For any beauty lover, one of the most annoying issues to deal with is spending hundreds of dollars on makeup a year and having it smudge, smear or fade away.

We hear you, especially if you purchase a primer and your makeup isn’t perfectly locked in place. So, we’re here to bring the best makeup primers to your attention.

Not only did we test some ourselves (with high regard for Hourglass and Too Faced) but we consulted beauty experts at Sephora and Ulta Beauty who listed their favorite picks for makeup primers below.

“You should be able to tell if the makeup primer is working for you right when you start applying foundation — it should glide on effortlessly and blend beautifully and evenly,” David Razzano, Sephora Beauty Director, told The Post. “You should also notice that your complexion makeup stays looking fresh and gorgeous throughout the day.”

Click to jump to the best makeup primers:

Makeup primer can be used for multiple purposes depending on what your needs are, with primer being “helpful for filling in pores and covering rosacea,” Deney Adam, pro team member at Ulta Beauty, told the New York Post. “It’s also a great mattifying product.”

Moreover, makeup primer’s main function is to “prime and prep the skin for the best makeup application — similar to the way we would prime a wall before you paint it so that the paint goes on smooth and evenly,” Razzano adds. “A primer helps to ensure your foundation looks its best and stays in place throughout the day,” he added.

“The best way to properly use a makeup primer is to apply a thin even layer over your skin. Too much primer can actually work against you since it can add texture or even start to ‘slide,'” Razzano notes. “I personally find using hands to apply is best because you can feel the amount you’re using and control it better.”

Adam highlights the best ingredients to look for, depending on your skin type:

Before dolloping on makeup primers before my full-coverage foundation, I adhered to the following testing criteria (aka, what I looked for) when rotating my products for three years straight:

Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Hydrating Makeup Primer

I don’t like to use the term “holy grail” because I deem it overused in the beauty community, but that’s the perfect way to describe the Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Hydrating Makeup Primer. If you love the brand’s cult-favorite (another overused beauty term) Luminous Silk Perfect Glow Foundation ($69) — one of the best foundations for dry skin — you haven’t seen anything yet.

Its silk-smooth packaging mimics the super-smooth formula you’ll squeeze onto the palm of your hand. I love using a foundation brush to blend and swirl it onto my complexion, and it truly makes the rest of your makeup — concealer, loose powder and all — glide on like silk.

Razzano describes Milk Makeup’s Hydro Grip Primer as “an invisible lightweight gel primer great for all skin types.” After trying it myself, I can attest it’s exactly that.

“It locks makeup in place for up to 12 hours, but it also has hyaluronic acid and aloe water to boost hydration for a fresh dewy glow,” Razzano adds. “Other skin-loving ingredients like niacinamide and cannabis seed extract also help to smooth the look of the skin and keep it balanced.”

What I love most about this primer? Its inclusion of hyaluronic acid and niacinamide — the two ingredients touted by nearly every dermatologist for giving your skin a boost and suppleness like no other. I love how the makeup primer virtually locks in the following products used as well.

As one of my personal favorites, I couldn’t agree with Adam more when he recommended Smashbox’s Photo Finish Correct Anti-Redness Primer. It creates a breathable barrier between your skin and makeup, includes hyaluronic acid to hydrate, contains vitamins and is effective on all skin types — including sensitive complexions.

It counteracts any redness I have so, on days where I feel a bit more flushed (perhaps after using an acid face mask the night before), this primer works like a charm. Additionally, you don’t need much — a little goes a long — way, and I love how it feels on my skin.

You guessed it — the Benefit Cosmetics The POREfessional Pore Minimizing Primer is incredible at targeting pores. If you find yourself wanting to uphold that “glass skin look,” this is the primer I highly recommend, among all others.

It truly does allow my makeup to stay put all day, regardless of which setting spray I use. In fact, you don’t really need a setting spray, and that’s what makes me love it more.

I find myself traveling with this more often than some other formulations, particularly because it’s mess-free, boasts a matte finish (making it a wonderful pre-makeup base) and applies like a charm. My recommendation? Order it to experience its pure-bliss application.

The Bobbi Brown Vitamin-Enriched Face Base Primer Moisturizer is a staple atop my makeup vanity for a couple of reasons: (1) it’s incredibly moisturizing, (2) it helps my makeup blend well and quickly, compared to when I forego it in my routine and (3) it looks chic in its container.

I took Bobbi Brown’s MasterClass to learn all of her beauty secrets and something I learned is that she loves multi-tasking makeup. This is the moisturizer-primer hybrid I love, too, especially for that two-in-one glow and staying power.

Oh, and of course, I love it for its hyaluronic and vitamin C mix-ins. I feel my skin naturally brighten when I use this, making it the ideal dolloper before the rest of my makeup.

Queen RiRi does it right. The Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Primer is up there in price, though it’s surely worth it. From its sleek, high-end packaging to even more lustrous formulation inside, your skin will thank you.

Namely, I love how this primer helps prevent shine and mitigate the look of pores. In essence, that’s what a good primer does, and I loved how my foundation applied after using this particular primer.

Though it has a touch of a sweet fragrance, I didn’t find it to irritate my sensitive skin. However, if you have a pre-existing skin condition or are extremely sensitive to the product, I’d swatch some on the palm of your hand as a test. With that said, it’s a magnificent option that I’d recommend.

I adore the Dermablend Professional Brilliant Base Illuminating Primer. I’ve been using this one for years and it has always allowed my skin to feel a bit glowy and rejuvenated after application, thanks to its vitamins C and E content. Not only does it serve as an excellent makeup primer but it also leaves my skin almost sun-kissed, allowing myself to feel confident if I happen to forego a full-coverage foundation.

The formulation is quite unique and unlike any other tested. While this would be incredible to wear in the warmer months I still reach for it in colder temps, too. Just be wary when applying; over-applying tends to lead to shininess, so pack on a bit at a time.

The ONE/SIZE by Patrick Starrr Secure the Blur Makeup Magnet Primer is incredibly long-wearing and one of the first high-end primers I picked up years ago. I heard so many influencers and creators rave about this particular product (so, naturally, I had to try it out).

What’s great about its formulation is its consistency. Though its not wholly hydrating, it’s not a dealbreaker because of its gel consistency. Whether my skin is fairer in the colder months or a bit tanner in the warmer ones, I never have to wonder what the end result of my makeup will look like; it doesn’t impact my complexion and only makes the makeup stick to it — like a magnet.

I love how it’s versatile, too, and how well it blends despite being a bit thicker in consistency. If you want to feel like a makeup artist and try out a tacky effective primer, this one’s for you.

Simply put, Glossier is a case study in the beauty industry (side note: one of my favorite books is “Glossy” by Marisa Meltzer — an inside look at the brand at large). Because of the brand’s story and skincare-first mission, I ended up writing an entire review — the lion’s share of the brand’s top-of-the-line favorites.

To this day, I’ve been using the Glossier Priming Moisturizer Buildable Hydrating Creme nonstop. It’s wonderful on my dry skin — especially by the jawline where I find I need to up the hydration — and its tube packaging makes me feel like I’m slathering on skincare. It’s simply too good and even helps cancel out redness, which I appreciate.

While it’s not the best for pores, a simple solution is to use a toner before applying the product to help “close the gaps” in your skin, so to speak.

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