Is e.l.f. Matte Putty Primer worth it?

Yes. All 3 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 79%.

What is e.l.f. Matte Putty Primer's Guru Score?

e.l.f. Matte Putty Primer holds a Guru Score of 79%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 3 expert reviewers we have collected.

Who is e.l.f. Matte Putty Primer best for?

e.l.f. Matte Putty Primer is generally suited to oily skin.

e.l.f.

e.l.f. Matte Putty Primer.

Powder & Setting

Scan it in the shopFree iPhone app. Scores in the aisle.

About this product

A putty-textured face primer designed to smooth skin texture, blur pores, and create a matte base while controlling oil.

Full ingredients

Water (Aqua), Cyclopentasiloxane, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Dimethicone, Ceresin, Glycerin, Silica, Capryloyl Glycine, Lauryl PEG-10 Tris(Trimethylsiloxy)silylethyl Dimethicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Propylene Glycol, Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Sodium Chloride, Aminomethyl Propanol, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Kaolin, Charcoal Powder, Disodium EDTA, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Alumina, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Wax, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol

Guru Score

79%

Yay

Early verdict · Few reviews so far

3Gurus

3Yay

0Mixed

0Nay

What they liked

Controls oil, creates matte base
Blurs pores and skin texture
Works well as an eyeshadow primer

What they flagged

Can be tricky for those sensitive to poreless primers

What the gurus are saying

This primer earns consistent praise for creating a smooth, pore-blurred base and taming the T-Zone without feeling heavily matte. Experts appreciate that it holds makeup in place all day on oily skin while maintaining a natural, satin finish rather than a flat, powdery look. One note: a few found it made their pores more noticeable, though most counter that applying it by pressing and pushing (rather than rubbing) into the skin works best, and some have discovered it doubles as an excellent, affordable eyelid primer that helps eyeshadow blend and wear beautifully.

Synthesized from 3 expert reviews · most recent take May 2025

Best for

Oily skin

Type

Powder & SettingCream

Formula notes

Fragrance-freeNo drying alcohol

Where to buy

Ulta → Amazon → Google →

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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

Robert Welsh

1.11M subs

✓Yay

"My first go to product is the Elf Matte Putty Primer. It's super affordable and perfect for controlling oil and creating a smooth matte base. Trust me, it keeps your makeup locked in all day long without breaking the bank."

All 4 takes from Robert Welsh

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"I then put on the e.l.f Poreless primer and the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush setting spray."

ASK ME ANYTHING | Live Q&A

"If you've used something like the E.L.F. Matte Putty Primer and haven't had luck with them, just give it another go. With pore filling primers, a lot of them you'll find are very siliconey and slippery. They don't do anything. But the E.L.F. Matte Putty Primer, you almost want to use it like a putty. You want to push it into those areas that are porous because you don't want to rub it up and down."

Would You Steam Your Makeup?! Pro MUA Reacts To TikTok Hacks!

"The E.L.F. Poreless Putty Primer [...] is made to help smooth out skin texture, pores, and things like that. What she does is warm up the product, which is a great thing to do with makeup and foundation. [...] When you're rolling and pressing, you're pushing that product onto the skin, keeping it in place, and therefore achieving a more smoother look on the skin, on the nose, any larger pores. It's a really really good technique."

Allie Glines

829k subs

✓Yay

"I'm still very much loving my e.l.f. Matte Putty Primer, but technically that was a favorite from last year so I wanted to make sure to include things that I tried this year and really fell in love with."

All 6 takes from Allie Glines

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"This is actually a dupe for the Tatcha primer, the putty primer that they released. I personally like this one more. It blurs pores and gives a good base for all day wear. It keeps makeup from sliding around on the oily parts of skin and keeps the hydration in skin from skincare, drier parts don't flake and oily parts don't move."

The NEW e.l.f. LIQUID Putty Primer 🙉 Is it different?

"This is a nice putty texture. [...] I love how this works. I feel like it really does smooth the pores out, and you can even see compared to those two my pores look less visible on this side, which is really nice. It feels lightweight to me. [...] This one kind of feels like you're pressing it into the pores, it's sitting on top of the skin but not in a bad way."

Trying ALL Drugstore ALLURE WINNERS 2023..

"This product won best matte primer, which I'm really excited about because I personally love this stuff. This is the e.l.f. Matte Putty Primer. I think it's so good, so I was happy to see that this won an award. What's cool about this one is they have a steals category for drugstore, more affordable products, but then they obviously have other categories for just eyes, just face, just lips, and this one overall won best matte primer in drugstore and high-end."

Makeup YOU Said You'll NEVER Buy Again..

"I personally actually really do like this one. I feel like it's better than the Tatcha one."

The Makeup I'm Thankful For This Year

"I just love that it's affordable. It grips foundation so beautifully but it smooths the pores. It's so beautiful."