19 Of The Best Primers For Make-up That Stays Put
If you want your foundation to stay in place for as long as possible then a good primer is non-negotiable. “The primary purpose of a primer is to prepare the skin for foundation,” explains make-up artist Joy Adenuga. “Depending on your skin type, this could be blurring the skin, filling in open pores, reducing shine, providing hydration, or providing a smooth canvas for make-up.”
As well as keeping your foundation firmly in place, a primer does much more besides. Whatever your requirements, whether it’s mattifying an oily T-zone, blurring uneven texture and fine lines, obscuring the appearance of pores, or hydrating irritated skin, the best primer can handle it all.
And if you don’t like the idea of adding an extra step to an already busy morning routine, these days primers offer skincare benefits, too, harnessing everything from hyaluronic acid to shea butter to hydrate, soothe and nourish skin for the day ahead. Which means you might be able to skip your moisturiser altogether.
How do I choose the right primer?
“To be able to choose the right primer, you need to understand your skin type,” explains Adenuga. “Primers are designed for different skin types – normal skin, textured skin, oily skin, dry skin, combination skin and more. When you understand your skin type, choosing the right primer becomes easy.”
Vogue’s pick of the best primers at a glance:
- Best primer for glass skin: Refy Rollerball Glow And Sculpt Face Primer, £24
- Best primer for minimising pores: YSL Touche Éclat Blur Primer, £33
- Best primer with SPF: Charlotte Tilbury Invisible UV Flawless Poreless Primer, £40
- Best primer for budge-proof make-up: Milk Makeup Hydrogrip Primer, £32
- Best primer for oily skin: Tatcha The Liquid Silk Canvas Primer, £51
In this article:
- How do I choose the right primer?
- Is a primer always necessary?
- What should I look for in a primer?
- How should I apply a primer?
Below, see and shop British Vogue’s edit of the 19 best primers to try now.
- Size: 30ml
- Best for: all skin types and skin tones
- Benefits: lightweight | soothing and hydrating | available in three sizes
Why it’s Vogue approved:
The ultimate ticket to achieving a dewy glow, this is the multitasking primer to know now. Infused with skin-loving ingredients, like niacinamide and beta-glucan, the cream formula brightens, hydrates and helps ensuing formulas stay put.
- Size: 40ml
- Best for: a glossy, hydrated look
- Benefits: full of skin-loving ingredients | roller applicator helps depuff and define the cheekbones and jawline | feels good on the skin
Why it’s Vogue approved:
This is no ordinary primer: it’s a veritable gua sha moment. For starters, it loads a hydrating serum onto a roller applicator that smooths and sculpts the face, draining puffiness and leaving skin with a glassy dew. Then there are its ingredients – a skincare make-up-hybrid including niacinamide, vitamin B5 and polymers which minimise pores and grip your base. For skin that glows with and without make-up, it’s an excellent choice.
- Size: 30ml
- Best for: all skin types, especially mature skin or skin with enlarged pores
- Benefits: colourless, lightweight gel that feels comfortable and can be worn alone | fills in fine lines and pores | absorbs excess oil to extend make-up wear
Why it’s Vogue approved:
A typically elegant offering from Hourglass. This sleek glass bottle houses a primer worth every pretty penny, elevated by the inclusion of microspherical powders and fine-line-filling silicone for a perfected canvas. It lends a filtered appearance to bare skin that we love, and enhances make-up so flawlessly that ours looked as if it had been professionally applied. As for the staying power? Nothing short of excellent – this one kept skin composed from morning meetings through to post-work drinks, giving our glam plenty of afterparty potential.
- Size: 24ml
- Best for: all skin types, especially those prone to shine
- Benefits: hydrates skin with hyaluronic acid | sets with a tacky finish that grips make-up to the face | lasts all-day
Why it’s Vogue approved:
A few pumps of e.l.f’s gel primer is all you need to keep make-up from separating, sliding and shining, even in hot weather. Press it into moisturised skin, let it sit for 30 seconds and everything you apply after will be firmly gripped. As well as keeping things fixed in place, it makes your make-up incredibly smooth, with hyaluronic acid for a plump, bouncy base and easy application.
