The unsung heroes of flawless make-up routines, the best primers not only fix your make-up in place all day, they target all manner of skin concerns, too. Not layering a primer over moisturiser and underneath coverage is one of the most common make-up mistakes to make. Yet so many of us are skipping this vital step, believing it’s just an added product brands want you to buy into.
However, if you’re leaving home with a perfected make-up look, only to glance in the bathroom mirror throughout the day to see your coverage sitting noticeably in lines, pores or caking around imperfections, drawing attention to rather than concealing problem areas, we bet you’re not using a primer.
The truth is, ask any top make-up artist and they’ll tell you that if you’re wearing foundation, you should be using primer, too. That’s because a powerful primer does two things: it creates a smooth base, by evening out the skin’s texture, providing an even surface for foundation, and it provides a gripping barrier for make-up to stick to, extending the longevity of your look.
What’s more, like so many make-up categories today, the best primers are multi-tasking. You’ll find hydrating primers, ideal for dry skin types and packed with moisturising ingredients. There are also mattifying primers for oily skin, helping to keep shine at bay. Blurring primers, meanwhile, soften the look of pores and lines, and colour-correcting formulas help conceal redness.
Before you pick your new perfect primer to partner with your foundation, be careful with formulations. A silicone foundation will work best with a silicon-based primer, and water-based products pair up the best with each other, too. Mix one type with another and they may not be compatible, leading to pilling (those dreaded tiny beads of peeling make-up).
How we tested
Our reviewer is an experienced beauty editor who has tested her way through the bestselling primers, as well as the latest new launches. To make this line-up of the best of the best, each product has been tested for a minimum of five days, under the same foundation.
Each primer was marked on how it played with the coverage, as well as how much it prolonged its wear. We were also keen to find formulas that go the extra beauty mile – be that radiance-boosting, mattifying, or blurring pores and fine lines.
The best primers for 2024 are:
Shiseido revitalessence skin glow primer
The first thing you notice about this new primer from the much-loved Japanese beauty brand is it both looks and feels like an extension of your skincare. It’s non-greasy, non-sticky and feels more like a light moisturiser than a traditional primer, yet still leaves skin velvety-smooth (without any silicone) and with a healthy unpigmented glow.
Not only did it make foundation easier to apply around pores and fine lines, thanks to the even canvas, but it also impressively kept it in place until we took it off in the evening. We also love that the brand has managed to get SPF25 and UVA filters in the formulation, which is another big tick.
This is so much more than just a primer, it’s also boosted with skincare benefits to hydrate, brighten and strengthen the skin barrier. The likes of niacinamide and fermented kefir are included in the formula, which our skin really missed when we took it out of our routine. Try it with the new foundation to match – it’s equally as brilliant.
Buy now £39.00, Lookfantastic.com
e.l.f power grip primer
With an extensive collection of top-notch primers, which also happen to be easy on the wallet, it’s hard to pick a favourite from e.l.f – yet this one just has the edge for us. Beauty enthusiasts on social media are calling it a Milk dupe, and we can see why, as it does have many similarities – the most obvious being it’s a hydrating formula boosted by hyaluronic acid that keeps make-up in place all day.
Don’t be put off by its tackiness – it’s meant to feel this way, so the foundation can stick easily to it. We found it best to apply with fingertips and let set for a minute, for ultimate grip. Once you’ve applied your coverage, the stickiness disappears.
If you haven’t converted to a primer underneath your foundation, start with this. You’ll be amazed by the even canvas (especially if you have imperfections or signs of ageing) and how it prolongs the wear of courage – even on a warm, sunny day.
Buy now £9.83, Amazon.co.uk
Tatcha the silk canvas primer
From the skincare brand that fuses Japanese beauty rituals with modern skincare innovation, comes this natural-glow-in-a-pot primer with which we’ve become a little obsessed. Like all Tatcha skincare products, you’ll find the brand’s skin-protecting hadasei-3 complex, a trio of rice, algae and green tea superfoods, as well as a combination of silk extracts that smooth and blur lines, pores and blemishes, for a just-as-it-says-on-the-box super silky canvas.
