If you’re looking for the best primers to wear alone, then you’ve definitely come to the right place. I have made a list of primers you can choose from depending on your skin type.
Using a primer has many purposes. One is to have a smooth canvas to apply makeup on. Another reason to use a primer is to have your makeup last longer.
Most primers have additional beautifying effects like blurring imperfections, concealing redness, oil-control, and sun protection. If you consider these properties, you will agree that they can definitely be worn alone.
My personal favorite is the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer. It works great on my oily/combination skin and doesn’t cause breakouts. This awesome primer is recommended for all skin types. Read more about it down below.
Best Primers To Wear Alone You Should Try
Best Primers To Wear Alone
There are so many primers available in the market today that it’s extremely hard to make a choice. That’s why I made this list to make it very easy for you. Choose from the best primers to wear alone depending on your skin type and needs.
Benefit The POREfessional Face Primer – Best Primer To Minimize Pores
Best Primer To Minimize Pores
Ask any makeup-loving friend about The POREfessional, and they probably know about it already. This is one of the top products that come to mind when thinking about primers.
Why wouldn’t it reach legendary status? It has a lightweight, oil-free formula that can make your skin appear pore-less and smooth even without makeup. The translucent balm also provides your skin with protection from free radicals.
Benefit The POREfessional is the perfect primer for cloaking pores on all skin types and skin tones.
Giorgio Armani Light Master Primer – Best Primer For Dry Skin
Best Primer For Dry Skin
This innovative primer from Giorgio Armani is perfect for dry skin due to its ceramides ingredient. It boosts skin moisture while optically shaping and illuminating the face.
The Light Master primer also minimizes the appearance of pores as well as fine lines and other imperfections. It sinks into the skin without clogging the pores. What I love about it is that it imparts a pink iridescent glow that gives a natural luminosity to the skin.
This primer can be used even by those of us whose skin is not parched dry. Especially in this time and age when most of us prefer dewy skin over matte. An easy way to achieve this without makeup is to use a primer like this one.
You might want to stay away from these kinds of primers if you have really oily skin. Otherwise, you can consider it as one of the best primers to wear alone.
Best Primer For Dry Skin Alternatives
If you can’t get your hands on Giorgio Armani Light Master primer, then you can try these other choices.
YSL Top Secrets Instant Moisture Glow. It’s also perfect for hydrating parched skin that gets really dry and patchy, especially in the colder months.
A cheaper alternative would be Smashbox Photo Finish Radiance Primer. This moisturizing primer is quickly becoming a cult favorite because it can give you a fresh, dewy look.
Another primer variant from Smashbox is the Photo Finish Foundation Primer.
Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer was the first ever primer that I had used which introduced me to the practice of prepping the face using a primer. While it hadn’t worked well with my sensitive skin, it is an all-time favorite of a lot of makeup addicts and artists alike.
These primers are best used on dry skin, but will also work on other skin types. If your skin is not dry, but you just want a luminous glow, then these are a must-try!
Laura Mercier Oil-Free Foundation Primer – Best Primer For Oily Skin
Best Primer For Oily Skin
If you have oily skin, it’s not necessarily bad to use an oil-based product on your face. But when it comes to priming your face, even if you’re not putting makeup over it, your best bet would be to use an oil-free formula.
The lightweight gel instantly gives a soft-focus effect that instantly camouflages any flaws while keeping oily skin velvety-smooth and fresh.
A recommended tip is to put the primer tube in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or longer before use. The cooled formula will refresh your skin upon application. It will soothe your skin and help reduce any puffiness.
It is the best primer for oily skin, but can also be used by those with normal skin.
Try the brand’s Radiance Foundation Primer if you want a more radiant glow while still controlling oil and shine. The appearance of pores, fine lines and wrinkles are also minimized.
During the summer months, or whenever you want a light, sun-kissed glow, you can also try Laura Mercier Radiance Bronze Primer. This sun-lit primer has a subtle bronze tint which imparts a healthy, summery glow while minimizing the appearance of pores, wrinkles, and fine lines. It can be used on all skin types and on tanned to dark skin tones.
If you’re looking for the best primer for dark skin, then you might want to try this one.
