As much as I love beauty, I’m also the laziest person when it comes to my makeup application. I am all about that easy, low-maintenance look, which I’m sure is just a cover for my unwillingness to engage in a beauty routine that will take me any longer than five minutes. One step I was adamant not to include in my routine was a primer. I have always passed it off as an extra step, one I did not have the time for. No matter the results, primer was never a precursor to my makeup routine.
Well, that was until I tried the Kjaer Weis The Beautiful Primer. Brand founder and makeup artist Kirsten Kjaer Weis says, "The right primer makes an impact. We didn’t want to create an extra step, but rather something that would enhance your routine.” I was sold—a skincare product and primer in one appealed massively to my lazy side. Tick off two steps in one and shave two minutes from my already super-quick routine? Yes, please.
Unlike your traditional primer, the Beautiful Primer not only preps the skin for makeup application—creating a silky-smooth, glowing canvas—but it also functions as a hydrating serum. It's formulated with a blend of nourishing and firming botanicals, including lavender water, marshmallow root and oat extracts and cold-pressed olive oil, which work together to cool, calm and inject the skin with a boost of hydration. It also contains added vitamin E for barrier protection and Acmella extract, which has a Botox-like firming effect on the skin. So this is not just a primer; it works beyond the surface level for long-term skincare benefits, nourishing the skin and building firmness.
And it doesn't stop there. The star ingredient is sustainably and ethically sourced mica, an iridescent mineral that has a light-reflecting effect. The end result is the most gorgeous lit-from-within glow. If you’re after that clean, dewy skin finish, this primer is your answer. I apply it after toner, in place of a moisturiser, only because I have combination skin. If you have dry skin, apply after moisturiser. But I find that it’s hydrating enough for my skin. I find that my foundation slides on perfectly into place, with no streaks or patchiness, and it lasts longer. Even with foundation and the rest of my makeup, my skin remains luminous, and it just gets better throughout the day.
6 of the Best Primers for a Dewy Look
If you're looking for more from your primer, this may be the one for you. It's light-reflecting and pore-minimising and brightens dull complexions. Apply before makeup for a flawless glowing base.
Rihanna can do no wrong. This is potentially one of the best primers ever created. It is incredibly lightweight and sinks into the skin instantly, and the added grape-seed oil and sodium hyaluronate make this a super-hydrating formula. It will leave you with a silky-smooth and hydrated base for your makeup.
If you're after a luminous clean base, you can't go wrong with the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk range. It's an oil-in-water formulation, enriched with shea butter and glycerin and formulated with polymer and crystal-encapsulated pigments for a fresh and dewy looking finish.
This is part of the new wave of primers that bridge the gap between makeup and skincare. It not only works to create a soft illuminated base for your foundation, but this primer also doubles up as a serum to brighten the complexion.
A cult classic, the Laura Mercier illuminating primer contains light-reflecting micronised pearls and porcelain flower extract for extra luminosity while smoothing skin for a dreamy foundation application.
This wouldn't be a list of skin-perfecting dewy primers without the much-loved Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter, the incredible, soft-focusing, glow-boosting, skin-smoothing formula that brings the Hollywood filter to real life.
Next up, our edit of what to buy now.
