7 Hydrating Primers You Need in Your Morning Routine

Hydrating your skin doesn’t have to end with your favorite moisturizer—it can carry into your makeup routine! We’re sharing 7 of the best hydrating makeup primers—from the L’Oreal portfolio of brands—here!

Similar to applying a base coat before painting on a nail polish, primers can be a vital—and often overlooked—step in makeup application. Part skin care, part makeup, this crossover product can breathe life into your favorite BB creams and foundations—providing them with something to stick to and a base that may house the ability to prolong the wear of your makeup application.

Believe it or not, some primers can do more than just boost your makeup, especially if you have dry skin. Start your makeup routine off on the right foot, and what better way than with a hydrating primer? Ahead, we’re sharing 7 of our favorite hydrating makeup primers from the L’Oreal portfolio of brands.

NYX Professional Makeup Hydra Touch Primer

NYX Professional Makeup’s Hydra Touch Primer is great for anyone looking for a makeup primer that can prep the skin for cosmetic application while also providing hydration. Formulated with skin-loving ingredients like green tea and chamomile, the Hydra Touch Primer—with its dewy finish—gives your skin a base coat that leaves it feeling soothed, refreshed, and hydrated.

NYX Professional Makeup Hydra Touch Primer, $14.00 MSRP

Urban Decay Pore Perfecting Complexion Primer Potion

If your skin is dry, the Pore Perfecting Complexion Primer Potion from Urban Decay is a great option for you. This primer can provide lightweight hydration while working to mattify your complexion in preparation for your favorite foundation or BB Cream. In addition, the Pore Perfecting aspect of this Primer Potion can work to blend fine lines and minimize the appearance of large pores—think of it like a temporary solution to anti-aging. Another reason to love this primer? It’s tinted, so you can opt to skip the foundation on especially hot, humid days, while still getting a moderate amount of coverage. 

Urban Decay Pore Perfecting Complexion Primer Potion, $31.00 MSRP

Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser

If you love Maybelline’s Baby Lips, you’ll love the brand’s Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser. This amazing drugstore find can be worn alone or under your “face” and can smooth the look of your complexion, creating the blurred illusion of minimized pores, for under $10. Like its name, the Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser can also promote hydration and leave your skin feeling as soft as a baby’s…well, you know.

Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser, $6.99 MSRP

IT! Cosmetics Feel the Moment Anti-Aging Ultra Hydrating Sensory Awakening Primer Serum

Who doesn’t love a good multi-tasking product? For a unique primer formula that not only hydrates the complexion, but delivers to the skin anti-aging ingredients, reach for IT Cosmetics’ Feel the Moment Primer. This skin-rejuvenating hydrating primer serum contains a regenerative concentrate to help the skin stay soft, supple, and younger-looking. Apply this serum over moisturizer and before makeup each morning, allowing one to two minutes to dry.

IT Cosmetics Feel the Moment Anti-Aging Ultra Hydrating Sensory Awakening Primer Serum, $38.00 MSRP

L’Oreal Paris Visible Lift Radiance Booster

Not only can this primer help you achieve all-day hydration and brighter-looking skin, it can also deliver a clean canvas (with a radiant-looking finish!) upon which to begin your makeup application. Win-win-win.

L’Oreal Paris Visible Lift Radiance Booster, $12.99 MSRP

Lancome La Base Pro Hydra Glow

Formulated with rose essence and a blend of skin care additives—including the Skincare.com-editor favorite, hyaluronic acid— La Base Pro Hydra Glow helps the skin look and feel luminous, appear more plumped and, of course, hydrated. 

Lancome La Base Pro Hydra Glow, $40.00 MSRP

Giorgio Armani Fluid Master Primer

This innovative primer smooths the appearance of the skin’s surface, refines the look of pores, and provides the skin with an enviable dewy glow. After cleansing and moisturizing, smooth this primer formula over your complexion to create a flawless canvas on which to apply foundation.

Giorgio Armani Fluid Master Primer, $58 MSRP