Makeup Primers & Setting Sprays for Lasting Makeup

Makeup primer is a lightweight formula, typically in a lotion or serum format, that is meant to be applied as the first step of your makeup routine, prepping the skin, enhancing makeup longevity, smoothing texture, minimizing pores, and creating an overall perfect canvas for the makeup that follows. Depending on your skin type, there are primers that solve different concerns, including mattifying and blurring formulas for oil-prone skin with enlarged pores, as well as hydrating primers that quench thirsty skin, preventing makeup from settling into fine lines or exacerbating areas of dryness. If you’re dealing with uneven skin tone or discoloration, look for a primer that will even out your base before even going in with a base product. Certain primer formulas come in color-correcting shades, such as green to counteract redness.

The best primer and setting spray are dependent on your skin type and concerns. If you have oily skin with more pronounced pores, you’ll love a mattifying formula like our Fit Me Matte and Poreless Primer. But, if you have combination skin and are after some smoothing and hydrating, try our Poreless Jelly Blur Primer. If you prefer the luxe texture of a serum that doesn’t skimp on its makeup-locking benefits, our Grippy Serum offers up to 24 hours of wear.

As for setting spray, the same concerns apply. We have a Glass Spray that will boost your glow and Lasting Fix, which imparts a matte finish.

To choose the best makeup primer for your skin type, you’ll need to know whether you’re oily, dry, combination, sensitive, or acne-prone. For oily and acne-prone skin, something that’s mattifying, blurring, and won’t clog pores will be your best bet. Try Fit Me Matte and Poreless Primer or Poreless Jelly Blur Primer. The latter is formulated with niacinamide, which is great for reducing sebum production, calming inflammation, and nixing redness, and the formula is non-comedogenic, meaning it won’t clog pores. Dry, combination, and sensitive skin will benefit from a skincare-laced formula, such as Grippy Serum Primer, which plumps, primes, and hydrates, and is gentle enough for easily irritated skin types.

The best makeup primer for enlarged pores is one that is silicone-based or touts blurring claims. Look for ingredients like dimethicone, which gives the skin a beautifully blurred effect and a smooth base for makeup to be applied over top. We recommend patting your primer into the skin rather than rubbing it; this will allow the formula to absorb and give you the best, most blurred effect for disguising enlarged pores.

Follow this easy step-by-step guide on how to apply makeup primer.

1. After allowing your moisturizer and SPF formulas to sink into your skin, go in with the makeup primer that’s best suited for your skin type.
2. Dispense about a pea-sized amount of primer into your fingers.
3. Dab makeup primer onto the skin, pressing it in rather than rubbing it. It’s smart to start in the most oil-prone areas, such as the t-zone (forehead, nose, and chin).
4. After you apply it, wait a full minute for it to dry and set on your skin before getting started on your routine

You can achieve a makeup look without makeup primer, but using one will help prolong the wear of your makeup and can give you an all-around smoother, more perfect finish. This is especially true for those with oily skin, as makeup tends to slide off, and a makeup primer can help keep it in place while preventing shine. On special occasions, long days, or in the heat, a makeup primer becomes even more necessary because it will give your look longevity, despite how long you’re wearing it or whether you’ll be sweating or in humid environments. Makeup primer can often act like a filter for your skin, helping to improve your overall look, especially in photos. 

You should use primer whenever you want your makeup to stay intact and looking its best for an extended period of time. This could mean every day, or just on special occasions. Maybe you only use primer when you know you’ll be sweating or being photographed. Primer helps level up your look. But you can wear it just as easily with a tinted moisturizer or with a dusting of face powder, as with a full face of makeup. It’s up to you whether you want the longevity, skin-blurring, and hydrating benefits daily. 

If you’re worried about makeup primer clogging your pores, it’s important to look for primer formulas that are labeled “non-comedogenic,” to ensure that they won’t. Have acne or breakout-prone skin? Try a formula with niacinamide, like our Poreless Jelly Blur Primer or Grippy Serum Primer, which are both non-comedogenic and suited for all skin types. The most important thing is to cleanse the skin thoroughly, especially after wearing any makeup, to keep pores clear. 

Discuss multi-priming for combination skin (e.g., mattifying T-zone, hydrating cheeks), noting that users should have the same base for optimal performance together.

Both setting spray and primer will help to prolong your makeup, but there are a few key differences, most notably: when in your routine you apply them. Typically, your primer goes on first, before makeup, and your setting spray is applied last, after makeup. The formulas are entirely different, too, with primer providing a grip to hold onto your makeup, and setting spray creating a protective shield over your makeup to keep your makeup in place.

Maybelline New York primer makeup products can be purchased at mass market retailers, drugstores, and supermarkets nationwide. To locate a specific makeup primer, head to maybelline.com and click on the product you are interested in. Find the one you are looking to purchase and select it. You will have a choice to buy from our online retailers, or you can enter your zip code in the FIND IN STORE field to find stores in your area that have your product in stock.