What To Look for in a Moisturizer That Primes Your Skin for Foundation

The most important part in your makeup routine happens before you actually put on any makeup. Properly readying your skin is critical to ensuring your foundation goes on smooth and stays on all day. Usually, this requires a layer of moisturizer to hydrate your skin, followed by a primer to help the makeup pigments grip onto your complexion, but thanks to the latest launch from Cover FX, you’ll be able to cut your prep down to a single step.

The brand’s new Custom Blending Moisturizer is a moisturizer-primer hybrid specifically designed to supplement a more seamless application. As makeup artist Mary Irwin previously told Well+Good, “Primers are a targeted fix; moisturizer is a necessity.” And with this product, you get the best of both at the same time.

Shop now: Cover FX Custom Blending Moisturizer, $42

Shop now: Cover FX Custom Blending Moisturizer, $42

Unlike most “hydrating” primers on the market, it’s made with ingredients that are able to penetrate deeply into the skin, boosting its moisture from the inside out. “When prepping skin for foundation, it’s important to gear towards ingredients that absorb quickly, so you’re not left with layers of product on the skin that can compromise the performance of your makeup,” says Megan Curtin, a makeup artist and the director of education for Cover FX. The formula contains five different types of hyaluronic acid that hydrate the skin on different levels (thanks to the fact that they have different molecular weights), plus ceramides, “which help to plump the skin while also protecting it, leaving a smooth canvas for whatever comes next,” says Curtin.

With the help of prebiotics and probiotics, the formula takes the concept of skin-care and makeup hybrids to the next level. “When combined, these complexes create a smoother, brighter complexion by strengthening and balancing the microbiome, skin’s protective layer,” says Curtin. What makes this moisturizer so makeup-friendly is the resulting texture it leaves behind on your complexion. “It combines rich hydrators like shea butter and jojoba oil with a light-as-air texture, so your skin is left feeling nourished, hydrated, smooth, and plump,” says Curtin. In addition to working as a primer, you can also mix it with foundation to create your own DIY tinted moisturizer.

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