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theBalm Put a Lid On it Eyeshadow Primer Review, Photos, Swatches

theBalm Put a Lid On it Eyeshadow Primer
theBalm Put a Lid On it Eyeshadow Primer

theBalm Put a Lid On it Eyeshadow Primer ($18.00 for 0.40 oz.) is a translucent eyeshadow primer that has a medium-thick, spreadable consistency that applies evenly and smoothly. It’s supposed to help amplify your favorite eyeshadows as well as improve their staying power. It comes in a squeeze-tube with a needle nose applicator, so you can easily get just what you need out. The consistency was a bit thicker than I anticipated (thicker than Too Faced Shadow Insurance or Urban Decay Primer Potion), but it smooths out well so that it feels weightless once blended and spread over the lid. It feels a bit like a silicone-based face primer but not as heavy on the silicones. It takes a few seconds to dry down and “set,” and once set, it feels like almost nothing on the lid. One thing I loved was that this product didn’t separate as some tube-based primers can, so I didn’t have to worry about what I’d get upon first squeeze.

I nave normal-to-dry lids, but my eyelids are by no means impervious to products creasing or fading on me. Some products last all day without a primer, others start to crease or fade between six and eight hours into wear. As much as possible, I like to test eye products both with and without primer to get a better idea of how it wears overall, so I’ve been using this on and off for the past month. It’s easy to blend powder eyeshadows on top of it, and they don’t “stick” so you can soften and fade or blend with the shadow next to it. It also doesn’t mute my eyeshadow. For a weaker eyeshadow, it definitely helps it look more intense and apply more evenly. It seemed to prolong eyeshadows that would crease on me for an added two to three hours (so twelve to fourteen hours of wear, total). For cream eyeshadows, it only added an extra hour or two of wear (ten to twelve hours of wear, total).

See more photos & swatches!

theBalm Put a Lid On it Eyeshadow Primer
theBalm Put a Lid On it Eyeshadow Primer

theBalm Put a Lid On it Eyeshadow Primer
theBalm Put a Lid On it Eyeshadow Primer

theBalm Put a Lid On it Eyeshadow Primer
theBalm Put a Lid On it Eyeshadow Primer

theBalm Put a Lid On it Eyeshadow Primer
theBalm Put a Lid On it Eyeshadow Primer

theBalm Put a Lid On it Eyeshadow Primer
theBalm Put a Lid On it Eyeshadow Primer

23 Comments

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Caroline Avatar

Nooo! Do not waste your money!! This is NOT good for oily lids. I received a sample of this in a birchbox. I have quite oily skin and lids. I couldn’t believe how badly this worked for me. I much prefer Too Faced shadow insurance or bareMinerals (I actually find this to be better than shadow insurance and UD primer potions… I use the brightening pearl which is a white-ish color to bring out the eye shadow color).

I honestly would have to say this is one of the biggest product disappoints I have ever had. It worked that poorly – on OILY lids.

Danii Avatar

It looks greasy when its blended out, but if it works it works and that’s all we can ask for. I’ve never tried anything from theBalm…XD The price, a bit of a lack of interest, etc. I hope that, whatever product I try first, is a win for me.

Mariella Avatar

Agreeing with Nicole. I haven’t tried this primer (don’t know if it’s even available in Canada at the place where I can buy TheBalm) but everything else I’ve tried, especially their eye shadows and the Mary LouManizer highlighter, has been great.

Jen Avatar

I’ll third that! TheBalm does excellent eyeshadows and also some great lipsticks. Their powder blushes are among the very best IMO – extremely pigmented, but easy to blend. Oh, and yeah, Mary Lou-Manizer is awesome if you don’t mind a bit of shimmer in your highlighter.

Jeanatte Avatar

I got a sample size of this in my Birchbox and I absolutely love it! My lids get a bit oily… But this works great! Glad to know others have had a good experience with it too!

Kelly Avatar

I’ve been hearing so much about The Balm lately…on youtube and on blogs.

It definitely looks a bit shiny in the swatch, but if it works for powder eyeshadows, I’m all for it!!

Emelie Avatar

Thank you very much for reviewing!! Would you say this is better than Urban Decays Potion Primer? I still havent decided for what primer to buy and your opinion would help a lot!

Christine Avatar

Sooo, UDPP creases after 7-8 hours on me, so it’s not an effective primer for me – but it works for most people, so I say that being a rare exception. UDPP Eden works for me, though, but it is a thicker, more opaque primer. My favorite is NARS’ Smudge Proof, though! This is close!

ilona Avatar

I didn’t like UDPP either nor the Stay don’t stray by Benefit. I was about to get the Smudge Proof by Nars based mostly on your review. At 29$ for 0.28 oz vs. this one at 18$ for 0.4 oz, would you still recommend the Nars one? Thank you very much!

xamyx Avatar

If this were much less expensive, I’d consider putting in the extra effort to procure this. However, the pricepoint is on-par with UDPP, LORAC, & Kat von D, all of which work very well for me, and I can just walk into any store to pick up.

Valerie Avatar

I have to pick this up! UDPP (the matte one) & Too Faced have a tendency to crease on me, just like you Christine, and if TheBalm works for you I need it in my life!

Jasmaine Avatar

tho i havent tried the primer yet ( i have so many tubes of primer to go through) i did order this on hautelook not to long ago.. i love all the balm products so being as tho i have mostly all the blushes and mary and betty i grabbed this… hope it works for me as well as it did for you

kgll Avatar

I found it interesting that you mentioned that this formula seems thicker than the Urban Decay and Too Faced primers. I find this primer incredibly emollient. I’m getting rid of the rest on my face. I wonder if TheBalm changed the formulation.

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