I Put 3 Makeup Primers to the Test During a 3-Day Music Festival

Published on April 17, 2025 at 10:20 AM

PS Photography | Renee Rodriguez

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Most music lovers and festival-goers know that April marks one of the biggest and most well-known festivals in the world: Coachella. As someone who loves both music and festivals, chances are high that you can find me there in the desert every single year, sweating my butt off.

This year marked my seventh time going to Coachella (I know, I'm wild), and one thing I've learned from my many years attending is that getting my makeup to last all day (and night) is no easy feat. Number one, because you're outside in the hot sun, and number two, because you're still outside all night when the temperature drops and it becomes cold and windy.

For anyone who hasn't been before, let me break down a few things for you. Unless you're staying at an Airbnb close to the Empire Polo Fields (where the festival takes place) or camping, you're most likely sleeping at a hotel an hour or so away from the main entrance. The festival opens around 1 p.m., so when you put makeup on in the morning or early afternoon, it needs to last you through at least an hour car ride. From there, once you get dropped off, it takes another 20 or 25 minutes to walk to the actual entrance.

Once you're inside the festival, there are ten different stages and tents where you can see music, and they span the entire polo fields. If you're there all day and bouncing around from stage to stage, you're walking anywhere from 10 to 15 miles a day — sometimes more. Add in the fact that it's windy, hot, and dusty — it's essentially a recipe for disaster when it comes to makeup.

So, you need your products to last, which is why I decided to put three different primers to the test over the first weekend. Keep scrolling to read how they worked for me and to see some (marginally unflattering) photos of me after spending all day at the festival.

(P.S. If you need some festival-specific suggestions for setting sprays, we've got those too.)

Neutrogena Invisibly Radiant UV Primer

Neutrogena Invisibly Radiant UV Primer ($12)

I love that this primer has SPF 30 already built in because it meant I didn't need to layer sunscreen onto my face prior to applying makeup. This is a water-based primer, so in order to avoid pilling, it should be used with water-based base makeup products. It has a slight tint to it that looks like a light beige color when it comes out of the bottle, and it didn't leave a white cast on my skin, but I'm unsure how it would look on someone with dark skin.

The texture felt a little greasy at first, but it blended out well and left my skin with a velvety finish after it dried down.

Neutrogena Invisibly Radiant UV Primer

From

$12

My Makeup After 10 Hours Using Neutrogena Invisibly Radiant UV Primer

I wore this primer on Friday when I was at the festival for around ten hours, and it kept most of my makeup in place. I have sensitive, acne-prone skin, and this product didn't break me out either, which was great.

I plan to reach for this primer whenever I'm using water-based products and when I need a makeup primer with SPF built in, like when I need my makeup to last throughout a long day when I'll be spending time in the sun.

Rating:★★★★☆

One/Size Secure the Sweat Primer

One/Size Secure the Sweat Primer ($15)

This was my first time using the One/Size Secure the Sweat primer, but I'm very familiar with the viral One/Size setting spray, so I had a feeling that this product was going to be a winner. This one is also water-based as well as aluminum-free. It promises to absorb sweat and even tighten pores. It's made with squalane, and for someone who suffers from dryness, that was a major win.

One/Size Secure the Sweat Primer

From

$15

My Makeup After 11 Hours Using One/Size Secure the Sweat Primer

I decided to try it out on Saturday because it's always my longest day at the festival. I was there for a whopping ten hours and walked 21.3 miles, in both the blistering heat and the dust-filled nights.

I did have some issues with peeling around my nose, but that may have been due to the fact that I was wiping it constantly because it was full of dust, dirt, and grime. Otherwise, I noticed a bit of fading around the center of my forehead and my cheek area, but in all honesty, I don't think that could have been helped by any primer in the world, given the long hours. One other thing to note is that this is a magnifying primer, so it didn't leave me with much of a glow. Overall I'll reach for this product when I want to go for a matte look, probably at night.

Rating:★★★★☆

Refy Glow and Sculpt Face Primer

Refy Glow and Sculpt Face Primer ($34)

Sunday was a tough day all around because I was miserable because I felt sick. I loaded up on DayQuil, Zyrtec, and nasal spray, but I still didn't look my best. I opted to use my go-to primer, the Refy Glow and Sculpt Face Primer. It's also water-based and has niacinamide to give skin a glowy, radiant finish.

I'm genuinely obsessed with the way this product rolls onto skin; it goes on a bit tacky, but I've found that it works well with my makeup and helps it last. Plus, it's hydrating, which was perfect for how dry it was in the desert over the weekend.

Refy Glow and Sculpt Face Primer

From

$34

My Makeup After 8 Hours Using Refy Glow and Sculpt Face Primer

Now, don't let my 2 a.m. selfie fool you — I know I look a little worse for wear, but I was wiping my nose nonstop (hence the redness), and my eyes were watering for the majority of the night. I promise this primer works wonders, and if I hadn't been wearing it, I can only imagine how much worse I would have looked at the end of the night.

Rating:★★★★★

PS Photography | Renee Rodriguez

Renee Rodriguez (she/her) is a staff writer and social producer for PS. She writes across all verticals, but her main areas of expertise focus on fashion and beauty content with an emphasis on reviews and editor experiments. She also produces social content for the PS TikTok and Instagram accounts.