Our resident makeup artist, Sophia Zizzi, shares her go-to primers for an everyday flawless look.
Primer is is often over-looked, but it’s the most important step of a makeup routine. For those who don’t know, primer is the first step when applying your makeup. It’s totally optional, but it provides a great base for your foundation.
Primers come in a wide variety of formulations, such as hydrating, pore-filling, or just a general primer that is made to be a base for any skin type.
Think of it as the frame of a house you’re building. You need to make sure that the first step of your house is beyond stable so that you can make sure that the rest is built to perfection.
I’m giving you five different primer recommendations from my personal favorite primer list to help you achieve a flawless look!
1. “POREfessional Primer” by Benefit Cosmetics
This primer comes in three different sizes: a travel size mini, a full size, and a value size. The mini retails for $13, the full-size retails for $32, and the value size retails for $54.
Not only is it super lightweight on the skin, but it’s also oil free, translucent, versatile for all skin types, and a little bit goes a long way. This primer fills in pores and makes the skin look like you have a constant filter on it!
I personally use only a pea-sized amount and spread it evenly throughout the middle of my face. I use a little bit on the apples of my cheeks, on my nose, a little on my chin and anywhere else I have noticeable pores.
I also use this primer on all my personal makeup clients. This primer has never clogged my pores or made my skin feel slick to the touch. It has an exceptionally clean and natural feeling to it. I have never found a primer that literally melts into skin the way that this one does. Definitely my all-time favorite primer, like ever!
2. “Hangover Replenishing Dewy Finish Primer” by Too Faced
This primer retails for $35 (for the full size, but comes in four sizes), and it’s worth every penny. It’s a super lightweight hydrating primer. It’s a little different because it dries down to a semi-sticky finish. This means that it grabs onto your makeup and locks it in for an everyday wear.
Another reason I love this one is that it has a clean feeling, but it smells like coconuts! This primer is made with coconut water, which is one fun way that makes it super hydrating. This product can also be worn alone to create a beautiful plump, luminous, and hydrated look to the skin.
I tend to lean more on the oily side when it comes to my skin, so I apply this primer on the perimeter of my face, on all the areas that I didn’t apply the POREfessional. These areas would be on my forehead, my temples, my jaw area, and down my neck. These areas tend to be on the drier side and have a hard time keeping makeup in place, so this primer is perfect. Additionally, it’s great for almost all skin types, but for oily skin you must be careful with it, because it is so hydrating.
3. “Prep & Blur Stick” by ELF cosmetics
This stick primer retails for only $8! And it’s so affordable for how good it is. It blurs the complexion and creates a satin base on the skin for your makeup. It’s also translucent and silicone free!
An amazing thing about this primer is that it’s infused with Witch Hazel, to help absorb excess oil throughout the day. It’s perfect for an everyday look, but also for full glam.
This primer is without a doubt a dupe for the MILK makeup “Luminous Blurring Stick,” which retails for $36! For a quarter of the price, you can use something that is exactly like a high-end product and achieves the same, if not a better, look than its high-end counterpart.
Now, because this is a stick primer, it’s a little tricky to keep it clean and bacteria-free. What I see a lot of women do is just run it all over their skin like they’re putting on stick sunscreen. Definitely, DO NOT do that.
Professional Tip: First, to keep it sanitary, gently rub the stick primer on the tips of you freshly washed fingers or a single use sponge (instead of rubbing it directly on your face) and gently press and smooth the primer into the skin.
By using a single use sponge or your clean fingertips, you’ll eliminate the transfer of bacteria and germs from your face onto the stick itself. If the primer is used directly on the skin, you’ll be transferring all the bacteria and germs you picked up with it the first time, back onto your skin. This can cause irritation, but also acne.
Every day, after I’m done with my makeup, I spray the actual stick with 70+ percent alcohol just to make sure it’s clean for the next day. It takes a little bit more work than the other primers, but overall, this primer is amazing in general, and you really can’t beat the price!
4. “Studio Secrets Professional Magic Perfecting Base” by L’Oreal Paris
This primer retails for $12.95. It comes in a jar, which is great for travel, but hard to keep sanitary. I use a little spatula or the back of a clean makeup brush and just take out a pea-sized amount. I don’t put my fingers inside the jar just because there is no real way to clean it without messing up the product inside.
This primer is on the thicker side, so just make sure to only use a little bit, and spread it evenly. If you use too much, it can feel heavy on the skin and your makeup becomes slick to the touch while on your face.
I used this product religiously for over three years. It was a staple in my makeup routine. It filled in my pores and made my makeup look flawless. This primer is perfect for an on-the-go person or mama who doesn’t have a lot of time or money to spend on a pricy item. This is affordable and I have worn it countless times without makeup, and it still makes my skin look airbrushed throughout the day.
5. “Ever-Matte Pore-less Priming Perfector” by Becca Cosmetics
This primer retails from $18 to $39, depending on the size. It’s a little hard to work with, but the results are so beyond worth it. This product is a pore-filling primer you can squeeze out onto your hand.
It’s solid when just opened, but once this primer is warmed up – whether on your face or finger tips – it melts into a liquid. The only issue I find, is that it must be applied very quickly, because it dries down extremely fast.
I only apply this primer to my oily areas because it completely sucks all the oil up and dries down on contact. You need to make sure you blend it out as evenly and as fast as you can, because if not, it will make your skin look tight to the naked eye.
Even with all of that, it’s a beautiful primer that will make sure your makeup lasts until you want to take it off. It sits beautifully on the skin and makes you feel like a million bucks!
I have gone to school for 8 hours and then worked for 8 hours right afterward, and it helped my makeup stay still all day long. This primer also helps a lot with keeping makeup in place so it doesn’t transfer onto anything. I have definitely noticed a lot of transfer onto my masks or my sunglasses when I’m not wearing this primer!
All of these primers are my all-time favorites and products that I always have in both my personal and professional makeup kits. They are reliable and always look stunning no matter what the look may be.
They are wearable, light weight, durable, and above all, they feel beautiful on the skin. These are, in my opinion, the perfect bricks to build your frame with. I fell in love with them years ago and I hope you fall in love as well and find your perfect match!
I encourage you to try these primers out and let me know which ones work best for you! See you next time, LUXYMOMs®!