My Foundation Goes on Like Silk Thanks to This Makeup Artist-Approved Primer

Foundation is only as smooth as the base on which it’s applied, hence the importance of skin prep. Moisturizer, of course, is a must — especially for dry, flaky faces like mine. Makeup primer — the best of which smooth skin, prevent caking, and prolong foundation wear time — is another essential, I've discovered: As I near my 31st birthday, my fine lines are less fine, my pores increasingly prominent, and the glassy texture I’d enjoyed in my 20s is waning. 

Bobbi Brown’s Vitamin Enriched Face Base is both primer and moisturizer — and excellent on both fronts, particularly if an instant healthy glow is of interest. It’s become my fast, fuss-free, foundation-enhancing secret, and I plan to restock it indefinitely.

I was backstage, among a flurry of makeup artists and models, during a recent fashion week when I discovered the cream. I watched makeup artists pat the product into models’ skin, which looked dewy, ethereal, and healthy instantly. I procured my own jar shortly thereafter. One try, and you’ll understand my affinity, why it's used by the pros, and why it’s a best seller for the legacy beauty brand.

The Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base is a dual-purpose cream that functions as both moisturizer and makeup primer. The formula smooths lines, hydrates flaky skin, and generally preps the face for makeup in one fell swoop. Ideal for all skin types, the medium-weight formula feels like silk, absorbs in seconds, and quenches my skin, even at its thirstiest. The primer plays perfectly under makeup without pilling risk or makeup sliding around. Unsurprisingly, it’s a best seller for the legacy beauty brand.

In addition to its instant smoothing effect, the cream offers longer-term skin benefits that improve texture and tone. A cocktail of glow-inducing vitamins, plus a trio of dermatologist-loved hydrators are to thank. Vitamins B, C, and E, soothe, brighten, and smooth, respectively. Hyaluronic acid, which plumps fine lines on contact, delivers a healthy, hydrated glow. So, too, does shea butter, and squalane, which leaves skin petal-soft. 

The formula is free of artificial fragrance, though it does smell lightly citrusy thanks to grapefruit extract. The cream bestows a lit-from-within glow immediately, and absorbs almost as quickly. The formula perks up my complexion, even on its most drab days. Foundation glides like a dream onto my face, where it remains, cake-free, for hours.

As one shopper noted: “It makes skin feel like satin.” Well said.

For plump, healthy skin and your most flawless foundation application, shop the two-in-one moisturizing primer, Bobbi Brown’s Vitamin Enriched Face Base at Nordstrom.