Start Your Routine Off Right With The Best Face Primers (2024)

Skin prep makes all the difference with or without makeup, which is where the best face primer comes into play. Whether you prefer a hydrating moisturizer to perfect the skin or a dedicated makeup primer, beauty experts agree that proper skin conditioning can make or break your beat.

While pro makeup artist Christine Cherbonnier reaches for skin-care products as primers, she notes that “some makeup primers are a miracle when addressing specific skin types or challenges when preparing skin for makeup.” At the end of the day, what you use to prep the skin is completely up to you based on what you’re hoping to achieve. “There are so many ways your makeup can look, feel, and perform, and I think that’s unique to each skin type and personal preference. Luckily there are so many amazing products on the market for every skin type and texture.”

Below, shop Vogue’s edit of the best face primers to try right now—from skin-blurring creams to makeup-clinging gels.

Chanel La Base Illuminatrice Glowing Makeup Primer

This hydrating gel primer by Chanel is a thoughtful addition to anyone’s makeup kit, particularly for drier skin types, thanks to a blend of hyaluronic acid and blue micro-algae. Then there are light-reflecting pearlescent particles and blurring powders to smooth texture, quell fine lines, and lock makeup in place for hours.

Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat Blur Face Primer

Say goodbye to dull skin with Yves Saint Laurent’s Touche Éclat Blur Face Primer. This lightweight, serum-like primer will immediately boost skin’s radiance while blurring pores and evening skin tones.

Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter

Another face primer to give you that glow from within is Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Flawless Filter. The formula is having earned TikTok’s stamp of approval for its blurring, illuminating, and smoothing prowess under foundation or on its own.

Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer

“I love this primer because it works well to prolong the wear of your makeup; it has a soothing gel-like feeling and works well with most all skin types,” says Cherbonnier. Formulated with blue agave extract, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide, this cult-favorite primer is a hydrating salve to cling to makeup.

Embryolisse Lait Crème Sensitive

Face primers aren’t only for those blessed with non-temperamental skin. If you have sensitive or irritated skin, consider this option by Embryolisse. Packed with essential fatty acids and vitamins, this deeply hydrating cream will help lock moisture into the skin, leaving you with a supple, smooth complexion.

Tatcha The Silk Canvas

Tatcha’s multitasking Silk Canvas primer targets uneven texture, fine lines, and pores. Infused with the brand’s Japanese superfood trio, Hadasei-3, the velvety formula will blur, prime, and provide a barrier between makeup, environmental stressors (like pollution!), and the skin. The compact design also makes it impeccably convenient for travel.

Ilia True Skin Radiant Priming Serum

How could anyone say no to a serum formula that’s free of fragrances, oils, and silicones? Powered by hibiscus extract, aloe, and beta-glucan, Ilia’s True Skin Radiant Priming Serum has a tightening effect that not only diminishes the look of fine lines and pores, but delivers skin a soft yet radiant glow.

Clé de Peau Beauté Long-Lasting Hydrating Veil SPF 21

Looking for a skin-perfecting primer that adds a layer of sun protection? Consider Clé de Peau Beauté’s Long-Lasting Hydrating Veil SPF 21 to your beauty routine—a dewy, radiant formula meant to adjust to your skin’s needs and protect against internal and external stressors.

Rare Beauty Pore Diffusing Primer

Pores don’t stand a chance against Rare Beauty’s skin-blurring primer. The buzzy formula has a soft, cushiony gel texture that instantly diffuses the look of pores and fine lines and combat shine. What’s more, there’s even hyaluronic acid, green tea extract, and vitamin E to soothe and condition skin in each use.

Lancôme La Base Pro Perfecting Makeup Primer

Lancôme’s La Base Pro light-reflecting primer will leave your skin with that soft satin finish, powered by the brand’s soft-focus technology to refine skin texture and visibly blur imperfections.

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer

As the name suggests, this Hourglass primer looks to create that photo-finish veil to your skin that could rival your favorite filters. While the silky-feeling formula is a stellar selling point, it also targets redness and the appearance of pores and wrinkles while providing broad-spectrum sun protection.

Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Hydrating Makeup Primer

Armani Beauty’s Luminous Silk primer is a fool-proof choice to prep skin for makeup or just achieve a radiant look. Infused with shea butter, rice bran, and glycerin, this creamy, luminous formula will leave you with a dewy, supple complexion.

Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Glow Serum

With this Danessa Myricks serum, expect an illuminated complexion. Enriched with vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide, this hydrates, plumps, and brightens skin to prep for makeup and impart a warm glow.

Tom Ford Illuminating Primer

In advance of your favorite foundation, apply Tom Ford’s Illuminating Primer to bring life back to dull skin. Doubling as a skin-care and makeup product, this primer works overtime to create that flawless base.

Reyn Base Serum

Cherbonnier is also a fan of the Reyn Base Serum for skin care and makeup priming. “It’s designed to calm, hydrate, and protect even the most sensitive skin type and it easily absorbs to create the softest, velvety, matte finish that perfectly functions with any cream liquid or powder foundation.”