Makeup primer is confusing, even for a beauty editor. I feel like only a couple of years ago it managed to quickly elbow its way into a much-contested "staple" status in your makeup routine. Similarly, Milk Makeup, a baby beauty brand born in 2016, shot straight to best-selling status in its first year. Now its track record is proven. The brand's Blur Stick and follow-up Luminous Blur Stick were a huge hit when they launched for their ability to give you a filter finish in a silicone-free and oil-free formula. Personally I liked those products, but I barely used them because I prefer to look dewy, not necessarily matte or blurry. (The kids call it glass skin, but I like dewdrop.)
Primer has always had its caveats: the propensity to clog your pores, the occasional pilling from user error, and the existential void of wondering if you really, actually need primer. If you're a makeup/no-makeup disciple, you probably wouldn't clamor for it, but if you're doing a full-on look you want that shit to stick around all day (hence, primer). On top of color-correcting, blurring, luminizing, loads of mattifying options, and jelly primers, the landscape is about to get a new neighbor: Milk Makeup's new Hydro Grip Primer, a hydrating, gel formula that "grips" your makeup onto your skin while hydrating the ever-living hell out of it.
Hydro Grip is a silicone- and oil-free primer that also features hemp-derived CBD extract, blue agave extract, aloe water, hyaluronic acid, and B vitamins for a hydrating, skin-smoothing effect that seals in moisture. For a makeup product, it has quite the skin-care agenda. It feels like a smooth gel when you apply it and absorbs quite quickly. Normally, I tread very lightly with primer because that shit gets out of control real fast if you glob it on — rookie mistake.
I was surprised that one squirt of Hydro Grip Primer applied after the last step of my skin-care routine (which is SPF) absorbed into my skin so swiftly. So, I did another round, why not! I know, wild. I'm glad I did, though, because my indoor-heat, radiator-ravaged skin could use the extra shot of moisture. The second layer was also absorbed quickly. The instructions told me to wait a minute before applying makeup to let the primer "activate," so I did. It leaves a nice satin finish, not dewy but certainly not matte. Kind of like this:
I did my usual makeup application: spot-coverage with concealer and foundation, brows, mascara, cream blush, and highlighter. Brows and mascara don't really count here, but my cream blush looked noticeably more saturated when applied with the Hydro Grip Primer underneath; it didn't slide around as it usually does when I blend it in and it didn't disappear by midday as it also tends to do. Bravo, Hydro.
If primer is a non-negotiable for you and dry, indoor heat also tries to ruin your life (or you just have dry skin), this is a lovely primer that will act as extra hydration while holding onto your makeup all day, kind of like if your hyaluronic acid serum had extra makeup-gripping powers. It's a refreshing change from the spackle-like reputation of most makeup primers. I can't say whether the inclusion of CBD did or didn't do anything — trendy as it may be right now.
Milk Makeup's Hydro Grip Primer goes for $30, and is available at milkmakeup.com and sephora.com, as well as in-store at Sephora.
Milk Makeup’s Hydro Grip Primer is a part of the product lineup for Allure's September Beauty Box. Subscribe to the Allure Beauty Box and get editor-approved picks in makeup, skin care, hair care, and fragrance delivered right to your door every month.
The Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer is a 2020 Allure Readers' Choice Winner. See the complete list of this year's winners here.
Read more about primer:
- The Ultimate Guide to Makeup Primer and How to Use It
- Beauty Vlogger Uses Ice Cube as Makeup Primer in Viral Video
- The Best Primers for Every Skin Issue Imaginable
And here's that makeup routine I was talking about (sort of):
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