To give your makeup lasting power, a primer is the hard-working hero you need in your makeup bag.
This one product wears many hats beyond its primary task of locking your foundation in place – it blurs pores, smooths skin and imparts radiance. Typically, primers will be packed with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid to treat the complexion with moisture-rich components and the very best will include SPF.
Within the formula, the high-factor protection shields against UVA and UVB rays to fight off free radical damage and premature ageing.
What does makeup primer do?
“A makeup primer helps to perfectly prepare the skin for any makeup that goes on top by creating a smooth, hydrated canvas and enhancing the longevity of your makeup,” says Karl Hodson, Laura Mercier's National Education Manager.
However, he adds that the formulas are getting more sophisticated: “Nowadays, primers are being developed with skincare properties to help to improve your skin long term with regular use – such as the Laura Mercier Hydrating Primer which will provide long-term hydration to protect skin’s barrier function instantly and overtime”.
Is makeup primer necessary?
While many skip this crucial step, Hodson stresses its significance. “Makeup primer is such an important part of the makeup routine as it contributes to the optimum performance of any makeup that you apply”, he explains. “Much like an artist would prep a canvas with a primer before applying paint, you should apply primer to the face before applying makeup”.
How do I apply makeup primer?
According to the expert, “The best way to apply primer is with your fingertips – starting at the centre of the face and working outwards. For the best results, don’t massage the primer into the skin like a moisturizer – smooth the primer over the skin in a light layer”.
What should you look for in a primer?
Forget the sticky, greasy primers of old and revolutionise your makeup routine with powerhouse formulas that borrow ingredients from the products that line your bathroom cabinet. “You should absolutely look for a primer with skincare benefits and see your primer as part of our regular skincare and makeup routine”, reveals Hodson. “Silicone-free primers are preferable, as silicone can sometimes break makeup down – therefore negating the use of a primer which should enhance longevity, not decrease it”.
Any dermatologist worth their salt will recommend daily sun cream application to protect the skin from harmful ultraviolet rays that may cause burning at best and skin cancer at worst. It is suggested that around a quarter to a third of a teaspoon or a fingertip unit is layered onto the complexion each morning. To streamline their routines, many like to combine this with products like moisturisers or primers. It is just important to pay attention to quantity and ensure you are getting significant coverage.
Shop the best primers with SPF below
Charlotte Tilbury Invisible UV Flawless Poreless Primer
For makeup that lasts and lasts, look no further than legendary makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury’s eponymous label. Yet this is a product that does far more than lock makeup in place (although it does that very well too).
It creates a blurring finish that is glowy and has a soft focus effect. But the innovation of a proprietary CITYSTEM pollution defence matrix is what sets this apart from the crowd.
This complex provides SPF50 protection against UVA and UVB rays, while African mahogany tree extract forms a shield against external aggressors to smooth out pores and encourage long-lasting hydration, the latter of which is doubled down on with hyaluronic acid.
Buy now £40.00, Cult Beauty
Sculpted by Aimee Beauty Base Protect SPF50
The original Beauty Base primer by Irish make-up artist Aimee Connolly has inspired such ardent devotion that there are now five versions of it, including a rose gold finish and one for oil control. The Protect version has been juiced up with SPF50 to shield mature skin from the daily damage incurred (yes, even in winter) from daylight that accelerates all signs of ageing, from lines to pigmentation.
Rich and creamy, it’s ideal if your complexion is dry and needs to be plumped up with moisture - one pump of this fleshy pink primer is likely enough to do just that. With hydrating hyaluronic acid and rejuvenating peptides, the formula helps improve skin health as it gives your make-up more staying power. The hint of illumination will subtly shift any signs of dullness too.
Buy now £23.00, Sculpted by Aimee
Laura Mercier Pure Canvas Hydrating Travel Size Primer
In a handy travel-sized for application on the go, this primer is part of Laura Mercier’s high-powered skin and makeup hybrids. It is packed with olive oil extracts that encourage hydration but also form a protective shield from external factors like pollution and sun exposure that can cause the skin to dry out. Set alongside marine hydra botanicals, they work to dose the skin with the nourishment that it deserves, while leaving a dewy, silky soft finish.
Buy now £15.75, lookfantastic
Nars Radiance Primer SPF35
Swipe this primer across the complexion for a seamless application of the base products that follow. The pinky hue has a glowy finish on the face but doesn’t leave a greasy residue in its wake, instead imparting hydration and moisture. A
goes a long way so you may need an additional SPF to get the recommended 1/3 teaspoon but it’s a solid start with SPF35. The Nars Radiance Primer has a lovely lightweight texture and is free from oil, alcohol and fragrance and is non-comedogenic.
