ALL ABOUT THAT BASE

Lois Whitbread on top primers to lock your makeup in place

- Lois Whitbread

There’s nothing worse than carefully applying your makeup in the morning to find that by lunchtime, it's gone patchy, faded, or your T-zone is beaming with shine. That’s why a good priming product can make all the difference to your beauty routine.

Some have a mattifying, skin-blurring effect to smooth out areas of enlarged pores, fine lines and keep excess oiliness at bay all day, while others add a luminous finish for a healthy glow and brightening effect, or intensely moisturise areas of dryness.

Many makeup primers now mimic much of our skincare, with ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and shea butter that hydrate, moisturise and soothe, while leaving your skin supple and soft.

They’re also one of the easiest ways to extend the longevity of your makeup. This comes in especially handy during hot, humid weather, or for long days at the office or special occasions such as weddings, when you want to look and feel your best, especially in photos. That’s why I made it my mission to seek out the top-performing priming products - keep scrolling to discover my favourites.

Milk Makeup pore eclipse mattifying primer: £35, Boots

While Milk Makeup has other, more popular primers, notably its hydro grip product (£18, Cult Beauty), this mattifying option is very underrated. It has a creamy texture that I specifically used on areas of excessive oiliness, such as my forehead, nose and chin, allowing a couple of minutes for it to be fully dry before applying makeup as usual.