Is an eyeshadow base/primer necessary? Do you ever skip?
I only skip if I end up using a colored base, like a cream shadow, alone that doesn’t crease.
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I need to have an eyeshadow primer or else I will have horrible creasing.
I’m with you on this one Christine, I only skip it if I’m using my Benefit Creaseless cream shadows alone.
I don’t have any problems with creasing so I can go either with primer or an eyeshadow base (like cream eyeshadows) alone but I don’t need both.
I wear either one to prevent fading and make colours pop more. I’m a monolid and I have normal/dry skin, so I’m lucky. 😛
I would say absolutely a must! Unless I’m wearing a cream eye shadow. Other than that always!
Of course it is! However, I like using mac’s paintpots so that even if i’m having the laziest day ever, I can skip eyeshadow and just wear the paintpot as a cream shadow!
If you’re only going to be wearing eye makeup for a couple of hours, it’s pretty unnecessary. If you want your makeup to last all day, a primer really does help. I think it just makes your eye shadow look better and of course it helps w/ creasing.
I think I would be okay short term (4 hours) but it depends on the shadow too. However, I don’t skip it much anymore now that I’ve found better ones.
I always use my UDPP or else my eyeshadow creases super fast. I’m thinking of trying a paint pot from MAC though, either Painterly or Soft Ochre.
Yep, I always use a primer, TFSI. Unless I’m using a creaseless cream shadow.
I always use a primer, even under creamy bases like paint pots or cream eye shadows. Best invention ever! Otherwise my eye make up begins to crease 5-6 hours after applying it. No good when I’m out all day.
YES !!!!!!!!! sadly if I skip it my eyeshadow will crease in like 20 minutes =(
Without an eyeshadow primer I don`t even start using eyeshadow.
On a recent weekend-trip I forgot to take the primer with me – I couldn’t use one eyeshadow. So I went along only with mascara on my eyes (I felt pretty naked… :))
I’m hooked! I used to never use them and not think they were necessary, but once I got in the habit, I realized how much more vibrant my eye shadows look when I use a primer or a base, and I never have to worry about creasing, even though it wasn’t a huge problem before. Now, if I skip a day, I notice how much my eye shadow fades throughout the day and looks less vibrant than when I first applied it, and if I use anything creamy I get creasing unless I start with a base.
Rarely uses it, actually. Only when I need my mak-up to stay put and perfect, like for photos and an evening out.
Usually I am simply too pressed for time! 😛
yes!!!
it’s def. necessary!!
Oooh I looove primers! I find my shadows last longer and look better with a primer. I always use one on clients also when I apply makeup. BUT If I use a Mac Paintpot this is sufficient and no primer required 🙂
Because I have combination skin, my eyelids are a bit oily but I can do without a primer. It’s just that, once you’ve started using primers, you’ll notice the difference – it’s just one of those products that you can do without until you try it 🙂
Absolutely! With that, my eye makeup is more vibrant and last much! longer!
I have oily skin, but my eyeshadow usually doesn’t crease on me. Only in summer, but then I just skip the eyeshadow and use eyeliner.
When required. That is if I’m going to wear it the entire day or to use with products that I know will definitely crease on me.
I never skip eye primer, I have such oily eyelids that even painpots crease!
It depends, there are eyeshadows that I need to use primer on, while others a simple face primer would do. I usually have no issues creasing, I mostly use eye primers to make the colors pop.
To me it’s a must. My eyelids are a bit oily so in a few hours there’s a high chance my eyeshadow can fade away if I don’t put it on!
Absolutely without a doubt!!
Yes it is! I use Barbara Daly for Tesco eye shadow primer, it’s cheap and it works really well.
Oh, yes. My eyelids crease like crazy. I skip my TFSI if I’m using a MAC Paint or a Paint Pot, but otherwise, it’s totally necessary!
For me it’s definatley necessary.. I have oily lids so even if I use a cream eyeshadow I always use a primer under the c/e.. =)
You need as base or primer simple for longevity and to intensify colours. I can get away with using a grease pat base like MUFE flash color and set it with a powder eyeshadow to wear for 16 hour.
God Ya UDPP or Mac Painterly
For me, using a primer is not an option – I have very oily lids and everything creases within a few hours if I don’t use UDPP.
