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Bobbi Brown

Vitamin Enriched Face Base.

Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base
Powder & Setting

About this product

A vitamin-enriched primer designed to prep and smooth skin before makeup application, intended to hydrate and create an even base for foundation.

Full ingredients

Guru Score

71%

Mixed

Early verdict · Few reviews so far
2Gurus
1Yay
0Mixed
1Nay

What they liked

  • Preps skin smoothly under makeup
  • Deeply hydrating for dry skin
  • Rich texture leaves skin buttery smooth

What they flagged

  • Too heavy and occlusive for oily skin
  • Feels wet and sweaty on face
  • Sits on top without absorbing on oily skin

What the gurus are saying

Those with dry skin find this primer genuinely transforms how makeup sits, smoothing rough patches and letting foundation lay evenly without the usual prep routine. However, people with oily skin report it feels uncomfortably wet and heavy on the face, sitting on top of skin rather than absorbing, which makes it impractical under makeup. The split here is stark: drier complexions and mature skin may find real value, but anyone prone to oiliness should probably skip it.
Synthesized from 2 expert reviews · most recent take August 2026

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored
~Yay
"I've been loving the new formulation of the Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base. This is a classic product, and honestly I was really nervous when they reformulated it, but I kind of like it better than the first one. It just is perfect, it's deeply hydrating, and it's fabulous for underneath makeup. It does have fragrance, which is something to take note of if you're sensitive to that, it's a pretty strong citrus fragrance, but it makes your skin buttery smooth. I've just been impressed with the new formulation."
Top Pick: makeup primer
All 5 takes from Allie Glines
#1 Skincare at Sephora: What I'd Buy for YOU! 🛍️
"The Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base is worth the hype. [...] It preps the skin so beautifully, especially underneath makeup. [...] It's nice to have skincare products that you know are going to work with makeup, especially if you [...] do your makeup every single day and you want to make sure that your skin looks and feels nice underneath."
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"So creamy and nourishing for my dry skin. I have a problem with my makeup looking very dry and rough anytime I don't prep well, which I usually can only accomplish with my full routine of cleansing, serum, moisturizer, etc. This product allows me to just slather it on in a pinch and do my makeup and have my skin look smooth and hydrated like I had a good sleep and actually took care of my skin. I also have dry skin and live in a dry climate, and when I would try skin tints or foundations they would quickly look very patchy. Once I added this base to my routine, suddenly everything started to lay perfectly smooth. I don't know what kind of magic they put into this, but it's worth every penny."
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"The Vitamin Enriched Face Base from Bobbi Brown is just a classic, an incredible product. [...] If you're a makeup artist or if you just love makeup yourself and you want it to look absolutely incredible, this is such a great product to own."
WHAT?! Trying New (Hyped) Makeup 🤨
"Bobbi Brown reformulated this, adding a super vitamin blend with five times the vitamins, supposedly more moisturizing, and I was hoping it would still be similar because it was already so good. [...] This is a classic for a reason, it's such a thick, rich moisturizer, but it feels really nice underneath makeup. [...] It has the same nostalgic, iconic scent. [...] It feels pretty similar from memory and is sinking into the skin really nicely, leaving a bit of a grip, very rich. It seems to be working as well as ever, it feels really nice on the skin and I feel like it's also contributing to how nice my complexion products look. That's a classic and a staple for a reason."
This Makeup Look is ALL I’ve Been Wearing 😍
"I've been loving the new formulation of the Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base. This is a classic product, and honestly I was really nervous when they reformulated it, but I kind of like it better than the first one. It just is perfect, it's deeply hydrating, and it's fabulous for underneath makeup. It does have fragrance, which is something to take note of if you're sensitive to that, it's a pretty strong citrus fragrance, but it makes your skin buttery smooth. I've just been impressed with the new formulation."
~Nay
"I saw Bobbi Brown's Vitamin Enriched Face Base, which I hate on my skin. It makes me feel like I'm sweating. It's far too rich. It's way too much for my oily skin. Even in the dehydrated areas, it just sits on top of my skin. It never absorbs or anything like that, which kind of tells me that it's way too much for my skin. [...] It's just way too much for my skin. [...] You put it on, it's like why does it feel like I'm sweating? Like you actually come out in a sweat."
All 2 takes from Robert Welsh
People Are LYING About liking these products!
"Even if you don't have anything else underneath or I've tried it with other things underneath, it feels like your face is instantly sweating. Like, you get this kind of cold wetness to the face, and it's like, why am I sweating even though I'm not moving? There is no way, as somebody with oily but also dehydrated skin, this would be great under my foundation. It's too rich. It's too hydrating. If an oily person asked me if they should use that product, I'd be like, absolutely not. It's way too much. It's way too hydrating. It's a lot. One hundred percent use this on drier skin, because it is vitamin enriched and it does make a nice base on some skins. But on oily skin, I'm not convinced anyone with oily skin would work with this. If we use something that's enriched and super over hydrating, we might as well just do our makeup and then throw grease all over our face and be done with it. It just won't work for us. [...] It might be a great product for some people. Mature skin, it will be beautiful. Dry skin, it will be lovely. Maybe skin that's a little bit more eczema prone. [...] Oily skin, greasy skin? You're gonna put this, what feels like I've never had it where I put it on and it hasn't felt like I've put something wet on my face."
I Can’t Believe I Wasted Money on These Makeup Products…
"I saw Bobbi Brown's Vitamin Enriched Face Base, which I hate on my skin. It makes me feel like I'm sweating. It's far too rich. It's way too much for my oily skin. Even in the dehydrated areas, it just sits on top of my skin. It never absorbs or anything like that, which kind of tells me that it's way too much for my skin. [...] It's just way too much for my skin. [...] You put it on, it's like why does it feel like I'm sweating? Like you actually come out in a sweat."

What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Vitamin C

Topical vitamin C is an antioxidant with reasonable evidence for dullness and uneven tone. It breaks down in light and air, so how a product is formulated and packaged matters as much as the percentage on the front.

Source: DermNet

Humectants and emollients

Ingredients like these draw water into the surface layers and slow how fast it leaves. The evidence is for comfort, softness and hydration rather than for changing the structure of the skin.

Source: DermNet

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is an antioxidant, and it is often in a formula to keep the other ingredients stable rather than as the active itself. It pairs well with vitamin C, though on its own the evidence for visible change is limited.

Source: NIH, National Library of Medicine

Frequently asked.

What is Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base?

A vitamin-enriched primer designed to prep and smooth skin before makeup application, intended to hydrate and create an even base for foundation.

Is Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base worth it?

The gurus mostly approve it, but with enough reservations to keep it in the middle at a Guru Score of 71%.

What is Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base's Guru Score?

Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base holds a Guru Score of 71%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 2 expert reviewers we have collected. At least one expert has named it a Top Pick in its category.

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