I defintely have my tried and true makeup routine. I know what shade of foundation I am in Estee Lauder, I know which mascara makes my eyes pop the most, and I know which concealer works best with my foundation. Even though my beauty routine is just that, a routine, I still love to play around with makeup and new products to see if there is anything new that I love and want to repurchase!
I curated the below list of all Primers that I have used. I will be sharing which of the below are my favorites, which I bought as a one and done, and some additional details to each primer! I will keep this as a running list every time I try a new primer so this can be the best location if you are in the market for a new primer!
Smashbox Photo Finish
This is my all time holy grail primer! Smashbox Photo Finish primer line has so many specified products based on skin type – I personally use the “Oil & Shine Control” because I have naturally oilier skin and this helps to control those oils throughout the day! I have also personally used the regular “Photo Finish” and loved the results as well! Their other products include “Reduce Redness” and “Minimize Pores”. It is the highest rates primer on Sephora’s website with over 7K 4-Star reviews!
Overall Rating: 5 / 5
Best Uses: Reduce Fine Lines & Pores, Blur Skin
Clean: Vegan, Cruelty Free
Consistency: Smooth
Formula: Gel
Amount: Less that Dime Size
Price: $36 (1oz)
Tula Face Filter
Tula is AMAZING for their skincare products! I have 4 of their products that have held a spot in my daily routine for over a year and won’t be going away! Their Face Filter Blurring & Moisturizing Primer is no exception to their incredible products! As a makeup primer, this product works wonders! It blurs all of the imperfections and preps your face wonderfully for whatever type of foundation you want to use!
It also has a slight tint to it so can be worn as a base foundation if you are spending the day at the beach/pool or on the water and want some makeup but not a full face! Just this primer alone with provide a little tint of foundation while blurring away any blemishes! Seriously this stuff is SO GOOD! I wear it every morning when I run for a little color and protection on my face and also on days where I want to let my face breathe but don’t want to look bare and go all natural! It is also fragrance free and full of probiotics!
Overall Rating: 4.75 / 5
Best Uses: Probiotics, Dull & Uneven Skintones, Redness
Clean: Cruelty Free, Paraben & Sulfate Free
Consistency: Smooth, Runny
Formula: Liquid
Amount: Less that Dime Size
Price: $34 (1oz)
Tatcha Silk Canvas
This product was given to me by Influenster to try when it first released and I surprisingly loved it! It’s definitely a different consistency than all other primers – it’s a very thick, waxy cream formula and a little goes a LONG way! I don’t see this running out anytime soon. The extra residue that ends on your hands is easy to wipe onto your face/neck so no product is wasted, and it truly does grip the foundation applied after!
The smell is amazing too! It’s full of lavendar and eucaliptys and other spa-like fragrances so it’s super pleasant to apply!
Overall Rating: 4.5 / 5
Best Uses: Reduce Pores, Maintain Oiliness, Dull & Even Skintones
Clean: Clean at Sephora, Cruelty Free
Consistency: Velvety
Formula: Cream
Amount: Less that Dime Size
Price: $52 (.7oz)
Fenti Pro Filt’red
When Fenti first came out this primer was everywhere but soon the hype died down. This was recommended for any skintype as it is one of the best at gripping products while reducing any oily or shine (if any) without drying out the skin. I 100% agree that this did the job! Overall I was neither incredibly impressed or unimpressed with this product. It top quality (the entire brand is IMO) and pretty affordable price point for a luxury makeup primer.
Overall Rating: 4.25 / 5
Best Uses: Reduce Pores, Reduce Shine, Even Texture and Skintones
Clean: Cruelty Free, Paraben Free
Consistency: Smooth
Formula: Gel/Liquid
Amount: Less that Dime Size
Price: $32 (1.08oz)
Becca Backlight Filter
If you want a glow from within this is the primer to do it! With most of Becca’s products I love the ones with a highlighting aspect – regardless of the product. This primer does a FANTASTIC job of blurring your skin and providing a “backlight glow” so you skin is absolutely radiant!
I did notice that towards the end of the day my makeup started to fade away, but when it was freshly applied my skin was POPPIN’!
Overall Rating: 4.0 / 5
Best Uses: Blurs Imperfections, Glowiness, Hydration
Clean: Vegan, Cruelty Free
Consistency: Liquidy
Formula: Liquid Gel
Amount: Less that Dime Size
Price: $39 (1oz)
Smashbox The Mindful 5
I received this primer free through Influenster to test out. It does smell like a sour green apple candy – if you can get past the smell it actually does work decently well. The consistency is not my favorite – its a liquid that is slightly tacky making your hands pretty sticky after application. The main focus of this primer is on the main 5 ingredients: hemp seed oil, primer oil, red algae, green tea, and prebiotics. It does provide a healthy sheen to the face to give a nice glow to the skin.
Overall Rating: 3.75 / 5
Best Uses: Reduce Redness, Moisurize,
Clean: Vegan, Cruelty Free
Consistency: Liquidy, Runny, Slightly Tacky
Formula: Liquid
Amount: Less that Dime Size
Price: $42 (1oz)
Milk Hydro Grip
With having oily skin, I was told this was the holy grail of primers. I had such high expectations for this primer and was honestly let down. The formula was extremely tacky and made the rest of my makeup application difficult to the point where I had to wash my hands before doing anything else. Because it was so tacky I felt that I had to use more product to get my face fully covered. Once the primer was on it was super hydrating but I did not feel that my makeup stayed all day and I could see my pores bright and clear. Overall it didn’t do what I wanted it to at all.
Pro tip: let this primer sit for at least 1 minute prior to applying your foundation for best results!
Overall Rating: 3.5 / 5
Best Uses: Reduce Redness, Smooth Skin, Hydrates Skin
Clean: Vegan, Cruelty Free, Gluten Free
Consistency: Tacky
Formula: Gel
Amount: Less that Dime Size
Price: $30 (1.52oz)
I currently rotate between a few of these listed above, but my favorite right now is the Smashbox Photo Finish primer! Hope you found this review useful and I will continue to update with any new primers I test out!
XOXO,
Taylor Emery