15 Of The Best Hydrating Primers To Plump Up Dry Skin

A nourishing trio of glycerin, apple extracts and coconut derivatives leave skin feeling cushiony soft and ready for your base make-up. A little goes a long way in ensuring your foundation stays put and looks good through long hours.

Refy may be best known for its brow products, but this primer is worth a closer look. The ingredient list reads like a top tier skincare serum, with niacinamide, glycerin and panthenol to help bolster fragile and dehydrated skin. Aside from improving the wear of your base, it also works hard to brighten, calm and moisturise your complexion over time.

Cooling, soothing and mega-hydrating, the gently pearlescent formula glides over moisturised skin to make anything you apply on top look so much better. Try tapping it on top of your cheekbones as a subtle highlighter too.

This is the backstage secret at fashion week for achieving runway-ready, radiant complexions. Loaded with humectants hyaluronic acid and glycerin, this viscous cream texture works brilliantly to prep skin for foundation, smoothing pores and lines while promising that plumped, well-rested finish.

When it originally launched, Fenty Beauty was firmly focused on creating a matte complexion, so the dry-skinned among us rejoiced when this hydrating powerhouse joined the line-up.

A tall glass of water for dehydrated skin, it feels deliciously cooling and will make your foundation apply seamlessly.

Fresh from Stateside, probiotics-based brand Tula makes outstanding essentials at prices that won't make you weep.

Start with the skincare, but don't sleep on this make-up offering either: the brand's Filter Primer comes in a host of iridescent tints, and combines moisturising emollients with those signature probiotics to look after your complexion. The First Light shade has a golden sheen, ideal if you prefer a sunkissed glow.

Here it is: the primer/highlighter hybrid we've been dreaming of. Saie has absolutely nailed the brief with this one; the serum-like multipurpose gel is pigmented but not sparkly, and hydrating without feeling heavy.

Sandwich it between moisturiser and foundation for an all-over dewy effect, then tap it on as a highlighter to spotlight those cheekbones. Or just use it on its own. With skin this luminous, there's barely need for added coverage.

Aside from brimming with red camellia oil and extract to shield the skin from the damaging effects of environmental aggressors, this tinted primer also contains hydrating hyaluronic acid. It works nicely on its own for a your-skin-but-better finish but plays equally well underneath foundation.

Our love for Glossier’s most misunderstood product knows no bounds. Futuredew is billed as an ‘oil-serum’ hybrid which, honestly, is a rather confusing name.

What we do know is that this reflective fluid creates that elusive mega-moisturised effect that you usually only get after a 90-minute facial. It melts nicely on top of foundation too, so keep it in your bag and tap onto cheekbones to revive thirsty skin.

The champagne-tinted cream can be worn under any foundation to lock it in place while also amping up the radiance. Seriously, your base will look freshly applied for hours on end. A tip: try blending it into your foundation to sheer out the coverage and boost the glow.

A lot of ‘blurring’ primers tend to highlight dryness and flaking patches, but Tatcha’s Liquid Silk Canvas is the perfect middle ground. It’s silicone-based, so does a great job of masking enlarged pores and lines, yet is balanced out with hydrating ingredients that’ll keep a thirsty complexion satisfied. For days when you want your make-up to really go the distance, head here.

This unusual formula contains tiny droplets of oil suspended in a base of cooling humectants. Without falling back on silicones or shimmer, it manages to prep skin for foundation, ensuring your base go on smoothly.

Laura Mercier is known for its stellar primers, and this is the most hydration-focused member of the family. The humectant glycerin base locks water into the skin, stopping your foundation from drying out while dialling up the dewiness.

For a gleam that shows through your foundation, it has to be Charlotte Tilbury’s multi-use Hollywood Flawless Filter. A highlighter/primer/skin tint hybrid, this pigmented formula lights up dull, dry skin, and looks great either worn solo or beneath a liquid base. Try swiping it over your cheekbones as the final step in your routine for extra impact.

Luminous Silk is a holy-grail base for many, and we can confirm the matching primer is every bit as impressive. This fluid formula leaves behind a natural-looking sheen that appears almost pearlescent, and works beautifully beneath the any foundation.