Prep Work: 3 Primers for Every Price Point

Ask any beauty aficionado what her first step is before applying her makeup and chances are she’ll respond with one word: primer. Setting the foundation for your foundation is a key step in ensuring not only a smooth finish but also in getting your look to last. Not into wearing makeup? Primers are perfect for giving a blurred-effect to the skin even when worn alone—think: real life filters. Whatever your budget, we found three primers that work wonders for every price point.

$$$: Giorgio Armani Maestro UV

With an MSRP of $64 this lightweight primer is perfect for ladies willing to splurge. The hydrating primer has a silky liquid texture and a formula enriched with antioxidants to help shield the skin against free radicals. Complete with a broad-spectrum SPF 50, to protect skin from the sun’s harmful UVA/UVB rays. When worn under your favorite foundation, it prolongs wear all day. When worn alone, the matte-finish primer blurs imperfections, creating a smooth appearance.

$$: Lancôme La Base Pro Pore Eraser

The best part about a primer, a good primer, is its ability to camouflage pores. At $38 MSRP this primer from Lancôme is a great option for a middle-of-the-road budget. The oil-free formula delivers a matte finish for a smoother-looking complexion, ideal for makeup application. Plus, thanks to its ability to get light to reflect off the skin’s surface, this primer diminishes the look of pores and uneven texture.

$: NYX Professional Makeup Studio Perfect Photo-Loving Primer

Whether you need to temporarily hide large pores, conceal redness, or illuminate yellow undertones, NYX Professional Makeup has a Studio Perfect Primer for you. At $13 MSRP every primer is a true steal. Each of the primers is perfectly absorbed after application, so it won’t be seen under your makeup, and each helps to create a smooth finish for a flawless foundation application.