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146 Comments

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Fani

I’m in love with Shadow Insurance of Too Faced. I have oil eyes and it’s the only one that the shadow stays in the eye for many hours. How many? 12 hours!

Jamie A

I second Too Faced Shadow Insurance. I have oily lids and have tried UD Primer potion in original and eden. They both crease whereas TFSI does not.

Audrey

I’m with this one, I LOVE Nars primer. I let mine sit a little and it holds onto my color, never creases on my oily lids, and can really let my colors blend.

I like UD but I like the texture of Nars better and how it feels on my eyes.

Ellen

I really like the Too Faced Shadow Insurances (both original and candlelight). I’ve had great success with them helping make my eyeshadow last all day. Also, the Candlelight adds a pretty gold sheen to your eyes, so I make sure I add it all the way to my brow for highlighting!

Ani_BEE

I’ve been using Lime Crime Eyeshadow Helper since June and I really like it with my semi oily lids. Too Faced Shadow Insurance has been a good one to use for many years but I find the Lime Crime Eyeshadow Helper also intensifies the colour a bit more. *_*

Laura R

Urban Decay Primer Potion. Works great for me. I like the Eden too, but the original is so versatile that I have to say it’s at the top. Eden’s more matte, so depending on the look you’re going for it may or may not work.

Kristabelle

I hate to say it, because i reallyy hate the company, but I can’t live without Lime Crime Candy Eyed shadow helper. It really brightens colors and keeps them on forever, I always have fading with UDPP. I feel bad every time I order candy eyed but I really do love it.

Chloe

Lime Crime is the most unprofessional, most fraudulent makeup company known to man. I second that I hate that company. I’ve also heard that the woman who owns it is known to just crush up brands like Coastal Scents and sells it as her own shadow/pigment. Definitely DO NOT like Doe or her company.

Trina

Urban Decay tops the list as best overall, but ironically I like Too Faced Glitter Glue shadow insurance with UrbanDecay glitter shadows such as midnight cowboy.

Chelle

Urban Decay Primer Potion, the original one.

Sin is awful – the stuff gets everywhere and you end up having shiny places on your lids where you didn’t want the shine!

NeenaJ

Certain brands of shadows work better for me with different primers.

Chanel, Inglot, The Balm and any mineral shadows get Too Faced Shadow Insurance to bring out their full glory

Everything else gets Urban Decay Primer Potion.

For anchoring eyeshadow as liner or wetlining, Inglot Duraline kills it.

Jae

My favorite/HG is NARS primer. I’ve used several different ones and have always come back to NARS – no creasing, absorbs quickly and hands down the.best! =)

Carly

I used Urban Decay Primer Potion for a while and loved it, but I decided to try something new. I’ve been using MAC Painterly Paint Pot & it normally works very well. I’ve had a few times where it’s creased, but I think I didn’t use enough. (I have very oily skin)

Jessica

Top 3: UDPP or Too Faced Shadow Insurance for basic primers, Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Flax or Wheat(?) if I want to even out the color, too. UDPP or TFSI + Laura Mercier for SERIOUS staying power (but sometimes can be a bit drying if used to often).

Liz

UDPP, it was the first eye primer I bought and it works wonderfully. I haven’t tried any others because if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

Amelia

I love UD primer potion and NYX eye shadow base.

I have a friend with oily lids and she said milk of magnisia (totally spelt that wrong) works wonders as a base for her

Jude

I like MAC Paint Pot in Painterly as an eye primer but for a bargain eye primer I recommend ELF Lid Primer, I picked it up from Target when I was on holiday in the USA last year for $1 absolute bargain and works very well 🙂 Jude x @jadlgw

Misato-san

Too Faced Shadow Insurance.
Loving it from 4 years, I tried other products but it stands out to me so much… make up lasting all day and more (I tested over 20 hours) and I have oily lids.

nitnot

Just a verdict from someone with VERY oily lids:

UDPP – creases in a couple hours, then oily mess. Hard to blend.
Bare Escentuals Primetime Primer Shadows – 4 hours then creases. Then oil mess. Also migrates. But beautiful on the eyes.
MUFE Aqua Eyes – lasts pretty much all day with some fading after 6 hours. Some oil, but very tolerable.
UD Shadow Pencil – haven’t worn past 4 hours but up til then, still pretty much perfect. Wish they make matte shades.