To me it’s absolutely necessary!I use to work (Urban Decay Primer Potion) and my shadow stays the same all day long…
It’s necessary for me. I have creasing even with ‘creaseless’ cream shadows so I have to always use a primer.
absolutely! whether it be a skin-toned primer or a colored base like MAC paint pots, it makes my eyeshadow last AAAAALL DAY even through a 3 mile run at the gym (no lie!) but best of all, they make my eyeshadow colors POP.
I learned about eyeshadow primers here (have very oily lids)and have since tried several. I have purchased and tried Lise Watier eye base, TFSI, MAC Paint Pot & MAC Paint. But after reading your recommendation for NARS eyeshadow primer I got a sample from Sephora and tried it against the MAC Paint Pot and Paint. It outperformed both by far! It is a fantastic product that lasts 12+ hours and really worked well for me. I have not tried UDPP. Thank you for the recommendation Temptalia, it has been worth the $$ for me.
I always use one.
Christine: after reading a lot of your eyeshadow reviews (very helpful I might add), I bought the Nars Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base. I’ve heard on Temptalia and other blogs about how great it is, so I tried it. I don’t know if it’s the consistency I’m not used to, but it didn’t work well at all for me. I was so disappointed because I’m a faithful Nars fan. I went back to using my Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Wheat. Even though the product didn’t work for me, I appreciated reading about it and trying it. I’ll probably give it to one of my friends. BTW- love the blog & keep up the GREAT work!
If I didn’t use a primer, my shadow would be patchy and gone in an hour due to my oily lids.
For me, absolutely. I have really hooded eyes and if I don’t wear primer, eye shadow creases instantly and my eye liner smudges all over my lids. I looooove primers.
I almost never skip the primer, because when I do, my eyeshadows fade much more quickly, and often they will crease. With the primer, the shadows last sooo much longer, they don’t crease, and their colors seem truer. So yes, primer has pretty much become a must for me! 🙂
I NEVER skip. To me it is absolutely essential if I am wearing eyeshadow. I have no idea how some women are able to just use concealer or foundation as a base for their eyeshadow because with me that simply does not work. The color gets dulled and muted and creases and migrates in no time. It annoys me when all the time and effort I put into carefully placing and blending my eyeshadow is for nothing because it fades and melts in less than an hour. UDPP, TDSI and Art Deco eyeshadow base are the 3 I’ve found to work for me
For me, most definitely. I just learned recently (maybe about 2 years ago) about primer/base, and I’ve been wearing makeup since I was a teenager – I’m not 36. I now know why at the end of the day my shadow color would be totally faded. Thanks to you Christine and YouTube gurus for everything I’ve learned!!!
always! I crease like crazy, even with most “creaseless” eyeshadows the only time I haven’t creased was with MUFE’s aqua creams
Only if you have creasing issues. There are those with dry skin who don’t need a primer or base.
Before I began using it, I didn’t think it was necessary, but now I can’t go without it. I won’t use it if I am going to be wearing makeup for an hour or too, but otherwise I would have major creasing.
UDPP creases, paint pots crease quite badly, I never wear them alone, it was so embarassing the first time I wore one…
It usually lasts all day but sometimes UDPP creases which isn’t good 🙁 I’m thinking of TFSI? Anyone know if that is more ‘crease resistant’ than other things? If that goes wrong I may have to splurge on NARS…anyone help?
I need a GOOD primer… I have been looking into clinique’s, lancome’s, and mac’s… but im very undecided… any ideas on a very good primer…?
did u try urban decay, too faced or lorac? all very good
I love Too Faced’s Shadow Insurance. I love Urban Decay, but I found their primer a little too runny for me. But Too Faced’s SI is amazing — it’s a nude color, and if you pat it on, let it dry, it’s perfect. I can do amazing eyes with it (most recently using Kat Von D’s True Love palette for a purple eye) and I have no issues with fading or creasing, from morning to night. 🙂
As much as I can. I don’t really have issues with creasing, but I do have fading issues and I own a lot of mineral eyeshadows (which often need a base to make the colours pop) so a primer is still kinda necessary.
primer is more important to wearing shadow than the brushes! need for both creasing and color showing up. only skip if using only a “creaseless cream” for a short time. if nothing else avail, a little foundation or concealer will work as a primer.
only exception is the lighter shades of thebalm shady lady almost never crease even without primer, just do 2 layers. I think they include some primer ingredients in the shadows
That’s interesting about thebalm Shady Lady eyeshadows. I wonder if they do have an ingredient in their shadows similar to eyeshadow primer?
