The 7 Best Face Primers for Every Skin Type

Kicking off this list is this staple from BareMinerals. It recently earned one of our first-ever Best New Beauty Awards seals because it’s my no-fail way to ensure my makeup lasts.

While I adore all of these Best Tested face primers, I keep returning to Prime Time because it layers seamlessly under face makeup. I can also wear it alone for a naturally enhanced look on no-makeup makeup days.

Unlike other face primers on this list, Prime Time makes several versions that target unique skincare concerns. For example, the Redness Reducing Primer uses sheer green mineral pigments to color-correct redness from acne or rosacea. Someone with large pores, like myself, will adore the featured Original version, while someone with dry skin will become obsessed with the Hydrate & Glow face primer.

Regardless of your chosen option, this innovative face primer preps skin for makeup application by diffusing imperfections to the point where you might not even want to layer a foundation on top.

More: Expert-Approved Natural Face Moisturizers

When you only have $10 to spare on a new makeup primer, let e.l.f. Cosmetics’s unique solid primer be your go-to beauty solution. It has a unique solid texture that transforms into a liquid when warmed up by the body heat emitted by your fingers.

Despite the price, Poreless Putty Primer doesn’t skimp on skincare-quality ingredients, such as squalane, which moisturizes and ensures your complexion is smooth before makeup application.

“I was a little wary of the texture when I first tried it,” says our tester (and Senior Director of SEO and Content), Erica Murphy. “It’s really hard initially, and you have to rub your finger around a lot to actually get enough product to use. But once I got some product on my hands, I felt it smoothed out well on my skin! For people looking for a cheap primer, I think this is a solid option. It does its job and doesn’t leave skin feeling too dry or too oily.”

This iconic product isn’t just an incredible face moisturizer, but it works equally well as a makeup primer, face mask, and hand cream. The white face cream soaks into the skin relatively quickly, leaving behind a soft satiny finish to the complexion without any leftover residue.

The blend of shea butter, beeswax, aloe vera, and soy proteins is so beneficial for dry and mature skin types, Lait-Crème Concentré is also my pick for one of the best winter moisturizers and best face moisturizers for dry skin.

The flexibility is incredible, as anyone can wear it alone or under makeup while cutting down their beauty routine to just the bare essentials. It boasts a lightweight formula that’s filled with essential fatty acids and vitamins for a healthier-looking complexion before you apply foundation. My skin glows whenever I slather on this multipurpose face primer.

Another Milk Makeup face primer? Yup, and this one is also incredible and worth purchasing. Before the brand introduced its oily skin face primer, this was my all-time favorite Milk Makeup product.

Hyrdro Grip Face Primer is made with 94% natural ingredients, including blue agave extract, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid. These ingredients work together to prevent makeup from melting, caking, and fading. The lightweight gel formula is ideal for combination skin types. It is a green primer, but worry not, it doesn’t leave behind any weird Wicked-inspired tint. Instead, it blends into the skin and has a non-sticky feel.

I like to let my primer sit on my face for at least a minute before applying makeup for extra grip longevity. It’s not necessary, but my favorite primer hack for oilier areas of the skin, like the T-Zone, which consists of the forehead, nose, and chin.

Last year, Milk Makeup debuted a new face primer to its roster of iconic clean beauty products, and my complexion couldn’t have been happier. Pore Eclipse soaks up excess oil and minimizes shine, creating a beautiful blank slate for foundation application. It does an excellent job of lessening shine, so my skin has a cool matte finish.

As someone with very large pores, it does a fantastic job of filling them in without caking on something heavy. Pore Eclipse also doesn’t congest the pores, making it ideal for anyone with acne-prone skin.

Whenever I wear this face makeup primer, I can trust that it won’t budge, slide off, or fade throughout a full day. It lasts during all seasons, too, but shines brightest during hot New York summertime heat. It even helped prolong my makeup during summer concerts, including on humid subway rides to stadiums.

Makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury is iconic in the beauty world. I’m obsessed with many of her products, including her Airbrush Flawless Foundation, Best New Beauty Award-winning Magic Water Cream, and this face primer.

This is the ideal face primer for anyone looking for extra sun protection. It’s the only option on this list that's infused with broad-spectrum SPF 50 protection against the sun’s ultraviolet rays that cause aging and burns. It’s safe for all skin types and is invisible, so it won’t leave behind an annoying white cast on darker skin tones.

Speaking of skincare benefits, I love that it’s infused with hyaluronic acid, nourishing vitamin E, and brightening vitamin C. There’s even Collalift 18, an African mahogany tree bark extract that improves the appearance of pores and lines and tightens skin.

I love and trust this clear, silky-textured face primer so much I wore it to a wedding. It’s infused with good-for-you ingredients, such as skin-plumping collagen peptides, nourishing vitamin E, and niacinamide to lock in hydration.

There’s also oleic acid to restore the skin’s natural oils without clogging pores. Most importantly, it’s made with Caliray’s trademarked poreaway blend to minimize the appearance of large pores, which my oily cheeks greatly appreciate.

Just remember to use a little bit of product at a time. I was initially heavy-handed with this face primer and noticed it started to pill before I applied foundation. Once I used no more than a pea-sized amount of product across my face, that stopped.