t_zwiggy

The best one for my lids is NARS Smudgeproof. But even with that primer and good quality eyeshadows I get some creasing after about 5-6 hours. I can usually get 3-4 hours without creasing with UDPP and maybe 2 with TFSI (but the last one fades and smears on me). Poor quality shadows (like NYX) only last about 1 hour on me (regardless of primer). Without any primer everything creases withing 5-10 minutes. I really hate having super oily lids 🙁

AnnC

I thought i was the one! My first primer was UDPP, my eye make up used to last all day. I dont know what happened but it stopped working, and ever since I hv tried Lorac, MUFE, NARS and so far NARS is the best to prevent creasing, but only for 4-5 hours, 6 if i’m lucky.

nana k

i used to LOVE Bobbi Brown shadow sticks for years until they were discontinued; then i moved onto MAC shadesticks, which are okay, but they are also not permanent. now these three are my faves:

NARS smudge proof eyeshadow base
MAC paint pots with matte finishes
MAC select moisturecover concealer (for me this is a bad concealer, but a great base for the lid)

Katrina

I wonder if body chemistry plays a role in how the primers work, since the same primer doesn’t work for everyone. L’Oreal De-Crease was the worst for me. I hope that Maybelline 24hr Color Tattoo eyeshadow comes out in a nude color; their formula makes a great base.

amy

I don’ have the issue of oily lids, nor are the particularl dry, so I can get by with a bit of Maybelline concealer stick. Long ago, I used Max Factor Erace, in white, or Wet N Wild, but those have been sadly DC’d. It took some trial and error before I finally settled on Maybelline’s formula. It costs about $6, and lasts a really long time. I can’t say if it holds as long as say UDPP, as I remove my makeup after only 6-8 hours.

Marie

NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow base, hands down.

I tried the Urban Decay Primer Potion, and it creased on me after a few hours. Still better than without it, but I need my eyeshadows to last longer.
I liked the Too Faced Shadow Insurance until the product started seperating after a couple of months.
So I turned to the NARS one, and it works wonderfully well.

MonicaP

None. I mean they all crease on me and I’ve tried them all from Urban Decay, Nars, Two Faced, Benefit Stay Don’t Stray .. etc.

Makeup Forever Aqua cream shadows are probably the best for me with the least creasing .. guess I’m just an oily eye lid gal 🙁

Ali

I know this feeling. I’ve tried a good deal of those super popular primers (Nars, Two Faced, Benefit, etc.) and have had immediate creasing issues – Benefit’s will crease before I even get my shadow applied! Used to use Urban Decay but a recent change had my lids increasing oil production (my skin may be better than ever but my lids are imitating the Exxon Valdez spill), so UD is now out.

Bare Minerals worked for a small while (guess my lids weren’t used to it) but now only last a couple of hours.

A combo of UD and Kat Von D (because I love that sparkle/shimmer primer) will give me a few extra hours these days.

For a cheap solution, I’ve found that Nyx (the pot works better than the one in the little tube) works decent well. Still, it doesn’t have that extreme staying power you’d want and need for a long day.

For my go-to these days, I’m a Laura Mercier girl. The primer in the little tubes (like lip gloss) works the absolute best, but they don’t give the colour punch that you’d get with using the UD primer.

Laura Mercier’s new primer (in a pot) is supposed to be for oily lids exclusively, and I can definitely attest to it working. You’re supposed to apply with a brush only (which I don’t always), so that makes it a pain. But it does dry relatively translucent and does give some of that oomph to shadows like you’d get from the UD primer. The Sephora reviews on it are surprisingly bad, but I’ll say that this was pretty much my last option before giving up eye shadow except for night outs and other [short] events [that don’t involve dancing and/or heat].

Katrina

It seems counterintuitive, but I find that it helps a lot if I apply a gentle moisturizer on my eyelids the night before. Otherwise, my eyelids get crazy levels of oil trying to overcompensate for lack of moisture. The rest of my skin and my eyes (inside, eye drops for this to prevent watery eyes) do the same thing.

Mel

MAC paint pot in Painterly. Nothing works like that one does for me. I personally have never understood the U D primer obsession as they do nothing for me.