It illuminates the skin and locks in make-up so well that it even kept our make-up meltproof through a summer heatwave wedding – make-up tests don’t get tougher. Don’t let the price put you off, either, as we found you need to use very little product, so it’s going to last you longer than more traditional liquid formulas. Plus, it’s multi-tasking, as it works on the eyes and lips, too.
Buy now £51.00, Spacenk.com
Sculpted by Aimee Connolly beauty base protect primer
Irish make-up artist Aimee Connolly has some impressive primers in her cosmetic collection, but this one is our favourite. For those who like a minimal routine, this boasts a broad spectrum SPF50 sun protection, teamed with skin-plumping and hydrating ceramides and hyaluronic acid.
There’s no chalkiness or heaviness to the formula that you might expect from a high SPF, and it leaves behind a radiant non-greasy glow, which we found we often didn’t need to apply coverage to. When we did, this product helped provide a better foundation application, with smoother results and a longer-lasting finish.
Buy now £23.00, Boots.com
Ole Henriksen banana bright face primer
The Danish skincare guru Ole Henriksen has this popular primer in his vitamin C-infused line that we turn back to again and again. Of course, this has the antioxidant and skin-brightening “sunshine vitamin” (as Henriksen calls it), but it’s also enriched with nourishing vitamin E. Add to the mix light-reflecting minerals named after banana powder, which make-up artists use to brighten the skin, and you’ve got a primer that evens the skin tone. It helps to smooth out uneven skin texture but ultimately leaves lacklustre complexions noticeably dewy and bright.
Buy now £25.60, Boots.com
Vieve skin nova instant radiance primer
MUA and social media star Jamie Genevieve knows a beauty tip or two when it comes to make-up application, but she also knows the trick to making a top-of-the-line primer. It grips to make-up and locks it in place all day long as standard, but the real selling point with this formula is the golden suit-all-skin hue it imparts to leave skin truly glowing with radiance.
It also gives you an extra skincare layer thanks to popular ingredients that brighten and hydrate, including niacinamide and rose water. We found that it left our skin comfortably soft, smooth and luminous, with our make-up fixed in place until we took it off.
Buy now £29.00, Cultbeauty.co.uk
Mac Studio radiance moisturizing and illuminating silky primer
Mac has nailed the art of making high-performing products and offering a vast colour range, but it also understands the importance of first-rate skin prep before make-up application, and that is why the best make-up artists always carry the brand. This primer is suitable for all skin types, as it delivers a flawless, long-wearing make-up application every time.
It’s jam-packed with skincare, including the likes of hyaluronic acid, glycerin and vitamin E, for an extra hit of hydration that in turn smooths and plumps the complexion, leaving behind an even, silky canvas for foundation to glide over. It makes skin ooze a healthy glow that doesn’t look unnatural, and promises eight hours of radiance – this truly delivers on keeping make-up fresh all day.
Buy now £30.00, Lookfantastic.com
Benefit the porefessional lite primer
Benefit has recently added this lightweight primer to its line-up of bestselling base-perfectors. Like the brand’s OG pore primer, this product creates a beautifully smooth base and makes pores look less visible. But it’s a different formula – water-based and silicone-free, it feels both cooling and refreshing on first contact. We found it pairs well with lighter BB, CC or tinted moisturisers as well as heavier coverages, thanks to its light, weightless texture and breathable formula. A top choice for summer, there’s even a mini version that’s perfect for travelling.
Buy now £25.60, Lookfantastic.com
Milk Makeup hydro grip primer
Often a favourite with beauty editors, this modern classic remains hard to beat on performance. It’s ideal for complexions that need an extra hit of hydration (don’t we all), with its cocktail of moisturising ingredients, including hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, hemp-derived cannabis seed and blue agave. Your skin will drink in the cool, gel-like texture instantly but, for best results, you have to leave it for a minute while the grip of the formula takes hold, ready to lock in your make-up.
