Best Primer: What It Is, How It Works, and Which Ones Professionals Use

When you’re building a makeup routine that lasts, the best primer, a product applied before foundation to smooth skin and hold makeup in place. Also known as makeup base, it’s not just a luxury—it’s the foundation of a flawless finish. A good primer doesn’t just fill pores or blur oil—it bridges your skincare and makeup so neither fights the other. Think of it like painting on drywall: you wouldn’t skip the primer, right? Same logic applies to your face.

Not all primers are the same. There’s the skincare primer, a hybrid that hydrates, soothes, or controls shine while prepping for makeup, often packed with niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, or peptides. Then there’s the makeup primer, a purely cosmetic layer designed to extend wear, control texture, or enhance color payoff. Some target redness, others blur pores, and a few even have color-correcting pigments built in. The key? Matching your primer to your skin’s needs—not what’s trending. If you’re oily, a mattifying primer works better than a dewy one. If your skin’s dry, skip the alcohol-heavy formulas. And if you’re over 40, you’ll want something that plumps, not tightens.

Professional makeup artists don’t guess—they test. They know that a primer that works on a 20-year-old with acne-prone skin might cake on a 60-year-old with mature skin. That’s why top MUA favorites like those from Fenty, Smashbox, and Laura Mercier show up again and again in salons and on sets. These aren’t just brands—they’re tools chosen for reliability, texture, and how they interact with different foundations. You don’t need to spend $50, but you do need to understand what your skin actually needs.

What you’ll find below isn’t a list of the most expensive primers. It’s a collection of real, practical insights from people who’ve tried them all—from the ones that made their makeup last through a 12-hour shift to the ones that caused breakouts after one use. You’ll learn what ingredients actually help, which claims are just marketing, and how to spot a primer that’s right for you—not just for someone else’s skin.