Beauty, High End Brands, Makeup, Mid-Range Brands, Review

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it a million more times. Summer is all about that glow, baby! A dewy, radiant complexion is a must have for summer because it makes skin look healthy and soft versus a matte finish that can sometimes look dry, cakey and mask-like. No bueno! I know everyone doesn’t like to go quite as highlighter crazy as I do (I pile that ish on!) and that’s okay. There’s other ways to get your glow on in a more natural, subtle way. Like by adding a brightening primer to your routine to give you an all over radiant glow that backlights your makeup and adds a luminous touch to your complexion. To make your life easier, I’ve rounded up my 5 favorite brightening primers to help you glow all summer long without overdoing it. Let’s get started!

Urban Decay Brightening & Tightening Complexion Primer Potion ($30.00)

Getting your glow on doesn’t necessarily mean piling on the shimmer or glitter. Urban Decay can easily help you look radiant and dewy this summer with the glitter bomb. The Brightening & Tightening Complexion Primer Potion is a moisturizing primer designed to blur fine lines, brighten dull skin and make skin appear more firm. It’s a great option for my dry skin ladies who struggle with early signs of aging like pesky fine lines (like me) who need a little extra help to keep makeup looking smooth and flawless. I initially tried the Brightening & Tightening Complexion Primer Potion because I was in need of a little moisture but I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with how well it brightened my skin without making me look greasy or oily. The formula is very lightweight and absorbs rather quickly too making it a great option for summer.

Laura Geller Bronze Spackle Tinted Under Make-Up Primer ($32.00)

We all could use a little extra color in the summer which is why the Laura Geller Bronze Spackle Tinted Under Make-Up Primer is such a wonderful primer to have in your collection. It’s a sheer golden bronze with a natural pearl finish that adds a little warmth and a nice radiant glow too. Some mornings, my skin can still look a little dull and in need of a quick boost. So I reach for the Bronze Spackle Tinted Under Make-Up Primer to warm up my complexion, add a little moisture and give my skin a subtle all over glow that’s much needed this time of year. Like the Brightening & Tightening Complexion Primer Potion, Bronze Spackle Tinted Under Make-Up Primer is incredibly lightweight and absorbs quickly without feeling heavy or greasy so it’s perfect to layer underneath your makeup for a soft bronzy glow that instantly brightens gives skin life.

Urban Decay Naked Skin Bronzing Beauty Balm ($34.00)

Urban Decay is back on the board with another brightening primer! This time with the Naked Skin Bronzing Beauty Balm. It’s designed to be worn alone but I like to wear it under my makeup to help brighten and smooth out my complexion while adding some much needed sun protection. The Naked Skin Bronzing Beauty Balm is a light golden bronze with a hint of shimmer that helps tighten and firm skin while minimizing pores, wrinkles and redness. It instantly brightens my skin and acts like a subtle liquid illuminator–but better. Unlike a liquid illuminator, the Naked Skin Bronzing Beauty Balm offers SPF 20 and has some nice blurring properties that makes it a must have to achieve that soft, dewy complexion that’s summer safe.

Tarte Clean Slate Flawless 12-Hour Brightening Primer ($31.00)

Want a healthy glowing complexion without the tint? No problem! Tarte’s Clean Slate Flawless 12-Hour Brightening Primer is a sheer brightening primer that doesn’t add any color to your skin but will give you an ethereal glow that’s absolutely beautiful. It’s a creamy, lightly moisturizing formula that really smooths out imperfections like fine lines and pores while protecting skin from nasty free radical damage. I love how smooth, soft and luminous my skin looks when I use the Clean Slate Flawless 12-Hour Brightening Primer. It’s almost like an angelic glow that’s light reflective but not shimmery or glittery. It’s a great option for ladies who like a little extra glow but not too much.

NYX Honey Dew Me Up Primer & Serum ($16.99)

Drugstore brands have come a long way recently and the NYX Honey Dew Me Up Primer & Serum is definitely proof of that. Not only is it an amazing brightening primer but it’s also a nice serum infused with honey and collagen to brighten, plump and firm skin. The packaging takes a little while to get used to as it comes equipped with spatula instead of a pump but the honey-like texture feels very soothing on the skin and instantly brightens with ease. The Honey Dew Me Up Primer & Serum feels a bit sticky at first but it absorbs quickly to reveal smoother, brighter skin while lightly moisturizing and filling in fine lines. The large gold flecks look a little scary in the tube but they don’t translate at all on the skin so there’s no shimmer or glitter at all. Just a smoother, more radiant complexion that’s summer ready!