Buy now £35.00, Cultbeauty.co.uk
Gucci sérum de beauté fluide matifiant mattifying face primer
Refreshing on first contact with the skin, watch this mattifying primer even out and blur pores and imperfections in seconds – it’s like a natural filter for the face. It’s a luxe option, but it’s packed with skincare benefits, so it’s worth it if you have combination or oily skin and want results. Salicylic acid and bamboo powders work together to keep shine at bay, while hyaluronic acid and glycerin keep skin smooth, plump and well-hydrated.
We were impressed with how fresh it kept make-up – even in the heatwave, and loved how you can use it without foundation, as a skin perfector on summer skin that doesn’t need coverage. If you have normal to dry skin, the alternative primer in the line is another top choice with a luminous finish.
Buy now £42.00, Johnlewis.com
Mac hyper real serumize
For those who like a simple, pared-back beauty routine, Mac has this clever serum-moisturiser hybrid in its skincare collection, and it makes for a brilliant primer, too.
Its serum properties, come from a mix of AHA/BHA acids and niacinamide, which work to retexturise the skin over time, to reduce the look of pores, dark spots, lines and wrinkles. This works together with the likes of skin-plumping hyaluronic acid and skin-strengthening ceramides for instant hydration that leaves behind an ultra-smooth canvas for make-up to adhere to.
The lightweight formula absorbs in an instant and is a little tacky, providing grip for coverage, but what we loved with this product is that, if you leave it and don’t apply a base on top, this quickly transforms into a veil of silky softness – ideal for make-up-free days. With make-up on top, it delivers long-lasting coverage.
Buy now £60.00, Lookfantastic.com
Refy face primer
Content-creator-turned-beauty-brand-founder Jess Hunt has this much-hyped face primer in her collection of products, and we’re here for it. What makes this primer stand out in a crowded beauty category is the genius roller applicator that roles over the contours of the face to depuff, ease face tension and stimulate blood flow – ideal for waking up the skin during a morning routine.
It’s more than just a nicely packaged product, though. The formula itself is a water-based primer, packed with skin-hydrating glycerin and niacinamide to help with blemishes and redness. It enables foundation to be applied evenly and helps it stay in place all day. We also loved the beautiful, glass-like glow it gave to skin – so much so, it often made us want to go without coverage.
Buy now £24.00, Sephora.co.uk
Hourglass vanish airbrush primer
If you’re going to splurge on a primer, you need to know it’s going to tick all the boxes, and this Hourglass formulation does so and then some. Its cool, transparent gel absorbs in seconds, smoothing out the skin, leaving it even-textured and ready for foundation in an instant, without any stickiness.
It promises an airbrushed effect, which it certainly delivers, thanks to microspherical powders that blur pores and imperfections like a soft-focus camera filter. It also does a top job of absorbing excess oil and helping control shine throughout the day.
Not only did our make-up apply better (without sitting in lines or pores), it stayed looking flawless for more than eight hours. We’re very impressed.
Buy now £57.00, Spacenk.com
Primer FAQs
What is a primer and what does it do?
The main purpose of a primer is to prepare your skin for foundation, creating a smoother canvas for a flawless finish that make-up adheres to for longer. Just like using paint primer on a wall for a smoother canvas, or wearing the right underwear to ensure there’s no VPL underneath your new dress, what goes on underneath can perfect a look.
What are the benefits of using primer?
Next-generation primer formulas go beyond extending the staying power of your make-up, offering skin-perfecting benefits, too. You’ll find pore-blurring, line-filling, hydration-boosting and radiance-promoting formulations to pick from. Some are so good that they actually make you want to skip foundation altogether.
What type of primer do I need for my skin type?
You’ll find game-changing primers designed to enhance every complexion. “The key is knowing your skin type and understanding the benefits promised from the primer,” says make-up artist Aimee Connolly. “If your skin’s on the dry side, you’ll want to look for a primer with hydrating and moisturising benefits, whereas if your skin is more oily, you may need something that has built-in oil control that mattifies the skin.”
The verdict: Primers
For us, the title of best primer overall goes to the Shiseido revitalessence skin glow primer because it’s suitable for all skin types and makes your foundation sit smoother on the skin without it budging until the end of the day. If you’re looking to pay less, the e.l.f power grip primer is a top choice, too.
To complete your base, look to our review of the best BB creams that give glowy, lightweight coverage
