Finding a primer that soaks up oil without drying out your skin is key if some parts of your face aren't as shiny as others. It helps to smooth out uneven skin texture, but ultimately leaves lacklustre complexions noticeably dewy and bright.

Hydrating Leave-On Gel Primer | Space NK Nuface Hydrating Leave-On Gel Primer | Space NK

But if you’re looking for a barely-there formula for everyday wear or day trips, you might be better off with another, lighter solution. There’s no need to remove this hydrating gel – simple massage it in after your treatment, or any time your skin needs a moisture boost. Honest Beauty’s Everything Primer is EWG (Environmental Working Group) Verified, which means it’s free from EWG’s known chemicals of concern and adheres to strict health standards. Instead of piling on setting powder throughout the day, you can stop shine in its tracks with your prep — starting with your primer.

While our tester loved the pore-smoothing, silky finish of this popular primer, she took issue with its packaging. With just a thin layer (feel free to apply it with your fingers), your skin is going to look plumper, firmer, and mattified. The formula is packed with moisturizing ingredients that will help your skin remain hydrated from morning until bedtime.

InStyle The 17 Best Mattifying Primers of 2023 - InStyle

Samantha Holender is the Beauty Editor at Marie Claire, where she reports on the best new launches, dives into the science behind skincare, and keeps up with the latest trends in the beauty space.Presented in a shiny tube, Chantecaille’s primer is incredibly hard working, shielding skin from harmful UVB and UVA rays with the merest application of the thin SPF45 primer. All you need is a pea-sized amount, and it grips any and all makeup you put on top of without sacrificing hydration. From the skincare brand that fuses Japanese beauty rituals with modern skincare innovation, comes this natural-glow-in-a-pot primer that we’ve become a little obsessed with. For starters, it loads a hydrating serum onto a roller applicator that smooths and sculpts the face, draining puffiness and leaving skin with a glassy dew. It’s reassuringly thick enough to fill and smooth over acne scars and wrinkles, making it a perfect choice for anyone with mature skin.

Touche Éclat Blur Primer | Face Primer | YSL Beauty UK

Make sure you allow time for your moisturizer to absorb, then, with your fingertips gently blend byTerry Hyaluronic Hydra Primer over areas you’d like to filter. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. According to Medhin, the primer "grips makeup so you don't have to touch up as much and this works very well for oily skin.But under foundation, it works as brilliantly as the other putty formulas, leaving a velvety canvas that prolongs a pristine base. From primers that give dry skin a hydration boost, to those that mattify and keep shine at bay, and everything in-between – like the ones that blur your imperfections and act like an IRL soft-focus filter. Often a favourite with beauty editors, this modern beauty classic remains hard to beat on performance. This is probably down to the Marimo Pearl inside, which offers a cooling, soothing sensation while also plumping the skin by smoothing over imperfections.