Makeup Primer Before & After: Why It's Worth It

Whether you’re doing a 60-second face or just spent two hours on a full look, your makeup should stay locked. That’s why you need a makeup primer. At Milk, we’ve got primers for any need, from weightless foams that float on to brighten dull skin, to a multi-award-winning hydrating gel, to water creams that cut shine and blore pores. The one thing they all have in common? Keeping your makeup fresh, smooth, and locked on for up to 12 hours.

All of our best-selling primers give hours of extra insurance for your makeup—and just make it look overall better—but sometimes nothing communicates that quite like seeing it for yourself. So in the interest of showing you just how much we love these formulas, we asked three Milk Makeup team members to pick their favorite primers and conduct an in-office experiment. After picking their primers, they shared before-and-after pictures wearing them after a full day of testing, along with photos without primer to compare the difference.

Their findings? No matter your makeup vibe or skin type, primer is a non-negotiable. If you don’t know which one to choose, we’ll even make things easier for you with our primer quiz, which will help you decide if Hydro Grip is your hero, or if you’re team Pore Eclipse—or Cloud Glow. Scroll through to see the results and read our honest thoughts.

Combination Skin

Who’s testing?: Olivia Dick, Creative Content Intern

Primer used: Cloud Glow Foam Brightening Primer and Pore Eclipse Matte Blur Stick

Model shows what their makeup looks like with primer

Model shows what their makeup looks like 8 hours after wearing primer

I have acne-prone combination skin and get more oily in my T-zone area during the summer, leading to breakouts on my forehead. My skin tends to be dryer during the winter near my smile lines and underneath my eyebrows.

I usually go for a simple, clean makeup look, which consists of blush, mascara, eyebrow gel, and lip oil or gloss. I wear primer if I’m wearing foundation or skin tint, which sometimes make my skin feel extra oily. When I’m wearing more makeup, I’ve noticed I get even more oily and I experience creasing under my eyes.

This was my first time trying multi-priming with both Cloud Glow Brightening Foam Primer and Pore Eclipse Matte Blur Stick—I applied Pore Eclipse in my T-zone to control oil and Cloud Glow on the rest of my face. Both are non-comedogenic and don’t clog pores, which is great for acne-prone skin like mine. I paired them with Future Fluid Creamy Hydrating Concealer in shade 21W, Lip + Cheek in Quickie as my blush, and Matte Bronzer.

I love the fun, foamy texture of the Cloud Glow Primer, which instantly made my skin feel smooth and hydrated with its skincare ingredients. When I used the Pore Eclipse Matte Blur Stick, I noticed I instantly looked less shiny and oily wherever I swiped it.

Although I usually don’t gravitate towards mattifying products, this combination of primers made my skin look glowy but not overly oily. It was the perfect combo. I took the first picture at 9:00 AM. and the second eight hours later at 5:00 PM. I was impressed by how my face looks way less oily than it normally would at the end of the day. My skin looked glowy and my makeup stayed in place. My T-zone looks almost the same in the before-and-after pictures—amazing.

Model shows what their makeup looks like with no primer

Model shows what their makeup looks like 8 hours after wearing no primer

Without primer, I noticed that my skin looked super oily, almost like my makeup was sliding off my face. For this experiment, I took the first photo at 12:00 PM and the second at 8:00 PM. You can definitely see how much oilier I am on my forehead, under my eyes, and on my nose. My blush was almost entirely gone and my mascara was smudging a lot under my eye.

I’ve never worn Cloud Glow and Pore Eclipse Blur Stick together before, but after seeing the difference, this has become my new favorite primer combo.

Dry Skin

Who’s testing?: Alisha Dhir, Graphic Designer

Primer used: Hydro Grip Primer

Model shows what their makeup looks like 8 hours after makeup wearing primer

I like a natural-looking full face and sometimes, lots of liner. My skin gets really dry throughout the day and then my makeup starts to sit on top of my skin instead of really blending into it.

I used Hydro Grip Primer, which is what I use most days. I love the cooling sensation from the aloe—it really calms my skin before I put on makeup. I always use 1-2 pumps to get my makeup to last. I like how it gives my skin a glowy finish right away and I can feel that non-sticky grip that's grabbing onto my makeup.

I paired Hydro Grip with Future Fluid Creamy Hydrating Concealer, Matte Bronzer in Baked, Sculpt Stick in Stoked, and Cooling Water Jelly Tint in Splash. I took these pictures eight hours apart and I definitely noticed that my skin didn’t look dull at the end of the day. Usually, my base gets super dry by late afternoon but Hydro keeps my skin really plump and dewy.

Model shows what their makeup looks like without primer

When I wore makeup for eight hours without any primer, I could definitely see that my contour and blush didn’t last nearly as well as they did with Hydro. My under eyes were feeling especially dry and my T-Zone also got oilier. I’ll stick with Hydro.

Oily Skin

Who’s testing?: Harmony Boyer, VP of Retail Accounts

Primer used: Pore Eclipse Mattifying Primer

Selfie of a woman wearing Milk Makeup products including Pore Eclipse Primer as a makeup base

Selfie of a woman after eight hours of wear wearing Milk Makeup Pore Eclipse Primer

This primer eclipses all others! I love using Pore Eclipse as the perfect first step to my complexion routine. I have combination/textured skin. This primer not only extends my foundation wear, but also helps control oil and leaves my usually very visible pores with a blurred finish. In the wintertime, when I'm a bit more dry, I apply directly after moisturizer (as recommended by our amazing Sara Wren).

Selfie of a woman wearing makeup without primer

Selfie of a woman's makeup after eight hours of wear without primer

I definitely notice more shine and texture coming through on days when I don't use primer, as you see above. I feel like my skin prep just "lasts" better when I wear my primer. Nice and hydrated on the inside, soft matte on the outside.

So, what did we learn? The results speak for themselves—primer is an absolute must for long-lasting makeup that leaves the right kind of finish.