25 Top-Rated Primers From Sephora For When Your Foundation Really Needs to Get a Grip

Dull skin gets a brightening boost with this Smashbox Photo Finish Vitamin Face Glow Primer ($39). It packs vitamins B, C, and E to revitalize skin while, of course, prepping it for makeup, too.

Naturally, this water-based Laura Mercier Pure Canvas Primer — Hydrating ($20-$38) adds moisture — making it a good option for dry skin — but it also creates a protective barrier that allows face makeup to last longer. Oh, and did we forget to mention it's got a 95 percent approval rating from other shoppers, too?

If your concerns include oversize pores and an oily T-zone, this Shiseido WASO: Poreless Matte Primer ($28) minimizes pores and leaves skin shine-free (and has an average 4.5-star rating from other shoppers, too).

The Tatcha The Liquid Silk Canvas: Featherweight Protective Primer ($22-$52) features thin layers of silk alongside botanical extracts to limit clogged pores and create a smooth canvas pre-makeup. (And if the more than 1,000 five-star reviews don't convince you, it comes in a new mini size to test out, too.)

The Ren Clean Skincare Perfect Canvas Clean Primer ($45) is a popular pick for sensitive complexions as its noncomedogenic formula packs nurturing treats like probiotics and lactic acid to treat skin well but also adds in mattifying agave when you want foundation to follow.

This top-rated Laneige Glowy Makeup Serum ($32) hydrates skin with ceramides once it goes on, plus there's a diamond mineral powder inside to smooth out skin and add a dewiness under makeup and on its own, too.

Help foundation stay on your face with this oil-free It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better Makeup Primer+ ($39). It's earned top marks from other Sephora shoppers, and it offers bark and ginger-root extracts to improve skin's texture.

Like the brand's superpopular setting spray of the same name, this top-rated Urban Decay All Nighter Face Primer ($36) also grips makeup to your skin, but this one leaves even bare faces feeling silky and hydrated, too.

This clean Bite Beauty Changemaker Skin-Optimizing Primer ($38) has earned top marks from Sephora shoppers for its work gripping foundation. It works to mattify oily skin or hydrate dry skin, because there are two separate formulas to target each of those skin types.

The consistency of this top-rated Lawless Set The Stage Hydrating Primer Serum ($48) sets it apart as the rosehip seed and sea buckthorn oils hydrate skin after it's applied, but it still has a satiny-gel finish that smooths skin, even if no makeup follows.

This preservative-free BareMinerals Prime Time Foundation Primer ($26) has a slightly tacky feel once it's applied, which makes it much better at locking down powder and limiting dry patches, too. Not only does it have more than 2,000 five-star reviews, but there are also antioxidants, vitamins, and skin-soothing plant extracts.

This Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat Blur Primer ($52) has special light-infused pigments and blur technology to leave skin glowing — and more than 72,000 loves from other shoppers. Better yet, the shimmer is meant just for you, as there's the classic gold version for warm skin and a silvery one to help cool undertones.

This top-rated Hourglass N° 28 Primer Serum ($22-$65) gets its name from its ingredients, which are especially good for drier complexions. Inside are 14 essential oils, 10 lipid-rich plant oils, and four vitamins that hydrate and protect skin, while also creating a smooth, luminous surface, no matter what makeup follows.

Yes, this insanely popular Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40 ($34-$44) is technically meant for sun protection, but it also sets to a velvety finish that both controls shine and can grip your makeup, too.

Another double-duty option, this Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base Priming Moisturizer ($20-$60) is a vitamin-rich shea butter cream that fills in fine lines to help prevent makeup from settling in where it's not wanted.

Are you curious about banana powder in your skin care? Well, this top-rated Olehenriksen Banana Bright Face Primer ($38) packs those pigments — and vitamin C — to brighten, plus it blurs any uneven skin texture you face.

Other Sephora shoppers rave about how this lightweight Benefit Cosmetics The POREfessional: Hydrate Primer ($13-$32) manages to smooth out skin and diminish the look of pores without settling into fine lines or dry spots. It's also incredibly hydrating (for up to 12 hours) with both hyaluronic acid and shea butter working hard inside.

Infused with vitamin E and hyaluronic acid, this Becca Cosmetics First Light Priming Filter Face Primer ($21-$39) nourishes and brightens skin — and while it may look purple in the bottle, it still goes on smooth and sheer.

Yes, this popular Tarte BB Tinted Treatment 12-Hour Primer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen ($37) packs in sunscreen and skin-smoothing primer, but it also comes in four different shades so it can completely replace your face makeup as well.

There are nearly 100,000 loves for this Dr. Brandt Skincare Pores No More Pore Refiner Primer ($22-$45), which mattifies skin and creates a smooth surface for makeup. Of course, there's also a salicylic acid derivative inside to exfoliate and flush out pores, plus red clover flower extract to help shrink their size at the same time.

This Origins Original Skin Pore Perfecting Cooling Primer With Willowherb ($35) has an airy, mousse-like texture that goes on cool to smooth and soothe skin, plus its special ingredient, willowherb, reduces dullness so complexions can truly glow.

Packed full of good-for-you ingredients, this First Aid Beauty Hello FAB Coconut Skin Smoothie Priming Moisturizer ($29) is a moisturizer featuring proteins, electrolytes, and minerals to hydrate skin, but there are also micropearls inside for some bonus dewiness as it helps skin's texture stay even . . . even with no makeup.

Talk about a primer that does it all as this top-rated Too Faced Hangover 3-in-1 Replenishing Primer and Setting Spray ($17-$33) packs in coconut water to soothe skin (and lock in and refresh makeup anytime), but it also has probiotics and other nurturing ingredients that can brighten skin and help its elasticity so it stays smooth pre-makeup, too.

If you love a bit of a shimmer on your skin, this top-rated Milk Makeup Luminous Blur Stick Primer ($18-$36) goes on clear but leaves a golden, pearly finish (while its powder-filled blurring microspheres help mattify at the same time).

With more than 147,000 loves from other shoppers, this Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Pro Filt'r Instant Retouch Primer ($16-$32) is an incredibly lightweight primer that absorbs oil to leave a complexion matte . . . but not dry or chalky. It also blurs imperfections so makeup looks better on uneven textures and lasts longer, too.

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