Archived Post
Rant & Rave: Lash Primer
This Week’s Topic: LASH PRIMER!
Your Mission: Tell us what you love, hate, or are otherwise indifferent to about under lash primer. What drives you bananas? What makes them necessary?
Explore Temptalia
We're here to help you make better beauty purchases that you'll enjoy and love! We recommend signing up to take advantage of personalized features like tracking products you own, viewing dupes that you already have, and more!
Here are some useful resources for you:
Compare Any Two
Curious how two shades compare to each other? Type in the shades below to get instant side-by-side swatches!
49 Comments
Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!
Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).
We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!
Comments on this post are closed.
We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!
I use the Lancome Cils Booster religiously and it makes a huge difference in my lashes, whether I use Hypnose Drama or a lesser quality mascara. It makes such a difference I won’t be without it!
I’ve only used a primer once as part of that XXL 2-in-1 mascara. It made my lashes freakishly huge. I’m not sure if that’s a rave or rant…
I’ve never used it; I don’t find it necessary, really.
Lash Primer has become a must. It has saved my lashes. There was a time when I would lose 4-5 lashes per day, per eye!! I have a back up of Mac’s Prep & Prime that I will turn to shortly, but I’m open to other brands.
I used lash primer for a bit… and I didn’t really see the point. I mean, yes, it fattens up your lashes, but I always thought that looked rather odd on my face. But eh, that’s just my take.
Same feeling about them as well.
they are not all created equal. I love Lancome lash primer!!!
I have to say I’ve bought Urban Decay’s Lash primer at least 3 times and it is not helpful at all. I use clinique and it does provide better volume than just using a mascara. Unfortunately I can’t afford Lancome’s lash primer even though I’ve heard good things about it.
That’s interesting Alexis, because I LOVE Urban Decay’s Lash Primer.. I find it really conditioning to my rather brittle lashes and that their Supercurl Mascara adheres to my lashes much much better with the lash primer.
The only lash primer I’ve tried was part of a double ended L’Oreal mascara (the Double Extend?) and it didn’t do much for me, aside from make my lashes look like a clumpy mess. Since then I’ve been put off buying them, since I’ve gotten better results by just layering mascaras and curling my lashes.
I’ve never used a lash primer. Thankfully, my lashes are long and thick so I don’t need one.
I use Chanel Base Beaute religiously under my Chanel Inimitable. It just makes my lashes so much longer. My best friend didn’t believe me and was astounded when she finally tried it!
I wouldn’t be without it, despite it making my mascara rather pricey!!
I LOVE makeup forever’s lash fibres. It gives my eyelashes so much length and I can never live without it. It’s my holy grail product!
Yes! Me too! Mufe lash fibers and then the Mufe Smoky lash!! Love it!!
I haven’t used a primer before. For my face, yes, but not my eyelashes
Urgh, MAC’s Prep + Prime Lash did NOTHING for me. Waste of £10 🙁
Dior DiorShow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum & Primer
Improves the way mascara goes on, and also conditions your lashes.
Definitely the best on the market!
Hi Joan! Does it leave a white residue or it clear?
I’ve used UD’s lash primer and it’s ok, but I bought a tube for my mom and she LOVES it. She has small eyes and short/light lashes, so it works great for her!
I have uses MAC prep and prime its ok… I can definitely see the difference… I had a deluxe sample of one by Prescriptives again it was ok… when I get some extra funds I will try either dior, lancome or chanel… I have thin short lashes with no curl to them at all…
I love the Lancome Cils Booster lash primer. I use it with Maybelline’s Full and Soft mascara and they work super well together. I’ve heard good things about Hard Candy’s 1,000 Lashes primer, I might try it because it’s so much less then the Lancome one.
got the HD one. Love it. Great for filling in sparse brows too. Just need a wet mascara to cover it.
I love MUFE lash fibers it adds fibers to the end of my lashes making them much longer, but i also love MACs lash prep and prime because i had one short lash that made a gap in my lashes, and after 2 weeks that short hair grew to its full length! so MACs prep and prime is more nourishing but MUFEs lash fibers is more lengthening.
Don’t understand it, aren’t mascaras supposed to do what lash primers are doing anyway? If you need a primer to fatten up a mascara, just get a better one?
I love the Lancome Cils primer. It works great at keeping my lashes seperated yet thickens and lengthens them. It also is great under colored mascara.
I’ve tried Smashbox (helped lengthen a little bit), Lancome (lengthened a lot, but straightened the curl), and Dior (not bad but not as good as the other two). I’ve also tried a L’Oreal one that came in a 2-sided mascara – this one was awfully clumpy, but thinking back, it may have been the black mascara part that was clumpy, not the primer. I threw it out so I can’t try it again.