One of the things we love about Laura Mercier primers is that they are water-based and are not overloaded with silicone. All of these primers also contain an antioxidant complex that is beneficial to the skin.
YSL Touche Eclat Blur Primer – Best Primer For Combination Skin
Best Primer For Combination Skin
Another radiance-boosting primer is this one from the house of Yves Saint Laurent. Combining the powerful blurring of Blur Perfector and the light effect of Touche Eclat, your skin will immediately be transformed.
The texture is transparent and doesn’t contain any opaque fillers. It is non-comedogenic, light and non-greasy, yet it does a perfect job of making the skin look more polished and even. Touche Eclat Blur Primer smoothes out skin texture and diminishes the appearance of pores. It has small specks of golden sparkles that indulges your skin with luxurious radiance and luminosity.
Get this primer if you wish to achieve a lit-from-within glow even on your combination skin. Achieve baby soft skin and healthy radiance without any greasiness. It also works wonders on other skin types as well.
Too Faced Hangover Replenishing Face Primer – Best Primer For Sensitive Skin
Best Primer For Sensitive Skin
This is one of the best primers to wear alone because of its key ingredients. Coconut water, a probiotic-based component, is the star among them.
It has been known that topical application of probiotics in the form of a gel, cream or other skincare are beneficial for the skin. Working together with other skin reviver ingredients in this primer, they hydrate, illuminate, enhance and perfect otherwise dull and unhealthy looking skin.
Even if you don’t have a hangover, you can use this replenishing face primer to smoothen and brighten your skin. Because its formula is free from sulfates, parabens, phthalates, and silicone, it is safe to use on sensitive skin.
We all have different skin types and allergies, though, so it’s still advisable to do a patch test on your arm before using any product on your face.
If you’re curious to know, this primer is also cruelty-free.
It is the best primer for sensitive skin. Also perfect to use after a night out, when your face has a hangover!
Hourglass No. 28 Primer Serum – Best Primer For Mature Skin
Best Primer For Mature Skin
This primer-and-serum-in-1 is named ‘No. 28’ because it is infused with a blend of 28 powerful and rejuvenating ingredients. Fourteen of those are essential oils such as lavender and vanilla, four are vitamins A, B5, C and E, and the remaining ten are lipid-rich plant oils such as jojoba and rosehip seed.
All of these beneficial ingredients work together to nourish and hydrate the skin while smoothening the surface and hides the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.
With its anti-aging properties, this unique primer-and-serum concoction is the best primer for mature skin and works with normal, dry or combination skin.
Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer – Overall Best Primer To Wear Without Makeup
Best Primer To Wear Without Makeup
Aside from softening the appearance of pores, wrinkles, and fine lines, this multipurpose primer also conceals redness and provides sun protection with broad-spectrum SPF 15. It’s the perfect choice to use during the day, but can also be used for date nights. Once you’ve tried it, you’ll see why I deem it the best primer to wear without makeup.
Veil Mineral’s weightless texture goes on smoothly over the skin and leaves you with a fresh, non-greasy feeling.
This cruelty-free primer can also be used on sensitive skin as it oil-free, fragrance-free, paraben-free, phthalate-free, sulfate-free, gluten-free and synthetic dye-free.
It is THE overall best primer to wear alone on any skin type.
Best Primers To Wear Alone
Wrapping It Up
On hot, summer days and at times when we just want to go makeup-free, the best thing we can do to still have smooth and beautiful skin is to just use a primer. It can soften the look of any flaws in an instant without using other makeup.
If you want a little bit of tint because you aren’t used to not wearing any foundation, you can mix a little bit of concealer with your primer instead.
There are also other products that provide the same benefits as a multipurpose primer does. A moisturizer like the Clinique Pep-Start HydroBlur Moisturiser not only hydrates the skin but also controls oil, blurs imperfections and minimizes the appearance fine lines and wrinkles.
Another such product that also acts as a primer is the Murad Invisiblur Perfecting Shield Broad Spectrum SPF 30. Aside from protecting your skin against sun damage, it also diminishes the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.
Whatever your choice of primer is, make sure to do a patch test first. Now that you have an idea of the best primers to wear alone, buy and try the one for your skin type. Say goodbye to using filters for your Instagram no-makeup photos!