Prime Time

With work, parties, Christmas shopping, and a never-ending holiday to-do list, this time of year can send a girl's schedule into overdrive and force her makeup to work overtime. One solution to making sure your skin is as dewy and fresh-looking at 9pm as it was at 9am? Adding a primer to your beauty routine. Not only do they subtly illuminate skin, correct tone, and blur imperfections, they create a smooth canvas for foundation, powder, and concealer. Here are four I've tried and liked, each for very different reasons.

1. Principessa Beauty Bella Balm BB Cream ($36 at BeautyMark or on principessabeauty.com) bills itself as a universally suitable BB cream, but its sheer colour pigments and non-greasy, silky texture make it an ideal primer. Skip your morning moisturizer and apply this generously before your makeup. Bonus: the natural ginger and white tea fragrance is delightful, and the formula is paraben- and sulfate-free.

2. Dior Airflash CC Primer ($49 at Sephora) is a fast-absorbing, lightweight godsend when getting ready in a hurry. Shake well and spritz in a quick Z zigzag motion 4" away from moisturized skin, or for more control, spritz a face brush and apply. The sheer formula subtly conceals imperfections and imparts a noticeable luminosity instantly.

3. Givenchy Mister Smooth Smoothing Primer ($42 at Sephora) is a best bet for those new to primers. The white formula goes on silky with no chalkiness and is suitable for all skin tones.

4. Lise Watier Luminous Correcting Primer ($39) comes in a rainbow of shades to correct different tone concerns like darkness, sallowness, and redness, or to illuminate. Don't forget to blend well!