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).

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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