This $36 Product Saved Me From Throwing Out Hundreds of Dollars Worth of Makeup

My skin is changing and the process has been rough. I’m stressed out of my goddamn gourd, which definitely has something to do with it, but I’m also approaching 30 and my older friends have told me they went through something similar. This is all to say that a lot of my failsafe skincare and makeup products are no longer working the way they used to, disproportionately affecting my foundations, which no longer apply as seamlessly, appear as airbrushed, or feel as moisturizing as they once did. In a last-ditch effort to avoid throwing out my complexion products and starting anew, I began testing dozens of primers and found a Hail Mary in Milk Makeup’s Hydro Grip Primer.

The word I’d use to currently describe my skin: gross. But to be specific, the texture is more uneven than a cobblestone road, redness appears without rhyme or reason, and hyperpigmentation dots my face like freckles. Foundation alone can’t disguise these problems — except for when paired with Milk’s Hydro Grip Primer.

Hydro Grip creates a thin barrier over my face that fills in any divots for a smooth, glass-like base to apply makeup on. It doesn’t fully dry upon application; it feels sticky and tacky, which is actually a good thing in this context because I can feel it gripping and fusing the foundation to my face. When I’m done with my makeup, any texture is completely gone, hidden under my now-smooth, poreless, and even complexion.

Hydro Grip Primer is one of those rare beauty products that is so viral, popular, and well-reviewed, it has a life of its own outside of the brand responsible for it. I’m a cynical person, but it’s more than deserving of its fanfare and accolades.

Every foundation and skin tint in my arsenal (of which I have over a dozen) has found a second life thanks to Milk’s Hydro Grip Primer. It’s prevented me from wastefully throwing out hundreds of dollars of beauty products and makes my makeup last for at least 12 hours.