The Best Primers for Mature Skin Guarantee Smooth Makeup Application

“Primer for mature skin is like an insurance policy for your foundation,” says Emmy-nominated makeup artist Ngozi Olandu-Young. “It helps everything you put on wear better.” While primer may be best-known for its ability to lock a makeup look into place—providing a smooth, even base that stays put for hours—the best primers for mature skin also have anti-aging effects.

Vogue’s Favorite Primers for Mature Skin

According to celebrity makeup artist Jillian Dempsey, the best primers stop foundation and concealer from settling into fine lines, wrinkles, or pores, which gives any makeup look a fresher, more youthful appearance. Of course, a good primer will also control shine and pamper the complexion with skin-loving ingredients.

Indeed, there’s more than one reason pro makeup artists always have at least one primer in their kit, particularly when they’re working with clients over 50. The question is, which ones are the, ahem, primest examples? Ahead, makeup artists and Vogue editors reveal the best primers for that smooth, blurred makeup look that seems to make time rewind.

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Best for Sallowness: RMS Beauty ReEvolve Radiance Locking Primer

• Why We Love It: Vogue’s beauty team once reverse-engineered Michelle Pfeiffer’s perfect 60-plus makeup look with melting formulas from RMS Beauty. The brand’s ReEvolve Radiance Locking Primer provides the perfect underpinning for the softly glam look, priming the skin with a sheer, glowy formula that counteracts sallowness with its pinky-peach hue. Made with the patented firming ingredient Tightenyl, the formulation also keeps the complexion hydrated with vegetable squalane and hyaluronic acid. As a pro tip, RMS founder Rose-Marie Swift says that primer can increase the efficacy of skincare, which will help aging skin look all the fresher. “People think primers are just for holding your makeup on, but that’s not the case,” she says. “Primers also help hold on to your skincare and lock it in underneath your makeup.”
• Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, Tightenyl (a patented natural alternative to retinol), vegetable squalane
• Finish: Sheer, natural, and glowy
• Size: 1.01 fl oz

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Best for Fine Lines: L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Face Blurring Primer

• Why We Love It: Want that soft-focus smolder? L’Oréal’s creamy, serum-infused primer instantly blurs fine lines for a smoother, more youthful-looking complexion. Luckily, it can be found at most drugstores, with pricing to match. “This is a winner because it’s very affordable and it actually works,” says Emmy-award-winning makeup artist Nyssa Green, founder of The Green Room Beauty Agency. “It also has a good dose of skincare-grade ingredients that work better and better over time.” The formula is infused with vitamin E for antioxidant protection; it also has bisabolol to soothe irritation and glycerin for moisture.
• Key ingredients: Dimethicone, water, glycerin
• Finish: Natural-looking, soft-focus
• Size: 1.0 fl oz

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Best Oil-Free: Lancôme La Base Pro Makeup Primer

• Why We Love It: “Lancôme La Base Pro Makeup Primer is excellent for mature skin because of its lightweight, oil-free formula that helps blur imperfections without feeling heavy,” celebrity makeup artist Sheika Daley says. “Its silicone-based texture smooths fine lines and wrinkles, giving the skin a soft-focus effect. It also provides a strong base for makeup, ensuring that foundation stays put longer without settling into creases.” The formulation harnesses the brand’s proprietary Elasto-Smooth Technology, which diffuses light to hide imperfections and give the skin a smooth, satiny look. Daley adds that “the primer is designed to enhance radiance while keeping the skin looking fresh, which is crucial for a youthful appearance.”
• Key Ingredients: Elasto-Smooth Technology, cyclopentasiloxane, dimethicone crosspolymer
• Finish: Radiant with a silky-soft, airbrushed look
• Size: 0.8 oz

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Best Plumping: Estée Lauder Futurist Peptide-Power Serum Primer

• Why We Love It: With a weightless serum-gel texture, this moisturizing primer plumps up the skin, infusing it with hydrating ingredients, also serving as a protectant from antioxidants and blue light. “I like this one for skin that needs both support and smoothness,” Perisco says. “It applies like skincare but grips like a primer, and its peptide blend makes it ideal for mature skin that could benefit from some added elasticity and barrier care.” She adds that the product layers well and doesn’t interfere with a foundation’s performance.
• Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, peptides
• Finish: Luminous
• Size: 1.0 fl oz

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Best Anti-Aging: Victoria Beckham by Augustinus Bader Cell Rejuvenating Priming Moisturizer