Stefani

Too Faced Shadow Insurance, I was actually really surprised how long it lasted for me, I wore it to a concert where I was in the crowd for hours and my eyeshadow stayed all night long!

Miss J

The two that work the best for me are MAC Paints and Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original.

I’ll give a lil background info… I have a fold in my eyes/slightly hooded lids, and that spot gets SUPER oily. My entire lids are oily, but even more oil collection in that crease. Without eye shadow primer, my eye shadow disappears within a few hours. The first eye shadow primer I ever tried was L’Oreal De-crease, which didn’t do anything at all…applying that product was the same as if I didn’t put any primer on at all. The next product I tried was MAC Paint in Bare Canvas, which I did really like. Paints are a drier formula, so it worked well, but I would still get fading and creasing in the fold of my eye. I was told by a girl at MAC to try UDPP, so I did, and when I first started using that product I didn’t experience fading or creasing, but then maybe after 6-8 months of using it, I started to notice creasing again. WompWomp. 🙁 I thought maybe it was just because it was an older tube or something, so I repurchased and also got the Eden formula, too. Unfortunately, UDPP never went back to fully working for me, but I haven’t found anything better for my oily lids, yet. Eden seems much creamier, and even when I get a pin sized dot of product, it still spreads out too much and never dries down enough to not crease and fade. I’ve also tried Paint Pots and Shadesticks (MAC) as well as Too Faced Shadow Insurance. I love the tones of Painterly and Soft Ochre as well as how they feel on my lids and grab shadows, but they do crease on me more than UD. Shadesticks didn’t crease, but tugged too much at my lid, and my lids always felt tight after using the product…plus, they applied splotchy anyway, so wasn’t my favorite. TFSI didn’t work at all for me. I thought because it felt tackier than other bases that it would grab, hold in place, and intensify shadows better, but it seemed to dull down that colors, and it creased. I’ve tested NARS Smudgeproof Base on the hands, and it feels like it could work on the eye, but for the price tag + little amount of product, I just can’t bring myself to buy the full product.

Are there any other primers out there to try? I know I wrote a novel above, sorry! I just get so discouraged from putting on eye makeup because I spend the money on good quality products and the time to pick colors, apply, blend, etc. And then it only last nicely for a few hours. 🙁 Waaah.

Shemariah

Bare Escentuals Prime Time Eyelid Primer, hands down the best! I don’t understand why UDPP is such a beloved favorite, because it creases on me within 2 hours. I tried waiting for it to dry, not waiting for it to dry, didn’t matter. It always creased. I also tried the Nars primer and got the same results. Finally I tried the Bare Escentuals Primer and I found my HG! It holds up for 12 hours on me, and probably would hold up longer, but who wears make up for more than 12 hours? You should try it. Good luck!

Jackie

I have the same problem with my lids.. I noticed that painterly works better if I put a little on my crease area, then spread it up and down from there.. and don’t use too much.. also Benefit Stay Don’t Stray is like a holy grail primer for me, I put it on the same way, dot it in my crease, then spread it out from there, a little goes a long way.. Also, if you go to sephora, ask the people on the floor for samples of primers you want to try, they’ll be happy to oblige, then you don’t break the bank on shtuffs that won’t work for you. 😉

Janelle

Yay my question made the list!!! I’m currently using Urban Decay and I have tried Mac paint pots and Laura Geller spackle. I like UD the best. I still have problems sometimes. I use the All nighter spray by UD sometimes and it helps. Just wanted some other choices! THANKS!!!!

Lisa Rose

BH Cosmetics Lip and Eye Primer works very well; a little too well. You have to use a skin tone lid color first to blend colors, but the shadows last all day. I also like UDPP – Original.

Mariella

For long wear and providing a perfect “blank canvas” on my lids, hands down it’s UDPP in the shade Eden. For long wear, good ol’ UDPP (the original) and for providing a blank canvas and reasonable wear (though not summer sauna weather/14 hour plus wear) MAC Painterly Paint Pot. So, “best” is really Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden.

Sandra

my new favorite is Nars smudgeproof. Easy blending,doesn’t change color of the e/s and keeps shadows for many hours without creasing

Makaegan

Just out of the plain old primers (keeping paint pots, aqua creams, etc out of the mix) I’m definitely most impressed with the Nars eye primer. UD and Too Faced are good, but I always feel that they start to wear off about 8 or 9 hours into the day. But I’ve worn the Nars for nearly 48 hours–all day in the California sun and then through an overnight flight–and it didn’t budge. I’m still working on using up my other primers, but after they’re gone I’m undoubtedly sticking with the Nars. It’s amazing.

