I Test Hundreds of Beauty Products a Month, and This French Moisturizing Primer Remains Unrivaled

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If you’re a regular makeup-wearer then you know that a skincare product that works well on a bare face doesn’t always translate to one that works well when layered under makeup. I have serums I love on a bare-faced day, but that I know to avoid wearing with foundation because they make my complexion muddy, patchy, or excessively oily.

Coming from someone who frequently wears a full face of makeup, a product that works equally well in both scenarios is hard to come by. That’s why I’m going to let you in on one of the best: Embryolisse’s Lait-Crème Concentré. I first discovered this  French drugstore priming moisturizer over a decade ago, and it’s solidified its place in my starting lineup ever since.

When I first began using Lait-Crème Concentré, the beauty world was a different place. Products fit very neatly into their respective buckets — something was a skincare product or a makeup product but very rarely, if ever, both. Embryolisse’s priming moisturizer was an anomaly. Now, hybrid beauty products are everywhere, however, the Lait-Crème Concentre remains far superior to the rest.

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Shop now: $13 with code SUN (Originally $16); dermstore.com

“Lait” is the French word for milk, and that’s certainly the  most accurate way to describe the formula’s texture: it’s thin, white, and liquidy; your skin immediately soaks  up all that hydrating goodness. I apply four small milky dabs  across my face — one on each cheek, one on my chin, and one on my forehead. Then, I use the pads of my middle and ring fingers to gently massage it into my skin, taking extra care to ensure I’ve covered every inch of my face. It’s also a body moisturizer so I’ll wipe any excess on my my chest and shoulders.

The result is dewy, hydrated skin with a healthy sheen and a plumpness that will leave people asking for your secret. My skin remains impressively soft and moisturized throughout the day — so much so, I can skip my regular midday face mist. Even at the end of the day, when I wash my face, my skin still feels noticeably hydrated.

Over the last 10 plus years, I have gone through dozens of tubes of this stuff, and t at $16 a bottle, it will continue to be the  product I will use for eternity. Right now, for  Dermstore’s Memorial Day Weekend sale, it’s 20 percent off with code SUN. BRB, I’m buying two tubes of Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré as a gift to my future self, and I highly recommend you do the same.