How to Apply Primer For Long-Lasting Makeup, According to MUAs (2025)

Primer can help you lock in your makeup look while targeting specific concerns—from color correction to achieving a smooth complexion and controlling shine. Primer is often considered to be the first step in a classic makeup routine, but it's not just for underneath foundation or other base products. Primer can also be layered with eyeshadow, lipstick, and mascara. Bonus: in addition to helping your overall look last longer, using a primer can help reduce the amount of makeup that you use and simplify your makeup application.

Now that we've sold you on the reasons to wear it, you're probably wondering how to apply primer. We've reached out to three makeup artists for their expert primer application tips. Keep reading for their suggestions, including skin type considerations and their recommended products.

What Is Primer?

Makeup primer is used as a base to help improve makeup application and finish. Primers exist for each step of your makeup routine, including eyes, face, lashes, lips, and nails. According to makeup artist Juliette Perreux, face primer can be used to help smooth out pores, create a base for long-lasting makeup, manage oily skin, and prevent excessive shine. "Whether you have dry skin, oily skin, dull skin, are concerned about acne, hyperpigmentation, sun protection, pollutants, or have multiple concerns, there is a primer out there for you," adds makeup artist Lindsey Trop.

Trop often opts for an all-in-one primer to minimize the number of products she uses. We recommend using Rare Beauty Always an Optimist Illuminating Primer as an all-around primer. "When I work with clients, I sometimes try to minimize the number of products needed, so I use a primer that acts as an all-in-one: hydrator, smoother, and illuminator," she says.

Do You Have to Use Primer Before Makeup?

Yes and no. Whether you decide to use makeup primer is at your own discretion. However, it may be beneficial in several instances. For example, eye makeup primer can help eyeshadow stay on for long periods of time. It can be especially useful in the winter, Perreux says, as it helps makeup stay on against windy conditions, snow, or watery eyes. Primer can also be beneficial for special events. "Special occasions [like a wedding] bring about tears, sweat, and lots of hugging and kissing, so a primer can be super helpful to keep everything in place and from smudging or moving around," she says.

Types of Makeup Primers

• Mattifying face primer. If you have oily skin, a mattifying primer will be your go-to to prolong the wear of your foundation. Trop recommends opting for a silicone-based primer. It helps create a mattifying barrier between the skin and your makeup, while having the added benefit of blurring and smoothing pores.
• Hydrating face primer. "Hydrating primers are ideal for dry skin, especially those that have skincare ingredients like hyaluronic acid and antioxidants," says Trop. "Avoid using a silicone-based primer if you're of this skin type, as it could 'pill' over dry skin."
• Color correcting primers. The color of these primers is designed to counteract underlying skin tones. For instance, green primers are used to correct redness, while blue primers offset yellow tones. Hair and makeup artist, Latavia Alise, recommends using Makeup For Ever Step 1 Primer Redness Corrector.
• Blurring primer. According to Perreux, blurring primers are less about mattifying the skin and more about smoothing it—which is ideal for those with mature skin who may want to diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
• Eyeshadow primer: Eyeshadow is notorious for wearing off quickly. A dedicated primer can help keep your eye makeup in place—including your eyeliner. "Eye primers can color-correct the eyelid before makeup application, nourish and smooth the eyelid, and prevent the skin’s natural oils from breaking down the makeup," says Trop.
• Mascara primer: If your lashes have difficulty holding a curl, try a mascara primer. They're often made with nourishing ingredients to condition the lashes and boost length and volume.
• Lip primer: If you want a long-lasting lip color, try a lip primer. It can help stop lipstick from bleeding and create a smooth surface that will hold the color longer. It is a great product to use for those who wear bold colors.
• Nail primer: Nail primer adds a layer of protection to help polish remain chip-free longer. Similarly to other types of primers, it gives the nail a smooth base and helps polish adhere to it more evenly. It is a recommended step when applying acrylic nails.

How to Apply Makeup Primer

Face Primer

Making sure your primer complements your foundation is key. "If you have a silicone-based primer, it's best to use a silicone-based foundation on top," says Trop. If you use a silicone-based primer and a water-based foundation, your foundation may "pill" on top of the primer, she explains.

• First, apply your daily moisturizer and let it dry for a few minutes.
• Then, begin applying a thin layer of primer starting at the center of your face. You may choose to dab it using your fingers or a makeup sponge.
• Allow the primer to dry for a few minutes before applying your foundation.​

Trop recommends Benefit Cosmetics The POREfessional Pore Minimizing Primer. A pea-sized amount is all you need to create a flawless base. Plus, it is formulated with avitamin Ederivative, which helps protect the skin.