Jennifer

Lorac Behind the Scenes Eye Primer

I much prefer this to Urban Decay since it controls oiliness much better and has a smoother, more spreadable, consistency.

Krystal

Control Freak by Glamour Doll Eyes.
It’s so smooth on your eyes and you barley use any of it. Last’s all day long without any creasing. It’s all natural and made by hand by the lovely Vee (owner of GDE) It only cost about $12 or so (can’t remember exactly) and has .39oz of product in a nice little air tight tin.
I am so in love with it. I find it works so much better the Urban Decay Primer Potion.

Tessa

My ArtDeco primer is the best. 🙂 I am currently trying out UD, but I don’t think it’s that great. It creases after 5 hours. I wonder why this ‘holy grail’ doesn’t work for me..

Christine Harper

By far and away, Laura Geller waterproof eye spackle!!!

I have oily eyelids, plus seasonal allergies which can cause my eyes to water – so the product has alot to overcome. It is a creamy formula in a brush pen, so very easy to apply and blend. Let it dry for a couple of minutes and apply your eyeshadow – works for creamy as well as powder eyeshadow formulas.

I have tried many eyeshadow primer products over the years (I am in my fifties) and this is the only one that works.

barbiewithmuscle

I’ve never like UD or TFSI. For the longest time I used the Laura Mercier which will ALWAYS be in my collection, and finally watched gossthemakeupartist talking about the lime crime primer. OMG… Did a gross test. Kept my eyeshadow on without creasing for 36 hours and I have hooded eyes, THAT should tell you something.

Liz

I’ve tried them all, seriously. And they always crease horribly on me, maybe I’m doing it wrong? But so far, my favorite and the best I’ve tried are MAC Paint pots, love ’em. It’s like painting on a smooth, blank canvas.

Alexandra Escobar

I have so many primer’s such as NARS, UDPP, Too faced, MAC paint pots, etc, but I love Lorac: Behind the Scenes primer. I feel it doesn’t get enough acknowledgement. It’s great. The consistency is like UDPP but I think a whole lot better. I also like Kat Von D’s primer in the flesh tone shade.

Keyonna

I used to LOVE UD Primer Potion but I got a sample of tarte’s Amazonian Clay Eyeshadow Primer and love it more! I find myself reaching out for it.

Diana

Too Faced Shadow Insurance. I found that Urban Decay PP creased on me by noon. Something about the ingredients just didn’t agree with me. With my Shadow Insurance, my shadow lasts all day until I take it off (sometimes at 10pm or later).

Madison

i use anything. right now i switch between urban decay and too faced. if i don’t use a primer then i get creasing but it doesn’t matter too much which one i use. although i was using e.l.f for a while but it doesn’t last that long so I through them out after going out all day and my bold eye makeup creasing on me half way through =(

I always use a m.a.c paint pot on top of them though.

Tinkerbell

mac paint pot in soft ochre! i find it a bit dry and it tugs my lids, so i apply it with a damp brush. once set, it doesnt crease.
i use it more as an under eye concealer than shadow base, and it stays all day long! love it!!

Ana

Too Faced Shadow Insurance… It feels so smooth on my lids and really works!
UDPP it’s quite drying on my lids and my shadows crease!

Veronica

I have fairly dry to normal skin with little oil on the lids, but I do have a very sharp crease and deep set eyes that cause folding on the lids themselves and crease makeup easily.

The first primer I ever tried was Sephora brand, and I was surprised at how well it lasted on me. It does start fading around eight hours, and I had the tiniest bit of creasing in the outer corner, but otherwise it wore quite well.

The only UDPP I have was a sample that came with my Naked palette. It held up decently, but I didn’t have the AMAZING results a lot of friends talked about. I actually had fading in about about the same time as the Sephora, though it did anchor it slightly better. Still vascillating over whether I was impressed enough to go for the full tube. I think I’m more likely to try something new, like Too Faced’s.