Mica, Silica, Polyethylene, Synthetic Wax, PTFE, Isoeicosane, Polyisobutene, Dimethicone, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Boron Nitride, Kaolin, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Capric/Caprylic Triglycerides, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Carmine (CI 75470) (CI 75470), Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163) (CI 77163), Chromium Oxide Greens (CI 77288), Ultramarines (CI 77007)
PS– I’ve noticed they have several colors that are good dupes for MAC & UD, I don’t have all of them but if I can I’ll try swatching & send it in. ie marissa is close to X and chopper minus glitter, mary swatched close to mildew, I think wheezie was close to strip, jane is similar to mushroom (jane a bit more brown, mushroom a bit more silvery but that’s looking pretty closely).
I have oily lids so if I want my shadow to look it’s best and not fade then I need a primer or base. The only times I skip it is when I know I only want to wear the makeup for a little while, like to run a quick errand or something..then I usually do something simple with my makeup and skip eye primer.
It’s not necessary for me but I do use it sometimes. My skin is dry and my eyeshadow never creases or fades. However; a bit of primer, like a paint pot makes the color more vivid.
I usually like my eyeshadow sheer, but on those occasions when I want a more opaque look, I use a paint pot.
For me, yes. My shadow just doesn’t last if I don’t use it.
ALWAYS! I have to use a primer because I have such oily skin. MAC paint pots don’t even work as primers for me; they crease.
I have to use an eyeshadow primer (I use UDPP); otherwise, I will experience creasing no matter what.
IMO yes it is necessary. When I first started wearing e/s I used to always wonder why it creased. Once I discovered the wonders of a base, I haven’t looked back!
I’ve actually never tried eyeshadow primer. I’ve only recently discovered your blog (and am loving it!) and it’s now on my to do list!
I did get a little Urban Decay Primer Potion with an eyeshadow palette so will be digging it out.
Yes and no. As an oily lid sufferer (and is chore having my oil slicks for eyelids), I do believe an eyeshadow primer is must. However, I don’t use an eyeshadow primer, per se, I use products to “prime” my eyes for makeup: remove all the oils on my lids with a tissue & followed up with a few blotting sheets; apply a thin layer of Mehron’s Touch Up Anti-Shine; then top it off with a touch of EDM Kaolin Powder in Soft Bronze; then I use a really thin thin thin layer of Illuminare’s All-Day Color liquid mineral eyeshadows as a base for my pressed eyeshadows.
This is a lot of steps and is time consuming, it takes almost 10-12 minutes just to do my eyemakeup but my eyeshadows can be on my lids for 24+ hours and not budge – I took a trip to Australia and was shocked that my eye makeup still looked fresh, blended and crease-free 26 hours after I originally applied it.
After watching ur tuts, I became addicted, and I must say that Urban Decay’s Primer Potion is the best thing ever!! Thank u….!
My lids are oily and tend to crease with any kind of shadow so I always use UDPP.
I wer somthing under my ES every single day. It could be a paint pot, a cream shadow or simple concealer— just have to have something to hold the shadow all day.
I only wear a base (UDPP) because I have very oily eyelids. Otherwise I wouldn’t wear one.
If I am in a hurry in the morning (and sadly this is often the case) I will skip primer and always end up sorry that I did. Before I tried UD primer I thought that it was all hype but I now I am totally loyal. Primer helps the cool of shadows really “pop” and since I work 12 hour shifts, creasing is inevitable without it.
Yes. I find that eyeshadows look more vivid if there’s a base. 🙂 Also I have had problems with creasing and applying a base seems to have solved that problem.
I always use a primer If I didn’t my shadow would crease, I don’t have to use a base I just like to use them
Yes it is necessary and no, I never skip.
I always use UDPP no matter what. One day I was having a really bad makeup application day, my eyeshadow wouldn’t blend, it wasn’t as pigmented as I remember, it was blotchy on my skin.. and then I remembered I forgot to put UDPP on! I couldn’t imagine why it was going so badly, now I realize just how necessary a primer is, I don’t know how I ever did eye MU without one. xD
i think it is ish, not everyday if you powder your eyes, i tend to use a neatrul shade of pressed powder for my eyes i hav like over 10 diff powders for that but when its like an all day affair, at work all day, or doing makeup work on other people ill use on,e the e.l.f primers are good they have about 4 different ones the cheapest £1.50 is great =]
but i like the BareEscentuals ones too! xx
MUST. USE.
Yes ! It makes eyeshadow colors pop and stay all day/night long. The best one for me is from Micabella.