I think it’s well-worth using for someone who routinely wears eyeshadow, even if one can find formulas that are longer-wearing. I like more translucent, silicone-like primers that help smooth out the lid and improve adhesion, grip, and longevity but aren’t tacky or thick. I find the latter difficult to apply and blend out over.
— Christine
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I started to use face primer on my lids or foundation instead. I used the UD one for years and then tried the NARS, but when I ran out I used face primer and it was a bit….tackier? But it really held onto the color.
With the right eyeshadow primer (NYX Proof It Waterproof is my HG), I have nothing negative to say. For me, it’s an absolute must under powder shadows, keeping them perfect all day long.
I like that the one that I use (MAC 24 Hour Extend) feels like nothing on my lids and grips like iron. I don’t like having to wear it but I don’t want to end up with an oily crease at the end of the day and I can’t remember which formulas I need primer for and which ones I don’t so I just wear it all the time.
I ike the ABH primer formula but I don’t like that it gives a chalky color to my lids. When I run out of my current tube of MAC, I want to try NYX – I’ve heard good things.
For me, eyeshadow primer is a necessity due to the combination of very hooded lids, still having an oily crease, and always having had issues with eyeshadow creasing up on me or allergy tears eating up my eyeshadow. Therefore, I do “love” it for helping out with crease proof wear. However, I have yet to find one that can withstand my allergy tears. I believe mine are possibly too alkaline or acidic for primer to be truly effective at preventing this from happening. The answer? Never forget to use my Flonase if I’m going to wear eye makeup! ?♀️
There are so many waterproof eye area cosmetics but I’ve yet to find truly tear-proof products (other than mascaras). I have several year-long allergies, sinus problems and crazy sensitive eyes… *sniff sniff*
I love and NEED a good dry-down eye primer. I would not be able to wear eyeshadow without one, because I have super-oily, somewhat hooded lids that crease everything in mere minutes. I also love how primers make shadows wear longer, work better, and bring out the colors better.
My favorites are Too Faced Shadow Insurance and UD Primer Potion in Enigma. The best DS primer I’ve found is Milani’s, though I’ve heard NYX’s is very good and I want to try it. If I want a white or black base, NYX’s Eye Shadow Base in White Pearl and Black are great. (Not the White, though. It doesn’t dry down.)
A good glitter glue primer is essential if I want to wear glitters and keep them out of my eyeballs. Too Faced’s and NYX’s both great for me.
I don’t like primers/bases that don’t dry down all the way. They crease on me just as bad as cream shadows do…sometimes worse.
Thanks for sharing. I have the same problem with the regular nyx white shadow base. Didn’t know the white pearl was better.
I view ES primer as an absolute necessity. Finding the right formula for your skin and eye issues remains the challenge. I’ve had various successes in the past using products other than specific ES primers for the purpose, but at this point I am a convert and fully on board. ES primer. I like that it keeps eyeshadows truer longer, minimizes or doesn’t draw attention to my texture, and more than adequately covers my discoloration.
Pet Peeve alert: That said, I still prefer paint pot or concealer on my lower lash line and outer corner as I find primer gets too stiff under my eyes and my shadows don’t blend as well especially my outer corner. Primer seems to aggravate and create watery corners and I really really despise cakey patchy or overly heavy harsh or uneven outer corner. It ruins an eye look for my type of eyes and it makes me super pissy. ? (they even have a watery corner emoji)
You have to experiment..like everything.
Oh and ABH eyeshadow primer all the way.
All the way off course! 😆 When I was just scrolling the blog my first thought was that Christine started reviewing the ABH primer and I was excited. Eye shadow primers never get me excited, but that one got me from the excellent formula to the annoying packaging that oozes. It’s the first time I repurchase the same eyeshadow primer in a row. Sephora has it now as a point perk, and I encourage everyone to try it!
I simply really love eyeshadow primers, end of! I’m in my 60’s and remember the days before UDPP (and its successors) and the only eyeshadows that would last on me were these “automatic” eyeshadows from Estee Lauder (they were like the cream doe-foot applicator shadows that are still around today). Everything else creased like an accordion! (I did always wear eye creams too, which didn’t help). I’ve rarely met an eyeshadow primer I didn’t like but I have to say that the newest tube of UDPP I got is disappointing me. My last one – which lasted ages – was the squeeze tube with the thin, needle-nose tip. My newest one is with the doe foot and it simply doesn’t seem to do nearly as good a job.
