Makeup should stay on, period—and to ensure that, you need a face primer. What is that, you might ask? It is—or should be—the first step in your makeup routine. It’s like insurance for your look, helping your face makeup stay on and look good for a longer period of time. The right formula allows your makeup application to be effortless and seamless while making your favorite makeup products last longer.
In the world of makeup face primers, there are hydrating primers, mattifying primers, illuminating primers, and even brightening foam primers. The good news is, no matter which one you grab, your makeup is sure to apply smoother, look fresher, and stay locked. But if you want to find out a little more about how to apply face primer and the best makeup primer for you, keep reading.
What does makeup primer do for your face and what is grip primer?
Face primer does a few things: It creates a smooth canvas for base makeup (like foundation, tinted moisturizer, and concealer), allowing for seamless application. It also extends the wear time of makeup, making it look fresh for hours. “Primer is like insurance for your complexion,” says Sara Wren, our Director of Artistry.
You may have heard the term “grip primer” before, and we have a little something to do with that thanks to our iconic, 10x-award-winning Hydro Grip Primer. Our best-selling face primer hydrates skin to prevent your makeup from smudging, budging, melting, or caking on skin. The combination of hyaluronic acid, hemp seed extract, and niacinamide deliver a ton of moisture to skin, leaving it looking dewy, radiant, and smoother than ever—results that stick around even when you top it with makeup.
We also added the word “grip” to our best-selling hydrating face primer because that’s truly what it does—this formula latches your makeup onto your skin for all-day wear. Yep, we’re talking up to 12 hours. “A complaint I hear from people all the time is that their makeup doesn’t last long enough or that their skin texture disrupts application,” says Sara. Take it from a makeup artist: “A great grip primer solves both of those issues.”
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Face primer vs setting spray: What is the difference?
Before we get into the different types of primer, let’s not forget every primer’s best friend: setting spray. It's not face primer vs. setting spray so much as face primer and setting spray. In fact, they should bookend every makeup routine. Setting spray works as a last step to secure your makeup application. Consider it to be that extra layer of protection against the elements. In other words, if you start with our Hydro Grip Primer to lock on makeup and help brighten and moisturize skin, then you should also finish your look with our Hydro Grip Set + Refresh Spray to lock in makeup and all that hydration.
If you wanna refresh your makeup later or even hit your skin with more moisture throughout the day, you can spritz on setting spray for an instant dewy glow. (Check out the guide we put together about our best hydrating setting spray right here.)
Different Types of Makeup Primers
Choosing the right primer for you depends on the overall makeup look you’re going for, as well as your skin type. Whether you want a dewy glow or soft matte finish, there’s a formula for you. We put together a quick-and-easy primer quiz so you can answer a few questions and find your match. But if you want a more detailed breakdown of each of our best face primers, we’ve got you covered.
Hydrating Primer
Our entire community has been loving Hydro Grip Primer since its launch in 2019, and the hype hasn’t died down since. With more than 12 million tags across TikTok for the whole Hydro Grip Fam, viral wear tests of our hydrating primer have likely already popped up on your FYP, showing just how well it works and why it deserves its place in the industry as one of the best primers for dry skin.
Hydro Grip Primer acts as a base layer for the best foundations and all your favorite complexion products, like Future Fluid All Over Cream Concealer. You can also wear it alone (over your skincare products and SPF) to enhance the natural glow of your skin. We designed it for all skin types, especially combination skin and dry skin and it’s completely clear, so it also works on all skin tones. This hydrating primer is also safe for sensitive skin types, but, again, be sure to do a patch test first to make sure you’re good to go before committing to a full face.
True to its name, a hydrating face primer is formulated with additional skin-nourishing ingredients to give skin a glowy, hydrated finish. This particular feature makes hydrating primers especially great for mature and dry skin types, as well as those with dehydrated skin. You can use this type of makeup primer on your whole face, but there are also ones created for specific areas, like eyes and lips.
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Mattifying Primer
Not all primers are created equal, so the best primer for you can depend on a few factors, like the finish you want and, more importantly, your skin type. Hydrating primer might not be your jam if your skin is naturallyprone to oiliness and breakouts, or if you have the type of combination skin that gets shiny throughout the day. If that’s the case, scope out thePore Eclipse Mattifying Primer, our blurring primer that leaves skin with a soft matte finish and holds makeup for up to eight hours. This lightweight water-based cream contains niacinamide to help minimize the appearance of pores, plusbakuchiolandlentil extractto control shine, absorb excess oil, and even out skin texture. It’s also made with blurring microspheres that give your skin a soft-matte, poreless filtered finish.
Brightening PrimerBrightening primers are designed to give your skin the lit-from-within glow you’d get from a great skincare routine. Unlike highlighters, they’re shimmer-free and don’t contain any tint; instead, they give a subtle boost of radiance. When we created our best brightening primer, we wanted to make it an experience unlike any other. That’s how Cloud Glow Foam Brightening Primer was born. This light-as-air foam feels like a cloud and comes packed with skincare that hydrates for a natural glow. We formulated it with turmeric and saffron extracts to help brighten and reduce redness, apricot extract to seal in moisture, and wu-zhu-yu to help even skin tone. While it feels light and airy, one pump will keep your makeup held down for up to 12 hours. |
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Illuminating PrimerSo you want even more glow than a brightening primer can deliver. That’s where illuminating primer comes in. Think of these as a blend between your favorite liquid luminizer or highlighter and a makeup primer. When we brainstormed ways to make our best illuminating primer, we knew Hydro Grip was the perfect place to start. We took all the skincare and grip powers from our award-winning formula, then packed it with a mix of light-reflecting pearls for a surreal golden-hour glow. The result: Hydro Grip + Glow Primer, an illuminating primer that keeps your makeup gripped for up to 12 hours and is basically Hydro Grip in its glow era. Reach for this one when you want surreal glowing skin on its own or under foundation. You can even use a makeup sponge to tap it over the high points of your face (like your cheekbones, bridge of your nose, and cupid’s bow), just like liquid highlighter. |
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How to apply primer on face
Do you put on moisturizer or primer first? The answer to this eternal question is simple: Start with moisturizer. “The best way to use primer is right after skincare,” Sara says. “I love primers that are infused with skincare ingredients, so I think of them as my last step to seal in skincare and prep skin for makeup application.” After your morning skincare routine (and mandatory sunscreen), here’s how to apply primer on your face:
1. Apply one to two pumps of primer evenly on your face, blending it out with your fingertips. “A small amount goes a long way,” Sara points out. “Makeup is all about creating thin layers that blend together seamlessly.” Too much face primer runs the risk of feeling heavy or causing your makeup to cake.
2. Once your primer is on, let it dry for a full minute before applying the rest of your makeup.
3. Add your favorite makeup products on top and rest assured they’ll stay fresh all day. Pro tip: Our primers can also be worn alone to add a dewy, blurring, or brightening effect on bare skin. And if you need any further proof that face primer is worth it, just check out ourprimer before-and-afterwear tests.
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