Buy now £34.00, Nars
Bobbi Brown Primer Plus Protection SPF 50
Bobbi Brown’s Primer Plus Protection does far more than simply give your foundation longevity. The Plus refers to all the added benefits that the formula provides, namely the protection from ageing external stressors. It is infused with an impressive SPF50 and provides broad-spectrum shielding from UVA and UVB rays.
The product contains sodium hyaluronate which injects moisture into the complexion and provides long-lasting hydration. The key with this primer is to leave it to absorb into the skin before layering on any further makeup.
Buy now £30.00, Bobbi Brown
e.l.f. SKIN Suntouchable Whoa Glow SPF 30, Sunscreen & Makeup Primer
The e.l.f. Suntouchable primer proves that you need not have an elevated price tag to revive lacklustre skin. This primer works to instantly add radiance, while prolonging the look of makeup and shielding the skin with factor 30.
The hard-working makeup bag hero works triple duty to shield, prime and give skin a glow-up with the slightly shimmery peach-hued formula. There is hyaluronic acid and squalane, two hydration heroes, contained within to moisturise without leaving greasy residue.
Buy now £13.99, Amazon
MAC Prep + Prime Face Protect SPF 50
For a glowy base, look no further than MAC’s iconic Prep + Prime collection that includes a serum, setting spray, highlight, lip and our personal favourite, the Face Protect SPF 50 primer. The first thing you will notice on application is the lightweight feel, moisture-rich texture and non-greasy finish, a holy trio that makes it a makeup staple.
What follows clings to the skin with a smooth gliding application process and you have the bonus of the high factor 50 protection that comes from the zinc oxide-based filters set alongside water binding agents for hydrated skin.
Buy now £28.00, lookfantastic
Beauty Pie Traceless Mineral Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen + Primer
Slip daily suncare into your skincare with Beauty Pie’s Traceless formulation. The beauty buyers club has released this product free from the typical associations of SPF as thick, hard-to-rub-in products. Instead, it works double duty to protect your face with SPF30 using natural mineral filters, but is also a primer where the lack of white cast and non-greasy texture locks makeup in place.
The ingredient line-up is nourishing with argan oil, niacinamide and a whole host of antioxidants for that much-needed free radical protection.
Buy now £30.00, Beauty Pie
The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Dewy Sunscreen SPF30
Daily sunscreen application is something we all know we should be doing but so many of us are still reluctant and that may be due to the thick, unpleasant textures that are drying and laborious to rub in. That’s where The INKEY List has come in with its new innovation.
The brand is making the morning task a breeze by packing SPF30 UVA and UVB protection with anti-ageing polyglutamic acid, glycerin and squalane to hydrate as you shield from damaging environmental stressors. It also leaves a dewy finish so your skin is prepped, primed and ready for your makeup routine that follows.
Buy now £15.00, Cult Beauty
Chantecaille Ultra Sun Protection SPF45 PA++ Anti-Glycation Primer
Best for: superb SPF protection
If you’re prepared to drop just north of £70 on a single beauty product, it’s only natural to expect as much bang for your buck as you can get. Presented in a shiny tube, Chantecaille’s primer is incredibly hard-working, shielding skin from harmful UVB and UVA rays with the merest application of the thin SPF45 primer. Meanwhile, helpful ingredients like lemon balm, cherry blossom and white tea extracts work to soothe the skin while also fighting free radicals and inflammation.
Price tag aside, it feels like a primer for mature skin, protecting and perfecting at once. If you’re looking for a facial SPF that will enhance your (nearly) naked skin, this makes a very persuasive case.
Buy now £92.00, Space NK
Studio 10 Hydra-Fusion Daily Defence SPF30
Coming from a capsule cosmetics range specifically created for more mature skins but with a pro-ageing ethos, the first striking thing about the Studio 10 multitasking primer is the caramel tint, which easily blends into a sheer, soft shade to cover the spectrum of most complexion tones.
The hardworking, five-in-one formula has been thoughtfully put together, so it nourishes with a clever blend of hyaluronic acid molecules, perfect with toning and pore-minimising ingredients including rosemary leaf, protects with antioxidants and a sun filter, helps boost firming collagen and elastin fibre production over time. Finally, it primes by absorbing excess oil and using silica to smooth out texture.
Perfectly balanced to suit both drier and oilier complexions, it’s unquestionably a one-stop skin perfector in a tube.
Buy now £48.00, Studio 10
