiant finish. Some primers even include antioxidants for skin health or SPF for added UV protection—two great ways to combine skincare and makeup.
- Silicone vs Water-Based: Choosing between silicone-based and water-based primers depends on your skin type, needs, and makeup goals. Silicone-based primers create a smooth, airbrushed finish by filling in pores and fine lines while locking makeup for long wear. They’re fantastic for oily skin or events where longevity is key. Still, they can sometimes clog pores, so those with acne-prone skin should proceed cautiously. On the other hand, water-based primers are lighter, hydrating, and ideal for dry or sensitive skin. They’re non-clogging, easy to remove, and give a natural, dewy finish, though they might not be as long-lasting or pore-filling as their silicone counterparts. The choice comes down to your skin’s needs: go for silicone if you want a matte, flawless, all-day finish, or reach for water-based if hydration, comfort, and a natural glow are what you’re after. DeBratto reminds us that for the best results, you should do a bit of match-making with your primer and foundation. “Remember, foundation will always be best paired with a primer that compliments the foundation’s ingredient formula (think water based foundations with water based primers, and silicone based foundations with silicone based primers),” they say. “You can easily differentiate what is water based versus silicone based by denoting which ingredient is listed first in the ingredient list of the product.”
- Finish: Choosing the right primer finish depends on your skin type and desired effect. Makeup primers come in various finishes, each offering a unique look and purpose to suit different skin types and preferences. Matte finish primers are ideal for oily skin or humid climates as they absorb excess oil and reduce shine for a long-lasting look. On the other hand, dewy or glowing finish primers are perfect for dry or dull skin, adding a radiant glow with light-reflecting ingredients. If you’re looking for balance, satin finish primers offer a natural, versatile look that isn’t too shiny or matte. For those with texture concerns, pore-filling or blurred finish primers smooth and refine the skin, creating a flawless, airbrushed effect. Hydrating finish primers are a must for dry or sensitive skin, packed with ingredients like glycerin and hyaluronic acid to plump and nourish. Finally, color-correcting finish primers neutralize redness, dullness, or discoloration with tinted pigments, giving you a more even-toned base.
Meet The Experts
- Kasey Spickard is a pro makeup artist based between New York and Los Angeles with over 10 years of experience in the beauty industry. Spickard has worked with clients such as Jenna Lyons, Kamie Crawford, Brynn Whitfield.
- El DeBratto is a non-binary New York-based editorial makeup artist whose clients include Coco Rocha, Flower Beauty, Kristen Ess, and Glamour Magazine.
- Christine Cherbonnier is a New York-based makeup artist and groomer, working with clients such as Jil Sander, Valentino, Estée Lauder, and Sephora. Cherbonnier is also Yoko Ono’s personal makeup artist.