Eyeshadow Primer

Trop says eyeshadow primer can be applied with either your fingers, a brush or a sponge. "For color-correcting eye primers, I prefer to use a brush to ensure I'm targeted in my application," she explains. "For translucent primers, I like to use my fingers so I can tell how much product is being applied and where."

Trop says MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot is her go-to for brides who need their eye makeup to stay in place all night. It can be used on its own or as an eyeshadow primer.

Mascara Primer

• Start by curling your lashes.
• Then, sweep the primer from the base of your lashes to the tips.
• Focus on one eye at a time as you will want to follow up with your favorite mascara before the primer dries.

Perreux recommends using Honest Beauty Extreme Length Mascara + Lash Primer. "It's a dual-ended mascara with both primer and mascara, and it sets your lashes in place so that you don't end up applying excess product while trying to comb lashes into place.It also helps hold a lash curl and prevents smudging," she says.

Lip Primer

Lip primer comes in different formats—it may be packaged with a wand, as a squeeze tube, or in a pot. "With a wand and squeeze tube, you can apply it directly to your lips," says Trop. "If it's in a pot, it likely has a thicker consistency, so I'd recommend using your fingers as it may be difficult to clean the brush afterward."

Try using Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Primer to keep your lipstick from bleeding and create a smooth surface that will hold the color longer.

Skin Type Considerations

For Oily Skin

If you have oily skin, applying a mattifying primer can be a game-changer regarding makeup wear and application. It can help prevent breakouts by protecting the skin and extending the wear of foundation. "Most primers for oily skin have pore-minimizing and mattifying properties. These products work best when only applied in needed areas," says Alise. "Applying a mattifying primer to areas of the skin that are not prone to oil may result in dehydration of the skin or cakey makeup finishes." She recommends applying a mattifying primer in the center of the face and on the apples of the cheeks to minimize the appearance of large pores.

If you are looking to control shine, Perreux also recommends using powder or blotting papers. "If you use a proper weight moisturizer for your skin type, the foundation should adhere just fine and give a beautiful finish," she says."However, if you deal with texture, redness, or dullness, a primer will only help, not hurt."

Alise shares several picks for those with oily skin, including Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Water Powder Serumand Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder in the universal shades. She also recommends using Makeup For Ever Step 1 Primer Shine Control and MAC Studio Fix Mattifine 12hr Shine-Control Primer.

For Dry Skin

"For dry skin, using a hydrating primer will keep your skin feeling comfortable as your makeup wears throughout the day," says Alise. "Dry skin can appear anywhere on the face, so slather it up on the forehead, chin, eyes, and even the lips! In the winter, dryer skin can become even more dehydrated." She says to look out for primers formulated with ingredients like hyaluronic acid or jojoba oil in order to achieve a smooth makeup finish.

Alise recommends using Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Moisture Repair Balm Serum, which contains hyaluronic acid, kokum butter, and olive-derived squalane. She also suggests using Makeup For Ever Step 1 Primer Hydra Boosterwhich is formulated with ginseng, glycerin, and glycols.

Can I Use Primer On Its Own?

Yes, you can use primer without applying makeup afterward. "Using primers independently can be ideal for someone who wants to even their complexion without masking the skin using other face makeup products," says Alise. "For example, pore minimizing primers help to reduce the appearance of texture in the skin, resulting in a blurring effect." Color correcting primers can even help tone down rosy cheeks when used on its own, she adds.

Does Primer Clog Pores?

"Primers have come a long way over the years and are much safer for the skin now that cosmetic brands are more cautious with ingredients. Many are designed to be non-comedogenic (non-pore clogging) to create a barrier on the skin's surface," says Alise.

Still, she shares a few tips on how to avoid clogged pores when using makeup primer:

• Moisturize before application.
• Use the right primer for your skin type.
• Don't forget to cleanse your skin at the end of the day in order to remove all makeup and prevent breakouts.

The Final Takeaway

Although not a required step in a makeup routine, primer presents several benefits. It can prolong the wear of your makeup and help you reach your makeup goals more easily. Those with oily skin may benefit from a mattifying formula for better foundation hold, while those with dry skin may use it for additional hydration. Makeup primer can also be used to color correct varying areas of the face and help you achieve a smooth makeup application.