Hi fellow nomads,
Today I bring you a slightly Maxi Review Mondays, which is a roundup of one of my favourite types of product, eyeshadow primers.
Eyeshadow primers were basically a game changer for me. I have oddly oily eyelids (despite having the driest face known to man – thanks, face) and eyeshadow either vanishes or creases on me in about 20 minutes flat if I don’t use a primer. As usual, I have the world of blogs to thank for this revelation and after realising that a whole world of eyeshadows may soon open up before me, I spent a while researching my first purchase.
Well, I'm a few *ahem* purchases in now, and I feel able to write a synopsis of those primers which I've loved, loathed, and just not cared for.
Urban Decay Primer Potion // This was my first purchase and first love. It goes on smoothly, has a bit of pigment in it to disguise any colouration but nothing too strong or corpselike, and once it sets it does stay all day and it does make my eyeshadow stay all day. It’s pretty expensive but I’ve used my tube roughly 3x per week for a year and I’m only just in danger of running out.
Too Faced Shadow Insurance // I got this in a bit of a sale bargain tester pack, and have been nothing but impressed ever since. There’s very little difference between this and the Urban Decay, in fact I’d probably find it hard to distinguish between them in a blind priming test (sounds awful – maybe let’s not do that). Perhaps the Too Faced is slightly lighter in texture. Perhaps it’s slightly paler in colour. Perhaps not. It’s a great product and I’d happily buy it again.
Elizabeth Arden Advanced Eye-Fix Primer // See my review here. I think this is a great primer, however it’s just slightly drier than the Urban Decay and Too Faced primers, therefore drags on the eyes a little more. For that reason alone I don’t love it quite as much as the other two – but it’s still a great product.
Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer // This is not a good primer. I expected more from Smashbox. I’ve talked about this before here; I got a small size of this in a box of miniatures. Given the price of this product, it just doesn’t perform at all. It’s very dry in the tube and difficult to apply, it drags your eyes like a mofo. Also, by the end of the day my eyeshadow had creased.
Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Permanent Taupe // I must point out, I loathe this in the context of use as a primer. As eyeshadows, the range is fabulous. But as primers, they’re useless on my eyes and crease fairly rapidly. It’s a shame, as they come in such lovely colours. Others with better behaved eyelids may enjoy these more.
Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Wheat // This is pretty good, I mean, it does stay all day and it does provide a good base for my eyeshadow. The reason it’s ended up in this category is because I don’t love it, and here’s why – it’s quite dry on application, which means it can drag. It also has a tendency to settle slightly into creases before it sets, and then you have beige coloured creases in your eyes which are impossible to budge. It’s not a deal breaker, and I suppose that’s testament to the longevity, but I prefer other primers.
And my quest is not over yet. On my list I still have the NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, the NYX HD Eye Shadow Base and the L'Oreal De-Crease Eyeshadow Base. I'll let you know my thoughts on those as and when I acquire them...
What's your favourite eyeshadow primer?
-Rachel
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