The Top 3 Moisturisers Makeup Artists Use Instead Of Primer
Rebecca Sullivan worked as a lifestyle and beauty journalist for almost a decade, before crossing over brand-side to work behind-the-scenes in the beauty industry full time. Now, she works in PR, Communications and Content strategy, and literally gets paid to play with lipstick and highlighters all day.
Look, I’ll be real with you. I never use a primer under my makeup. Like, ever. The reason? Pure laziness. Once I’ve applied my serum, moisturiser, and SPF, I honestly cannot be bothered with a fourth skincare step, so I just slap on my makeup and go about my day.
The narrative I’m choosing to accept is this: if we have our skincare down pat, we can easily ditch the primer, right? If our serums and moisturisers are doing their jobs properly, there should really be no need for an extra layer of product.
But every now and then, I get a bad case of the Primer Guilts. My symptoms include staring longingly at the 10 expensive primers lying dormant in my bathroom cabinet, begging to see the light of day, and obsessively Googling “primer skincare benefits”.
What To Do If You Get Primer FOMO:
Am I missing out on something here? Are primers the magical skincare product that will help me achieve J.Lo-twerking-at-the-Super-Bowl levels of luminosity? I just don’t know.
In order to solve my internal moisturiser vs primer skincare conundrum, I sought some much-needed guidance from the experts on this very topic - celebrity makeup artists. These beauty gurus can tell you anything and everything there is to know about creating the perfect makeup base.
Their job is to make their clients’ skin look flawless and camera-ready for hours on end. There is no room for shiny T-zones or flaky skin here. The skin must stay absolutely perfect.
So, what’s their secret? It turns out, some of our top Aussie celebrity makeup artists are doing exactly the same thing as me - skipping primer altogether and instead using a top-notch moisturiser to prep and prime the skin for makeup. I now feel extremely validated.
Which Moisturisers Do Celeb Makeup Artists Turn To?
Norman Gonzales, better known as @bynormie to his devoted Instagram followers, regularly paints the faces of glowy A-list Aussie gals Sophie Monk, Bec Judd, Elyse Knowles, Jesinta Franklin, Julie Bishop and Kerri-Anne Kennerley (what a resume!)
His preferred pre-makeup moisturiser? The Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base.
“I use this for all of my clients and I always carry it in my kit. It’s among my favourites,” Norman told Beauty IQ.
“This product works to keep skin looking hydrated all day long.”
And if you’ve ever marvelled at the makeup looks on stars like Jessica Mauboy and Kelly Rowland, or had a casual flick through a recent copy of Vogue Australia, you’ve definitely spotted the work of renowned Aussie makeup artist Rae Morris.
She’s a huge fan of the Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré Moisturiser.
"I love this product! Embryolisse has been in my kit for over 20 years," she told Beauty IQ.
"As a traveling makeup artist I’m always wanting products that not only have simple formulas, but can be 'multi-use'. It's what I saw so many of my favorite mega star artists use when I was an assistant, and it's also in the top five products that my most skincare-savvy clients request the most!"
If You Want To Ditch The Primer...
Now, I can't promise your makeup won't separate and slide off, or that your foundation won't oxidise without using a primer. But I have it on good authority that these moisturisers do a damn good job.
Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream
Kim Kardashian’s makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic is a huge fan of this product and regularly uses it on the red carpet. This classic moisturiser even provided the base for Kim’s makeup at the Met Gala in 2017! It contains glacial glycoprotein, a brilliant cutting-edge ingredient derived from sea glaciers, famous for its ability to deeply hydrate the skin, and squalane, a super popular hydrating ingredient.
If you’ve ever met a chic French woman and marvelled at how effortlessly flawless and dewy her skin looked, chances are she’s been using this classic French pharmacy product for decades. Its creamy, hydrating formula is the perfect cure for dry, dull skin and creates the ultimate supple skincare base for your foundation. Thank me later, ma chérie!
Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base
Ok bougie bitches, listen up. So, you’re ready to drop $88 on a moisturiser? Love that for you. This is the ultimate rich, yet grease-free, luxe face cream. There’s a reason this is one of Bobbi Brown’s best selling products - it helps makeup glide on like a dream. Face Base comes in a chic, expensive-looking pot and contains shea butter, vitamins B, C and E and has a delicious grapefruit and geranium scent. What’s not to love?
Rebecca Sullivan has been beauty and lifestyle journalist for almost a decade, and is currently the Lifestyle and Health Editor at Now To Love. She also writes a weekly beauty newsletter called The Beauty School, which comes out every Sunday morning. Find Beck on Instagram here.