I also have to add that I envy anybody who can use cream shadow/paint pot/pencil (NYX jumobs, espcially) as bases for eyeshadow. If it’s even slightly sticky or dry, it causes outrageous creasing on my lids. o_0

Ginny

I think that the best primer is Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin. It’s perfect if I don’t have time for eyeshadow and just want a nice gleam, but its also perfect to put under shadows so they don’t budge and the shimmer comes out in them.

Felicia

Lorac’s “Behind The Scenes” eyeshadow primer is an even better version of Too Faced Shadow Insurance, which was my holy grail primer for years and years! It works on every type of skin and holds for hours and hours. I got it in my Lorac Unzipped palette (which is probably one of the the best palettes of all time – so gorgeous), and fell in love. I’ve fallen asleep with my eye makeup on by accident, and when I wake up? No exaggeration, it still holds perfectly and my makeup still looks beautiful…not to mention, there’s never any on the pillow!

EVERYONE should try it. Love, love, LOVE.

C_Justine

Hard decision: I love the Urban Decay potion primer, but because of the package I’m going to vote for Shadow Insurance of Too Faced! Great stuff! And you can cut the package at end to really use it all.

Emily O.

Reading my Bust magazine this month and they had a small feature on Doe Deere. I sort of felt violated. Do people know her business ethics and still choose to patronize her business? This is a completely honest question.

I still haven’t found a primer that works, I have NARS, Pixie Epoxy, UDPP, Benefit, Laura mercier, and TFSI, Le sigh.

Alison

For me it really is UD primer potion. I used to use Too Faced Shadow Insurance, but my eyelids suddenly became super oily after a dry winter and UDPP kept my eyeshadow the longest of any of them. I couldn’t go an hour without creasing when I used anything else.

Mel

Too Faced Shadow Insurance is my HG primer, it lasts forever and it blends wonderfully. I used to use UD Primer Potion but after awhile it made my eyeshadows look muddy and it took forever to blend.

Michelle

For super sparkly shadows, Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy on top of UDPP or ELF $1 Primer.
For mineral shadows and things that need a boost of color intensity, Detrivore Eyeshadow Primer.
For shadows with decent pigmentation, UDPP or ELF $1 Primer.

🙂

Tara

My eyelids get oily through the day but I wouldn’t say they are very oily. I’ve been using Coastal Scents primer (about $10) and it’s been great for me. I’ve tried UD Primer Potion and I can’t really tell the difference between the two aside from price. MAC paint pots are great too as well as Maybelline’s 24 Hour Tattoo cream shadow and MUFE Aqua Eyes. . Neither have creased or faded when I’ve worn them.

Veneeta

I have to say TOO FACED SHADOW INSURANCE is the best and I have tried many but hands down, if I fall asleep wearing TFSI I will wake the next morning to have my eyeshadow be as vibrant and crease-less as when I put it on!!

jennifer

i use the nyx hd eyeshadow primer in the black tube and it is my HG shadow primer! i’ve also tried the e.l.f. eyelid primers and they are okay, but the nyx is the best i’ve tried. being vegan, i cannot use the UDPP or the TFSI as they both contain lanolin derivatives.

Helix

UDPP! btw all of them 🙂

Lasts at least 16h, after 24h I get a little fading. I wore it 48h straight (not on purpose) and slept with it, and my eyemakeup still looked good!

My absolutely holy grail! <3

L1onQueen

I have disgustingly oily lids and have to use UDPP AND a MAC Paint Pot daily. Individually they do nothing for my lids. TSFI didn’t work for me. Next my list to try is the Bobbi Brown primer.

Diane

Bare Escentuals PrimeTime eyelid primer is my HG!!! (The original, not the colored ones.)

This primer holds my shadows ALL DAY, even in humid weather. (It does allow some creasing in really humid weather after about 8 hours, but it truly holds my shadows without any creasing ALL DAY in cooler temps.) Also, I am allergic to a lot of cosmetic ingredients (perfumes, lanolin, etc.), and bareEscentuals Primetime eyelid primer is allergen free for me. My only complaint would be the price of a tube (about $16), but the tube does last me several months and I use it EVERY SINGLE DAY. You only need a small bead to do both eyes… I squirt out a bead and rub it with both of my ring fingers and pat it over both eyelids. Works like a charm!

Krista

Urban Decay hands down, because it really does live up to the hype, but on an everyday basis, I can use the ELF just to avoid creasing.

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