Ever since I tried out my first primer, I noticed a difference in the way that my makeup looked and wore it throughout the entire day; I was hooked for life! Fast forward a few years later, I have been on the constant hunt for my perfect primer (or even a combination of primers) that just works magic on my face.
Milk Hydro Grip Primer DUPE! | ULTIMATE Dupe on a Budget
What is a Primer?
Before we get into the best dupe out there (I promise we’ll get there!), let me quickly first tell you about primer in general, what I look for in a primer and my skin. Primer, in general, is a step in my makeup routine that I use daily before I apply my foundation. This step preps my skin, and depending on what you are looking for, can address certain skin concerns and even affect the wearability of your base makeup (foundation, powders, bronzer, blush, etc.).
What I look for in Primers!
When it comes to what I look for in a primer, I look for it to do a few things. I have pretty oily skin, and although it has been getting a little less oily with the “chilly” Florida weather, it still gets oily. Since I have oily skin, my foundation tends to sort of slip off throughout the day and my face gets super shiny. Thus, this has led to many little makeup hacks (click here for the hack!) that help prevent my skin from getting oily.
However, sometimes, I don’t really have the time to really do those few extra steps when I’m getting ready so I look to a primer to really help reduce my oiliness throughout the day, mattify my skin, and really grip onto my base makeup. (Click here to read about THE best mattifying primer I’ve used to date!)
The last thing I look for in a primer is to reduce the appearance of my pores. I have pretty enlarged pores on my cheek area so I look for a primer to really fill that area and also reduce the look of the pores as well. So, as you can tell, primer is a very person-specific type of product. It really depends all on what you are looking for to address with your skin! To sum it all up, in a primer I look for it to really keep my makeup on my face throughout the day, to reduce shine, and to also reduce the appearance of my pores! (Seems like a lot, I know!)
Primer: Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer
And NOW.. for the dupe we’ve all been waiting for. As I mentioned a few moments ago, one of the things I really look for in a primer is to grip my makeup and have it stay on my face as the day goes by. For my birthday a few years ago, my boyfriend got me a Sephora Play! Box subscription (thank you babe <3!) and one of the items in that box was the Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer.
As a girl with oily skin, the second I saw the word “Hydro” I was immediately a little terrified, not gonna lie. But, I decided to give the product a shot because I already had it in my hands and what was the worst that could happen? Well let me tell you, the worst thing possibly happened. I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE PRIMER! Of course that’s not actually a terrible thing, however, with a primer that carries a $30 price tag, I was a little bummed out. I used that mini size until the very last drop and mourned each day after it was all gone (dramatic much?).
I fell absolutely in love with the Milk Hydro Grip primer because it was one of the only primers that I’ve tried that really helped my makeup adhere to my skin and really stay put throughout the day. When you first apply it, it has a slight cooling sensation and when you spread it on your face, it feels so tacky and sticky; it even seems a little wrong at first. But, this magical primer really gripped my makeup, smoothed my skin, and didn’t contribute to my oiliness AT ALL! It was a miracle; an expensive one, hence the beginning of the search for the Milk Hydro Grip Primer dupe.
Dupe for the Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer!
After using the mini-sized Hydro Grip primer for all it was worth, I began the hunt for a drugstore dupe that was not going to break the bank for me. Since I use primer each time before I apply my makeup, I didn’t want to get hooked on a product that wasn’t affordable for me. Although I love some good luxury and high-end makeup products, I firmly believe that many amazing hidden gems can be found at the drugstore that can be comparable to the high-end product, and sometimes even better! And, let me tell you something, I was crossing my fingers nonstop, hoping that I could find the Milk Hydro Grip Primer dupe.
The search continued until one day, the Milk Hydro Grip Primer dupe was FINALLY FOUND! What’s this amazing dupe? It’s the ELF Jelly Pop Dew Primer! When I first read about this primer, just like with the Hydro Grip, I was a little hesitant because of how the “dew” aspect of the product would affect my makeup. However, all this product delivered was pure amazing-ness (is that even a word? It is now!).
E.L.F Jelly Pop Dew Primer: the Milk Hydro Grip Primer Dupe
The ELF Jelly Pop Dew Primer has a sticky gel-like texture, just like the Milk Makeup primer, and a cooling sensation when applied to the skin. And, just like the high-end primer, it is SUPER STICKY! Only difference with the stickiness: I thought that the ELF primer dried down a tiny bit quicker so you do have to work in smaller sections to spread it out so that it dries down evenly. Also, the ELF primer has a pretty strong scent of watermelon. I personally think it smells delicious and the scent doesn’t linger at all!
The ELF Jelly Pop Dew primer is like pure magic for my skin. As I mentioned, it’s super sticky so it really glues the makeup to your face that’s applied over it. It smoothes out my skin, doesn’t dry me out, and it even adds a subtle healthy radiance to my face! How is it possible that a product can stick to your face, mattify the skin, and even add radiance? I have no idea, but, this product makes it possible!
My Final Thoughts: E.L.F Jelly Pop Dew Primer
If you have oily skin like myself, this primer doesn’t make your skin more oily throughout the day or shiny at all! It just truly grips your makeup up on top and really makes your makeup LAST! I can tell this product makes a difference because I decided to really put it to the test.
One day, I applied my favorite mattifying primer before my base and wore it throughout the day. I noticed my skin looked pretty matte, but at the end of the day, I started to notice a tiny bit of normal makeup separation and oiliness. Although that’s normal, I wanted to see if the Jelly Pop Dew Primer could help with that.
The next day, I applied the Elf Jelly Pop Dew Primer all over my face and used the mattifying primer over top of it in my T-Zone. Then, I applied my base makeup and saw what happened throughout the day. By the end of the day, I was stunned by how my makeup looked! All of my foundation was really in place, my blush, bronzer, etc. were still visible, and I had no shine at all!!! I couldn’t believe it, but I was so glad it was true.
If you’re looking for an affordable primer (a Dupe for the Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer at $8.00) that, in my opinion, is an exact dupe for the Milk Hydro Grip primer, then look no further than the ELF Jelly Pop Dew Primer. This primer really grips the makeup onto your skin, helps with the longevity of all of your products, and your foundation literally won’t move one bit after a long day. This Milk Hydro Grip Primer dupe, along with my favorite mattifying primer, has become one of my go-to’s and I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend giving it a shot! *3 HIGHLY’S were definitely necessary 🙂
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