• Why We Love It: Powered by Augustinus Bader’s much-lauded TFC8 technology, which works to diminish signs of aging, Victoria Beckham’s primer of choice blurs wrinkles and fine lines while moisturizing, tightening, and lifting the skin. Perisco is a fan, saying that calling the product a primer merely begins to describe its benefits. “This is more than a primer—it’s a hybrid treatment that truly preps the skin,” she says. “It feels active without being aggressive and helps visibly plump and firm before makeup. It’s great to reach for when you want skin to look energized and supple—especially on skin with more texture or dryness.”
• Key Ingredients: Microalgae extract, natural black tea ferment, natural papaya enzymes, avocado oil, peptides
• Finish: Radiant, with a blurred effect
• Size: 1.7 fl oz

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Best Moisturizing: Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base

• Why We Love It: This melt-into-your-skin cream creates a smooth makeup base that makes it easy to apply an even, dewy layer of foundation. Drawing on skin-conditioning vitamins B, C, and E, this yields the skin a healthy, pepped-up glow. Launched in 2001 and still in high-demand, this is a “longtime staple,” Periso says. “It nourishes, hydrates, and preps all in one step. I especially like it on skin that needs a little extra bounce; it holds makeup beautifully without making the skin feel too slick or too matte.”
• Key Ingredients: Vitamin E, shea butter, squalane
• Finish: Natural, healthy-looking luminosity
• Size: 1.7 fl oz

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Best Long-Wearing: Milk Hydro Grip Primer

• Why We Love It: Beloved by Gen Z and mature skin types alike, Milk’s long-wearing primer offers multi-generational appeal, hydrating all skin types with with hyaluronic acid, plus niacinamide to improve skin texture and brighten tone. Blue agave extract, another key ingredient, floods the skin with antioxidants such as vitamins A and C, while cannabis seed extract has moisturizing and antioxidant benefits that are a boon to mature skin. Known to help makeup stay in place for up to 12 hours, this makes it a favorite of red-carpet regulars like Emma Chamberlain, who need their glam locked and loaded the whole night through. (No one wants to be caught with faded makeup at the Met Gala!)
• Key Ingredients: Blue agave extract, hyaluronic acid, aloe water, hemp-derived cannabis seed extract
• Finish: Dewy
• Size: 1.52 fl oz

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Best Radiant Finish: Saie Glowy Super Gel

• Why We Love It: This lightweight gel imparts a radiant finish that infuses any makeup look with a subtle, sunlit gleam. “I personally love this formula,” pro makeup artist Alexis Perisco attests. “It acts almost like a sheer moisturizer and glow serum in one. I’ve used this many times before applying makeup when I want the skin to feel fresh, hydrated, and radiant.” The result? “It gives that healthy, real-skin glow that looks incredible under minimal makeup or a lightweight foundation,” she says. With two hues to choose between—Starglow, a champagne tone, and Sunglow, a golden-bronze tint—you can customize your radiance.
• Key Ingredients: Plant-derived glycerin, olive-derived squalane, rosehip seed oil, mica
• Finish: Subtly glowy, without glitter
• Size: 1.0 fl oz

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Best Protective: Tatcha The Liquid Silk Canvas

• Why We Love It: Formulated with silk extracts, Tatcha’s featherlight primer protects skin from pollutants while boosting makeup’s color payoff. “This gives a silky, poreless look while nourishing the skin,” says Olanu-Young. “It’s a red-carpet staple for my kit because it’s perfect for my mature clients that may have textured skin, revealing that luxurious, smooth finish.” Green is also a fan. “I love this primer because it’s lightweight, but really effective and safe for all types of skin,” she says. “It also feels amazing going onto the skin, so I use it on almost all of my luxury brides.”
• Key Ingredients: Silk extracts, anti-pollution natural actives, Hadasei-3 (Tatcha’s signature complex of green tea, rice, and algae)
• Finish: Smooth and natural
• Size: 1.0 fl oz

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Best Blurring: StriVectin Line BlurFector Instant Wrinkle Blurring Primer

• Why We Love It: Formulated with optical microspheres to scatter light, StriVectin’s blurring primer gives mature skin a poreless, velvety appearance. The formula also pampers mature skin with the patented NIA-114, which has been clinically shown to strengthen the skin barrier. Though it has a pale, peachy hue when dispensed, the product was designed to sink seamlessly into any skin tone without settling into creases, apt to plump and smooth deep wrinkles. What’s more, Strivectin products are dermatologist-approved for aging skin, whether it’s the tightening serum for pesky neck wrinkles or its body cream for taking care of crepiness.
• Key Ingredients: Optical microspheres, Cyclopentasiloxane, polymethyl methacrylate
• Finish: Matte
• Size: 1 fl oz

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Best for Oily Skin: Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Primer

