The Battle of Milk's Primers — The Lexington Line

One of the most important steps in a makeup routine is primer. Not only does primer protect skin and act as a barrier, but it creates a smooth canvas for the rest of the makeup application. Milk Makeup is a cosmetic brand that has the #1 best-selling primer in Sephora, the Hydro Grip Primer. While Hydro Grip can’t stay in stock anywhere, they also have one other primer, Pore Eclipse. Both primers have different formulas, textures, and benefits that target other concerns.

After hearing a lot of chatter over the Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer, I was intrigued to test it out first. I know from how Milk Makeup markets this product that it is supposed to leave a glow, and have a dewy finish. With having this in mind, I was expecting the primer to have almost a gel like consistency, and to be extremely hydrating.

With a bit of product backstory, the Hydro Grip has a slight green tint that is supposed to cancel out redness in the skin. I have a few problem areas with redness around my face, and the primer definitely helped calm it down. One of the first things I noticed was that the product has a slight scent, which is something I get nervous about due to having sensitive skin. I did research on the ingredients used and found the scent is from Sea Buckthorn Berry Oil, which is a very popular skincare ingredient. The actual formula and feeling of the primer is incredibly sticky, which helps the makeup adhere to skin.

The Hydro Grip formula is unique and innovative, and there is nothing quite like it in the market. I loved that the primer was tacky because with my oily skin, my makeup tends to break up on my face throughout the day. It was very smooth and cooling on the face and did not feel uncomfortable or too thick. With this primer being water-based, I wanted to try it with a few different foundations to see if the product would crease, pill, or break up. My everyday routine is using a skin tint and I also tried a full coverage foundation to test the strength of the primer. I had absolutely no issues with any product I put on top of the primer, and I loved the way it made my skin look and feel. Typically without primer, my makeup is disintegrated by 3:00pm however, my face makeup lasted until I took it off around 11:30pm.

Aside from the formula working extremely well with my skin type, I also wanted to review the packaging. The primer comes in a clear airless pump component, which is amazing because you will get every last drop of product from the bottle. I only had to pump the bottle once, and it was the perfect amount of primer to cover the entirety of my face. I did not have an issue with the product getting everywhere or looking messy on the cap, which is important considering how sticky the formula is.

My last thoughts on the Hydro Grip Primer is more so about the pricing. The primer is $36, which is understandable if Milk Makeup wants to stay competitive in the market, but I still don’t love it. Milk Makeup’s targeted age group is Generation Z (11-26) and they are definitely cutting off a huge portion of customers who can’t afford it. Wrapping up the review on the Hydro Grip Primer, I had no reaction to the ingredients and the primer actually helped with the longevity of my makeup. I will absolutely continue to use this primer for my everyday makeup routine.

Next was the Milk Makeup Pore Eclipse Mattifying Primer, which immediately caught my eye. With having oily skin, any skincare or cosmetic product that has the word “mattifying” in the title is right up my alley. My expectations for this primer was that it was going to be the complete opposite of the Hydro Grip, and that it would fill in my pores and reduce shine.

My first impression when I opened up the product was that it has a very strong, interesting scent. I looked at the ingredient list and narrowed the scent down to either being Bakuchiol, or Lentil extract. My honest thought was even if the primer worked well for my skin, I most likely wouldn’t touch it again because the scent is so strong. The formulation itself is a cream/silicone texture, and it did feel light and soothing on my skin. I immediately noticed that the oil on my forehead and nose vanished when I put the primer all over my face, so this is for sure a product for oily skin types.

To give Pore Eclipse the same fighting chance as the Hydro Grip, I tried the primer with a full coverage foundation as well as my usual skin tint on top. From this, I saw the effects of the primer more with the full coverage foundation over the skin tint. I think that this primer is very good when using full coverage products on top, largely because it smooths out the skin so well that pores, blemishes, and fine lines are severely diminished. The primer worked amazingly at keeping my shine at bay, and I never saw oils break through until 6pm. Typically my oils show about two hours after applying makeup, so this primer 100% works. Looking at this product as a whole, it was one of the best mattifying primers I’ve ever tried.

The packaging for the Pore Eclipse Primer is a general squeeze bottle which is nice because you can control how little or much product you want. Just like the Hydro Grip Primer, the Pore Eclipse Mattifying Primer is $36, which is definitely a steep price. One thing I do like is Milk Makeup has mini sizes of their primers, so you can try them out for only $18.

Wrapping up the review on the Pore Eclipse Mattifying Primer, I feel like I would only use this product one special occasions. On a day to day basis I like my skin looking glowy, and I don’t mind the pores or fine lines showing. If I’m going to a wedding, a nice dinner, or going out for the night, I would grab the Pore Eclipse Primer, for the sole fact that I know my makeup would look great throughout the night. The only aspect I truly didn’t like with this primer was the scent, it is extremely pungent.

Which Milk Primer Wins?

It was probably obvious in my reviews which primer I liked more, but the Hydro Grip Primer is my winner. The only negative aspect to the Hydro Grip Primer is the price, while for the Pore Eclipse Primer the scent was extremely overbearing. I loved the scent for the Hydro Grip because it was very subtle and calming on my skin. While I loved the way my makeup looked with the Pore Eclipse Primer, I preferred the dewy skin I got from the Hydro Grip. Sometimes with mattifying primers it can look like all of the life is sucked out of my skin. My skin looked healthy, plump, and hydrated with Hydro Grip. I will continue to use both primers because they work extremely well, but I will be reaching for the Hydro Grip Primer a lot more than Pore Eclipse.