Shoppers Say This Blurring Primer Stick Minimizes Pores “Like a Dream” and Keeps Skin Shine-Free “All Day”

While beauty looks and fashion week trends change from season to season, one thing that never goes out of style is having a visibly smooth, shine-free complexion. The best way to ensure an oil-free face? A primer specifically suited for oily skin that makes your face look like a real-life beauty filter. Stila’s All About the Blur Instant Blurring Stick was the unofficial primer of NYFW, keeping models’ faces perfectly blurred and mattified from the runway through the after parties.

Aside from prepping the skin and prolonging the wear time of makeup like a traditional primer, the formula’s blurring properties minimize the appearance of pores and imperfections. It’s also healthy for the skin with hydrating hyaluronic acid, plus vitamin E-rich sunflower extract to strengthen the skin barrier and rice bran extract to reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation, fine lines, and wrinkles.  

Shop now: $30; ulta.com and nordstrom.com

The Stila primer was used backstage at multiple NYFW shows like L’Agence, Sergio Huson, and Bronx and Banco, keeping models' faces looking naturally flawless thanks to its use in two applications: for pre-makeup prep and as a post-makeup touch-up to mattify wherever the face appears too shiny. It has a smooth, creamy formula that easily melts into the skin, but leaves a flawless finish without looking chalky. And best of all, it leaves doesn’t  white cast, which is what makes it particularly great for touch-ups because it won’t ruin your makeup. 

But the blur stick is loved beyond NYFW, as shoppers love its effectiveness as well. In fact, according to one Ulta shopper, the primer “really blurs” their large pore areas and “does not make [makeup look] cakey, or break foundation apart.” Another reviewer on the brand’s website called the All About the Blur Instant Blurring Stick “the best primer I have ever used,” noting it “works like a dream” and “lasts all day.”   

Additionally the stick’s tube-like packaging makes it easy to apply on the go and target specific areas of the face — though the formula is also available in a pumpable liquid version. Purchase the primer stick at Ulta and Nordstrom for $30.