Makeup primer is one of those fickle beasts. When it works, it's a game-changer and when it doesn't, it's a life-ruiner. Dramatic, sure, but when it comes to fucking with my expertly applied makeup, I'll accept no cosmetic saboteurs. Generally speaking, I avoid makeup primer unless I'm prepping for a long event because I don't like the way most of them feel on my skin. The recent exception has been Tatcha's wildly popular Silk Canvas Primer, beloved for its velvety texture that seems to marry with whatever skin care I've got on without matting-out my skin's natural-looking texture. It doesn't look like a primer. For $52, this bad boy is definitely in splurge territory, but apparently worth it since it kept selling out upon launch.

But then, E.L.F. released a product that made the internet cry "dupe!" The Poreless Putty Primer's name doesn't necessarily evoke visuals of geisha-smooth skin, but it's a functional descriptor with a triple alliteration — massive beauty Scrabble points if that was a thing. And for $8 this one also has had an annoying habit of continuously selling out since launching this past fall. Does it have the same weighty, iridescent disc of a compact and coin-shaped spatula as Tatcha's? No, of course not. It's $8. You're getting a makeup product in simple, functional packaging and that's it. L'Experience is something that's yet to take full and frivolous priority in drugstore beauty, but that isn't why we're there in the first place.

I've tried both primers with the same makeup over them to compare how each performed. Here are a couple of takeaways: