These Primers And Foundations Are Like An Instagram Filter For Your Face
Ask a million beauty bloggers what's the most important thing about makeup? They're most likely going to say having good skin. Now, as most of us know first hand, skin can be tricky to deal with. Some of us are blessed with blemish-less, even skin, but some of us aren't. So the next most important thing is creating a beautiful base canvas to work with - cue your primer and foundation.
Foundations and primers are probably the most personal makeup items one can own - your absolute favourite holy grail foundation could be the absolute death of someone else. This is because the primers and foundations you use have to cater to your skin. And as the beautiful snowflakes that we are, most of us don't have the same skin type.
We all want face makeup that's going to make our skin look like we put on an Instagram filter on it in real life, now here we are to give it to you. We've rounded up some of the best primers and foundation for normal, oily and dry skin so you can get the most flawless look ever even with #nofilter.
Primers
First Light Filter Face Primer // BECCA
Price: $46.00
Best on: All skin types
BECCA's lavender tinted primer is luminous and silky, formulated to enhance the way that light would naturally fall on your face. The serum-like primer is beautiful on its own as well as underneath foundation.
Veil Mineral Primer // Hourglass
Price: $24 - $63
Best on: All skin types
Beauty gurus swear by this primer because it is truly magical. The Veil Mineral Primer by Hourglass acts like a glue for your foundation. Priming the face with this first allows your foundation to stick and become non-transferrable as well as water resistant. Told you it's magical.
Iconic Photo Finish Foundation Primer // Smashbox
Price: $44
Best on: All skin types
Known as one Sephora's best-selling primers, Smashbox's Photo Finish Primer works incredibly well if you have textured or oily skin. It is silicon based and does a fantastic job of minimizing the size of pores and giving your foundation a mattified look.
Wonder Glow Face Primer // Charlotte Tilburry
Price: $65
Best on: Dry skin types
The Wonder Glow Primer is one of the most beautifully luminous primers out there. It will completely turn around tired and dull looking skin and give it a glowing quality. This works very well with light to medium skin tones. If you have a deep skin tone, Charlotte Tilburry's Super Model Body ($83.40). It isn't a primer, but using it as a base will also give you a beautiful glow from within.
Pores No More Pore Refiner Primer // Dr. Brandt
Price: $28 - $75
Best on: Oily skin types
Dr. Brandt's Pores No More Primer is a super underrated product and totally deserves more attention. This primer is great for oily skin types as it is mattifying, absorbs excess oils, and keep your foundation looking fresh all day. It also has a refreshing tea tree scent, so when you're putting on your makeup in the morning it'll totally wake you up.
Stay Matte Primer // Rimmel
Price: $9
Best on: Oily skin types
A really great drugstore alternative from all the expensive high-end primers is Rimmel's Stay Matte Primer. This primer is simple to use, can be applied all over the face and help give the skin a more mattified appearance. For a fraction of the price, it does the job.
POREfessional Face Primer // Benefit
Price: $42
Best on: Dry skin types
Benefit's POREfessional Primer has been a beauty community favourite since day one for good reasons. It contains dimethicon which acts like a lubricant and conditioning agent for the skin, giving the skin a moisturized and less textured feel.
Click "Next" for foundation.
Foundations
Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick // Hourglass
Price: $56
Best for: All skin types
Beauty Youtubers and Instagrammers of normal, oily and dry skin types all rave about this foundation because it works so well for everyone! The Hourglass Vanish Foundation smoothly glides onto the skin and delivers a full coverage finish without looking too matte or dewy. It's a little on the pricier side, but since it is so high coverage, a little goes a long way.
Conceal + Perfect 2-in-1 Foundation and Concealer // Milani
Price: $12
Best for: All skin types
Milani's Conceal + Perfect is one of the few drugstore foundations that are totally comparable to high-end foundations. It is a medium to high coverage foundation that stays put on the skin, and looks and feels just like a high-end foundation. If you have really dry skin, we recommend that you make sure to moisturize well for the best finish.
Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup // Estée Lauder
Price: $48
Best for: Oily skin types
Estée Lauder's foundation has had a cult-following for years because it is truly god sent makeup. The formula can be worn lighter during the day and can be built up for more a long-lasting full coverage look in the evening. It photographs very well, so you never have to worry about getting a ghostly face in pictures and it doesn't transfer, so you can cuddle your S/O all night and not get them covered in makeup. Simply amazing.
Fit Me! Matte & Poreless Foundation // Maybelline
Price: $11
Best for: Oily skin types
Maybelline's Matte and Poreless Foundation is a beautiful everyday kind of foundation. It's a medium coverage foundation that definitely helps kicks back on some of that oil because of its mattifying finish. And for that price? Totally worth it.
Maifanshi Aqua Foundation // Koh Gen Do
Price: $62
Best for: Dry skin types
Koh Gen Do's Aqua Foundation is a bit on the pricier side but it is worth every penny. This water-based foundation wears beautifully on dry skin and is totally buildable from light to just a little over medium coverage. It also has SPF 25, so you can wear this out in the sun and not have to worry about sun damage.
Healthy Mix Serum Foundation // Bourjois
Price: $25
Best for: Dry skin types
I myself have pretty dry skin, and I've been through many foundations to finally find this one. Bourjois' Healthy Mix Serum Foundation (not to be confused with the "Healthy Mix" Foundation) is a light-weight gel-based foundation that blends beautifully on the skin and gives dry skin a luminous finish. It is a little harder to find as it is a UK beauty brand, but it is available at Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada, as well as Amazon and E-Bay.