I get your gripe with the applicator, Mariella, happened to me too. Ended up switching to Too Faced Shadow Insurance which is a squeeze tube.
I have oily lids and hooded eyes, eye shadow primers are a must for me!
I love tacky formulas, with lots of silicones, preferably in squeeze tubes, my favorites are Anastasia Beverly Hills Eyeshadow Primer, The Balm Put a Lid on It, Smashbox 24Hours and Urban Decay Primer Potion (only the Anti-Aging one). I don’t like primers in a pot, since they are both too creamy and unhygienic for me. Even the ones with a doe foot are a pass for me, although the Primer Potion is sometimes an exception.
Beyond making sure my eyeshadow do not move or crease all day, I like that a great eyeshadow primer (like the ABH one) is amazing for setting the bridge of my nose; I wear glasses at work and I hate those marks.
Forgot to add the Too Faced Shadow Insurance on my favorites list. ?
thanks for the info about it being good for setting the bridge for glass wearers! Will try with my Too Faced Shadow Insurance
My oily, hooded eyes would look like a hot mess in no time without it. My favourite is Too Faced Shadow Insurance and Milani’s as a drugstore alternative.
I don’t like eyeshadow primers if they are too tacky. I found NARS to be a little too tacky, making blending difficult. Next, I’d like to try ABH’s.
Like Seraphine, my favorite e/s primer is the NYX Proof It and it does impart a little lid smoothing which is perfect. I could only wish it would completely smooth my lids but short of plastic surgery , that is not going to happen. I like my primer to dry down a little. Anything with too much grip just makes putting my shadow on a royal nightmare. I have very hooded eyes so e/s primer is a must.
I’ve tried a bunch to see if they could compete with the best (imo), but always go back to UD Primer Potion.. the original formula. My back ups have back ups (I always get them as samples or when they are on sale, a little sample/travel size can hold me over for quite a few months to half a year) I have oily lids and as I get older my lid space is getting droopier so primerless is just not an option. I actually like primer though and have used it since high school because I feel like it gives me a nice canvas to work with. I’ve always seen a difference in wear time with primer on my eyes. I have friends who don’t need it and I would love if that were the case for me, but I need a primer to smooth out my eyelids and grip the shadow. It is just part of the routine!
I have very oily, semi-hooded eyelids, so if I want my eyeshadow to last without creasing more than 2 hours, primer is a must.
I view it as necessary. You wouldn’t paint a wall without using primer! I use the Wet n Wild one and it’s so good that if they ever stopped making it, I would stop wearing eyeshadow.
I have such a deep dark complexion, so in order to get eyeshadow to pop on my eyes a primer is absolutely necessary.. I use P. LOUISE and it changed my life.. It’s amazing…
As someone with oily skin and therefore a high tendency to have shadow crease, primers are a must for me! My FAVORITE is Nars Smudge Proof. I know we aren’t supposed to sleep in our makeup but one time when I had to work crazy early at Ulta on Black Friday, I literally slept in my makeup, went in at Iike 4am, worked a full shift and then came home and my makeup still looked so good that I took a photo I was so impressed. Lol. Before that, the only primer I had found that worked all day for me (yes better than UD too) was Bare Minerals Prime Time eyelid primer – the original that comes in a tube. There is nothing worse than spending time perfecting an eye look and then have it crease a few hours later. No thank you ma’am.
I actually don’t use a specific eyeshadow primer, just an all over primer that also works on the eyes – Nude by Nature airbrush primer. I find it extends the life of both my foundation and eyeshadows. I have been using this primer exclusively for the past few years and I have never experienced a problem re irritation at all.
I always use eye primer. I prefer Mac paint pots in painterly. I’ve had it for years and apply with a brush and it dries right down.
Abh is ok it takes such a teeny bit and is such a stark color. I set my transition area with face powder or self color eye shadow powder. I have hooded eyes and the sparkle usually gets on the transition area somewhat no matter what I do.
My fave used to be Too Faced Shadow Insurance until I discovered Wet ‘n Wild Photo Focus Eyeshadow Primer. It’s even BETTER than the Too Faced one! I have found that the Too Faced one sometimes separates on me in the tube and when I squeeze it out, it comes out liquidy. The Wet ‘n Wild one doesn’t do that and it makes my eyeshadow stay on PERFECTLY with NO creasing. Love it!
For me an eye primer is a must mostly for color correction but I guess it helps with adhesion too. I don’t have oily lids. My HG is definitely UDPP in Eden which has a pale yellow undertone which covers the discoloration on my lids. If I’m in a rush, I would slap that on, add liner and a lipstick and I’m done. This winter I’m mostly using up other formulas that I have that are more moisturizing, too slide-y in warm weather but perfect for cold. That includes the old By Terry Hyuralonic Primer which I don’t think they still make, and a MUFE concealer which I apply all over the eye area as a color correcting base. I have so many backups of UDPP, it’s ridiculous.
I definitely see a difference in staying power and in the blendability of my eye shadows. I use MAC PREP + PRIME 24-HOUR EXTEND EYE BASE and, as long as I can afford it and it is available (or if I accidentally come across smth better) I will not apply my eye shadows without it.
I used to always use es primer, UD and other brands but began having a problem where my makeup separated where face and eye products met. Very bad looking. I have switched to all face primer, usually TF Hangover or Laura Mercier Radiance primer with good results. I also recently received a sample of a stick type es primer from Sigma. That seems to work well too but have only used it a couple times. Fingers crossed.
I love that eyeshadow primer prevents my eyeshadow from creasing and can intensify color and texture, but I wish there was a way for it to prevent my eyeshadow from crumbling in my crease when my eyes water and the tears get into my crease… which happens nearly every day, so I have to go back in with more eyeshadow to fix it.
It’s an absolute must for me. I like that it keeps my eyeshadow lasting all day and covers the veins on my eyelids. I also like that I can get more pigmentation with my eyeshadows depending on whether or not I set the primer with powder, so I can really adjust my method for whatever formula I’m working with. I don’t like that they can sometimes emphasize dryness or dry the lids out.
Currently looking for something comparable to Urban Decay Eden that’s a bit less drying.
Like many previous makeup lovers posting, I have hooded, oily lids and creasing is a force of nature with any kind of eyeshadow, even long wearing ones. Most of my facial skin is dry and in the winter, I tend to get flaky skin too. Add in some eczema and this is a disaster for wearing eye make-up, but it is my favorite type of make-up so I have been in experimentation mode forever to make things work. UDPP works wonderfully but in dry seasons (hello, Winter!) I tend to get flaky skin in the outter corners with really drying formula like the UDPP and even with the MAC paint pots. Also, I love the MAC paint pots but as age is climbing, my lids are more hooded and now even those crease. The only primer I have found that lasts all day with no creasing and no drying out the lids is the NARS smudgeproof. I really like the doe foot applicator, it helps me not waste product. TF Eyeshadow insurance is nice too, but the NARS is the best for my aging skin. At a higher price point, I save it for the dry seasons and I can use UDPP or TF Insurance or glitter glue in the summer. I have found the MAC 24 hour primer does work so I may try that one next after the NARS runs out which looks to be a long time away. I would like to try the Milani, NYX, and the Wet N Wild ones mentioned but I doubt any of them will be better than NARS. That said, I am conserving the NARS for winter and spring. I have also tried the Marc Jacobs primer and it’s just as good as the NARS but it is not less expensive. I only mention it since it may come as a sample and that sample I have has lasted a long time so if that was available at a good price point, I would use it also. It does not dry or crease but the NARS lasts longer.
My fave e/s primers are from Essence Cosmetics and Urban Decay Primer Potion (Original) in the tiny squeeze tube. I don’t buy UDPP’s that often anymore since it’s very expensive where I live (Switzerland), and the one from Essence works just as well and is a fraction of the price, even though I don’t like its doe-foot applicator (the only negative point about it, IMO). If UDPP was less expensive here, I’d buy it more often. Perhaps I should stock up next time I go visit my family in the US. ?
Also, I prefer e/s primers that are light neutral beige colored like Essence’s or UDPP. It helps make the e/s colors pop if the base color of the primer is similar to concealer. I never liked primers that were clear/translucent and/or had glittery/shimmer finishes.
Yes, I need a good primer. I tend to get crease grease so I can’t have anything too liquid. I really like a pot primer, like NYX. I apply with a concealer brush (which I don’t even use for concealer).If I don’t have something like that available, concealer is a good sub.