I’ve had to eat my words about primers. I once thought they were a really superfluous step in makeup routines but now I won’t apply a skin tint or foundation without one. Sometimes, a primer is so skin-enhancing that an additional product isn’t needed at all. Obviously, there are hundreds of options and dozens that are on sale for October Prime Day. I’ve looked through at least 80 percent of them and there are five discounted products I consider to be well worth your money. 

L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Face Blurring Primer

L’Oréal Paris’ Age Perfect line is responsible for the moisturizer Jane Fonda uses and is formulated specifically for mature skin. According to nearly 6,000 five-star ratings, this Face Blurring Primer is another hit in the Age Perfect line. 

According to the brand, this primer is infused with a “caring serum,” and is a slightly pink-tinted formula that improves radiance, conceals age spots, and disguises pores, wrinkles, and fine lines.

One shopper said this “gives [their] skin a healthy glow and makes it look poreless.” So much so, in fact, that they “use it as a foundation.” Another reviewer said this “blurs and perfects,” in addition to “filling in” their “very deep wrinkles.” 

Glo Skin Beauty Oil-Free Tinted Primer SPF 30

Glo Skin Beauty makes one of my favorite tinted moisturizers and thanks to its recent launch, one of my favorite primers, too. When I wear Glo Skin Beauty’s Oil-Free Tinted Primer SPF 30 it replaces all of my makeup altogether. It is so seamless with my actual skin that when I’m applying it I often wonder if I’ve put anything on. But by the end, the difference is noticeable — my skin is less oily, smooth, even, and my pores are nowhere to be seen. A primer’s job is to make your makeup last and so this has better-staying powder than many of my standalone complexion products. It’s a great one-and-done product. If you do wear it under foundation, expect full coverage and an absolutely doll-like perfect complexion. 

Jane Iredale Smooth Affair Facial Primer & Brightener

Do you know how often Jane Iredale products go on sale? I know it’s not often. So don’t sit on the 20 percent discounted Smooth Affair Facial Primer & Brightener. On a skincare level, this formula has apple extract, royal jelly (a honey-like substance queen bees get their nourishment from), and algae extract. This hat trick improves elasticity, firmness, hydration, and the health of the skin barrier. Aesthetically, this formula lessens the appearance of pores, brightens the complex, and camouflages wrinkles. 

It works according to 1,600-plus five-star ratings. A reviewer on the Jane Iredale website (where the primer is not on sale) wrote, “my face feels dewy and brighter after using this primer.” Plus, “it seems to fill in the wrinkles nicely and help create a more youthful finished look.”