I’ve used Smashbox’s lash primer everyday for the past several years. It makes every mascara I use it under perform so well and separates my lashes before applying mascara so they doesn’t clump.
I’ve only used L’Oreal’s double-extend tubes, and I wasn’t a fan. It made my lashes stick together like whoa the first time I used it. I tried one more time, on the off-chance the first time was a fluke, but nope, still Clump City. CoverGirl LashBlast is way better.
I hate lash primers. I have one from Lancome that makes my mascara too clumpy. Even if I let it dry, or put mascara on right after I put on the primer.
I love, love Lancome’s Oscillation Powerbooster. It separates my lashes really well for my Hypnose Drama mascara. Many people ask if I’m wearing falsies. Plus it stopped my lashes from falling out when I take off my eye makeup. Totally worth the money.
I’ve tried the Clinique lash primer, and I HATED it! It was awful and you could still see the white of the lash primer even with regular mascara on :p! However, I now use the Shiseido lash primer and it is AMAZING!! It’s clear, and it gives such volume and length to my eyelashes that sometimes when I am going for a really natural face, I’ll just use the lash primer and it makes such a huge difference. I love the Shiseido eye lash primer!
I recently splurged and purchased the box of potions from UD’s website because it was on clearance, and I was a bit iffy about the lash primer, but I looove it. I have long thick lashes but they’re sparse – so using the primer potion really helps to add the volume I need, so that when they’re curled and have mascara on them I don’t need to add extra coats of mascara that usually end up in a clumpy mess. The primer makes my lashes look the way I want them too 🙂
I have only tried lash primers by Smashbox, Loreal and Nars. I need to curl my lashes and these did not hold the curl. Is there a lash primer that holds a curl?
I use the shiseido nourishing mascara base and it keeps my curl all day 🙂 its the best one ive tried, i actually never liked any other ones because they would still show up white, but the shiseido one dries clear 🙂
I hated the Clinique primer too Abby! As soon as I put mascara on top of it my eyelashes look clumpy and gross. I’ve started putting it on at night before bed hoping it will somehow moisturize my eyelashes, but I think it was just a waste of $13.50…honestly, it seems like an unnecessary step in my morning routine.
I only have one lash primer – the Clarins one – because it can transform ordinary mascara into waterproof. I don’t often wear mascara but if I do, I will often top it with this “primer/sealant” because I want to avoid under eye smudges (something I’m very prone to).
I’ve only tried a few but they all made my lashes very clumpy, so generally I don’t really use them.
I just don’t find them necessary. My lashes aren’t spectacular, but I wouldn’t say they’re lacking either. Any boost I need, I get from my Rimmel Sexy Curves.
Eh, the only time I ever used a lash primer it seemed like there was just way too much product on my lashes.
I prefer to use a lash curler and then mascara.
I hate white lash primers. They are visible under mascara. You may not think so, but you don’t put mascara on the tops of your lashes. If you look down or close your eyes, the white is visible.
I have used Lancome Cills – but really my all time fav for a long time has been Garden Bontaika lash primer. It came out long before others knew what lash primers were or shadow primers. I have used and loved these 2 products for at least 20 year and they remain best sellers for Garden Botanika. AMAZING products.
I’ve tried both the Dior Maximizer and MAC’s lash prep + prime. Honestly, I liked MAC’s primer better, it helps plump up my mascara (no matter which brand or formula I use). I found Dior’s weighed my lashes down. What’s the deal with Lancome, specifically, ladies?
The Shiseido lash primer is awesome – old and new versions. I have repurchased it a few times, and I adore it. It conditions my lashes, makes any mascara waterproof, and my lashes are always fluffy, longer, and softer with mascara on top. They have changed the formula and/or the packaging, but I don’t see any real difference in the new formula. Others have said they don’t like the new formula. However, it’s my favourite.
i have MAC’s lash prep + prime & it works really good. i don’t use everday, but it’s good for an ‘every-so-often’ product. 🙂
I have Urban Decay’s lash primer, and I hate it. It weighs my eyelashes down so much that you can’t even see that I’m wearing mascara. No curl or eye-opening effect when I use that stuff!
I don’t care for Lash Primers I don’t feel like they do what they say. Granted I haven’t tried them all, but what I have I just feel it’s a waste of money! Seems like many ladies like it though, so maybe one day I’ll give another one a try…
I’m pretty indifferent when it comes to lash primers. I don’t really have a use for them. Mascara is the one area of my make-up routine I like to spend the least amount of time on so primer is an extra step I don’t want to take.
As an older beauty junkie, I love my lash primers. The ones that CONDITION, like Tarte. Really. If you have lash problems, a good hair and nail vitamin, Latisse, and lash conditioner is vital. If you need to condition your hair, you will also benefit from a good lash conditioner/primer.