These Are the Best Primers, Ever (According to Ipsters)

1. IT COSMETICS Your Skin But Better Primer+ Oil-Free Makeup-Gripping Base + Pore-Refiner & Hydrator  

Foundation primer is like an invisible, weightless barrier between your skin and your makeup, preventing excess oil and dry patches from causing your makeup to flake or slide away. This IT COSMETICS oil-free makeup primer hugs your skin so seamlessly, it’ll feel like your own skin, only smoother and more refined. Made with nourishing bark and ginger root, it works like a skincare product to shrink the appearance of pores and balances your skin tone before your makeup even goes on. On top of that, it’s ultra gentle and non-irritating, making it a great primer choice for those with sensitive skin.

2. TOO FACED COSMETICS Hangover Replenishing Face Primer

Long night? Prepare to face your friends at brunch the next morning with this TOO FACED COSMETICS Hangover Replenishing Face Primer. After chugging a few glasses of water, treat your skin to this colorless, water-like formula. It’s packed with moisturizing coconut water and olive oil to keep your skin feeling fresh and hydrated while your makeup stays matte and flawless. “Makes my makeup stay for >7 hours straight WITHOUT re-touch. Loved this,” one Ipster said. Use it as a base or even for light touch-ups to your foundation and concealer throughout the day when you need a brightening boost.

3. BENEFIT COSMETICS The POREfessional Face Primer

There are so many benefits to this BENEFIT COSMETICS The POREfessional Face Primer (see what we did there?). “Love this primer! Goes on smooth and a little goes a long way. Especially liked it for an eyeshadow base,” one Ipster wrote. The mattifying, oil-free formula makes this one of the best-selling beauty products on this list. Its ability to minimize the appearance of pores, blur fine lines, and help makeup stay put prompted one Ipster to write, “this is the best primer I have received so far.” Wear it on top of moisturizer, under foundation, as an eyeshadow primer, or simply in your T-zone to control excess oil throughout the day.

4. ILLAMASQUA Hydra Veil Primer

A gel moisturizer and smoothing primer in one product? We’re definitely on board, and so are Ipsters. One Ipster wrote, “This is honestly the best primer I’ve ever used. My makeup lasts ALL DAY.” Not only does it have an oddly satisfying transparent gel texture, but it’s packed with vitamin C to brighten dark spots, vitamin B3 to boost moisture and elasticity, and plant extracts to hydrate and make your skin look the healthiest it’s ever been.

5. L.O.C.K. COLOR Unicorn Glow Long Wear Primer

Paraben-free, cruelty-free, and nonsense free–only the best natural ingredients are included in this L.O.C.K. COLOR foundation primer. It smooths and evens out your skin tone so for a flawless, makeup artist-worthy makeup look in seconds. One Ipster wrote: “great consistency...foundation/makeup sticks well when applied over the primer.” With intensely moisturizing jojoba oil and shea butter combined with irritation-calming pennywort and chamomile, it’s one of the best makeup primers on this list for Ipsters with sensitive or dry skin.

6. BENEFIT COSMETICS The POREfessional: Pearl Primer

What sets this illuminating makeup primer apart? A soft, pearly-pink tint (with just a faint amount of shimmer) that expertly brightens dark spots, blurs fine lines, and minimizes large pores. “LOVE this product! Feels like silk on my skin!” said Ipster @Itstrythsagian0k. Suitable for all skin types, this lightweight and oil-free formula melts right into your skin for a poreless, porcelain finish.

7. YENSA Tone Up Primer Essential Glow

Sometimes (right after a red eye flight or in the dead of winter, for instance), your skin needs a little extra help to reach its optimal glow. Drinking water, applying the right blush and highlighter, and a quick face massage all help boost your radiance. When in doubt, however, this natural glow-enhancing primer from YENSA takes it one step further. “I love a good primer! This one goes on well, keeps makeup in place, and gives your skin a subtle, healthy glow,” wrote one Ipster. Invigorating black tea, brightening shiitake mushroom, and fatty acid and antioxidant-packed chia seed keep the skin beneath your makeup firm and full of youthful energy.

8. ELIZABETH MOTT Thank Me Later Face Primer – Matte Primer

This mattifying primer is the perfect layer to keep excess oil and freshly applied foundation, eyeshadow, and sunscreen all separated and locked in place. One Ipster wrote, “totally matte, makes pores invisible. Love love love this.” It’s one of the thicker, creamier primers on our list but it still feels silky-smooth and light as air once it sinks into your skin. Dry skin types and oily skin types alike can make this their beachside and pool party go-to makeup essential.

9. SERAPHINE BOTANICALS Camelina + Strobe Luminizing Primer

This luminizing primer brightens even the most tired skin tones with ease. It's made with rose hydrosol–a naturally toning, pore-shrinking ingredient–combined with skin-conditioning camelina seed so your face feels as soft and porcelain as it looks, without a hint of white cast. “Love the shimmer it has,” said Ipster @jeeberry.

10. CIATÉ LONDON Watermelon Burst Hydrating Primer

Did you know that watermelon is one of the best fruit extracts for skin? It’s rich in brightening vitamin C, protective amino acids, and regenerative antioxidants, all which give your skin a gorgeously dewy appearance. The beaded jelly formula invigorates your skin while it gets to work hydrating, refining pores, and brightening up dull areas. “This product always leaves my skin feeling so moisturized. It’s one of the best primers I’ve ever used,” wrote one Ipster. 

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