• Why We Love It: The blurring microspherical powders enriched in the Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Primer smooths out the appearance of pores while sopping up excess oil. The translucent formula has a gel formulation that comfortably sits on skin all day, extending the wear of makeup. It’s so good, it comes highly recommended by the pros. “I cannot say enough wonderful things about this primer, and it’s a beloved staple in my kit,” makeup artist El DeBratto previously told Vogue. “This silicone-based gel formula has a stunning blurring effect on the skin and is perfect for filling in fine lines and pores.” They add that they love using the formula for more oil-prone clients or men’s grooming “because it instantly absorbs any excess oil and leaves the skin looking velvety and healthy.”
• Key Ingredients: Microspherical powders
• Finish: Translucent, with an airbrushed effect
• Size: 1 fl oz

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Best for Irritated Skin: Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Moisture Repair Balm Serum

• Why We Love It: Danessa Myricks’s balm-to-serum sinks into the skin, moisturizing the face with glow-enhancing ingredients. The 98% natural primer also helps to soothe tightness, flaky patches, and irritation thanks to soothing Asiatic pennywort. “This is one of my favorite primers,” says Olandu-Young. “It plumps, hydrates, and gives the skin a healthy bounce before I even apply foundation.” In all, she describes it as the ideal skincare-primer-combo for mature skin.
• Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, blue tansy flower extract, centella asiatica
• Finish: Smooth and natural
• Size: 1.41 oz

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Best for Dry Skin: Smashbox Photo Finish Primerizer+ Hydrating Primer

• Why We Love It: “Primer is a game-changer for mature skin,” says celebrity brow and makeup artist Stevi Christine. “It helps smooth out texture, soften the look of fine lines, and helps with your foundation, naturally, so your makeup doesn’t settle or slide off halfway through the day.” This formula is one of her favorites for that staying power, and she notes that it’s “especially incredible for photoshoots or red carpets.” With a silkscreen complex that smooths the skin and locks in moisture, Smashbox’s beloved primer is also packed with hydrating ingredients that instantly plump dry or sagging skin.
• Key Ingredients: Triple hyaluronic acid, niacinamide
• Finish: Dewy and fresh
• Size: 1 fl oz

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Best for a Subtle Glow: No. 1 De Chanel Skin Enhancer

• Why We Love It: Chanel’s illuminating primer gives skin an instant boost of radiance, and patience also pays off. After one month, the featherlight primer creates a more even skin tone. Infused with hyaluronic acid, the hydrating formula can be worn on its own as a tinted gel-cream or under foundation. “This formula adds radiance in a very refined way,” says Perisco. “It’s lightweight, blends seamlessly into the skin, and gives that soft luminosity without feeling greasy.” She particularly loves the French formula under sheer foundations or even mixed with complexion products. “It gives a subtle glow that really flatters mature skin,” she says.
• Key Ingredients: Red camellia extract, red camellia oil, hyaluronic acid
• Finish: Sheer with a pearlescent sheen
• Size: 1 fl oz

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Best Pore Minimizing: Benefit Cosmetics Benefit the POREfessional Face Primer

• Why We Love It: This translucent formula flatters all skin tones and instantly makes pores and fine lines disappear. “This is an oldie but a goodie that’s been in my kit for years,” says Green. “It’s so effective, I use it underneath makeup and for on-set touch-ups throughout the day.” One of Vogue’s top primers for an airbrushed finish, this pore-minimizing product has been a staple for beauty commerce writer Conçetta Ciarlo for more than a decade. “Back in the early 2010s, this pick was my holy grail—and it remains a bestseller for the brand,” she says. “Revisiting this formula 15 years later, it still boasts that velvety-to-the-touch, creamy texture which dries down translucent to instantly smooth over the appearance of pores and fine lines.”
• Key Ingredients: Cyclopentasiloxane, dimethicone, dimethicone/vinyl dimethicone crosspolymer
• Finish: Matte
• Size: 1.5 fl oz

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Best Softening: Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Hydrating Primer

• Why We Love It: Infused with moisturizing ingredients, the smoothing primer gives the skin a softer, more supple feel. Whether used with makeup or on clean skin, it instantly boosts luminosity—and it has a thumbs-up from the pros. “This pairs beautifully with both sheer and medium coverage foundations,” Perisco says. “It smooths the skin with a weightless feel and helps grip makeup without a heavy silicone texture.” For mature skin, she says, the formula leaves the skin looking elegantly hydrated. “Never tacky, never oily,” Perisco says of the always luminous finish.
• Key Ingredients: Shea butter, rice bran, glycerin
• Finish: Luminous
• Size: 1 fl oz

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