I used to always use MAC Soft Ochre Paint Pot but find it is too thick/opaque for what I want. I prefer something thinner and translucent these days.
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My first MAC Paint Pot was Soft Ochre, but it looked pasty on me, so I bought Painterly, which works much better. I use it mainly when I’m doing a heavier evening eye look. My most-used daily eyeshadow primer, however, is the lightweight, translucent NYX Proof It Waterproof Primer that I’ve been using for many years. I even use it under brow powder. I dot it on and rub it in with my finger, and my eye makeup stays put until I take it off.
I was married to MAC Paint Pot in Painterly for years and graduated to UD for a while which was O.K. but with my eyelids having some discoloration was really too colorless for me personally. I tried Chantecaille
eyelid primer in the stick, but found it way too dry and thick for my now aging lids, as was the MAC Painterly it just emphasized the beginning wrinkles…Now I have been using the Rare Beauty one and have been loving it..Very smooth and tinted..has been working good for me lately….
I used to use Urban Decay, and I still love it. But I’ve switched to higher quality shadows and cream shadows over the years. I can’t be bothered with the extra step. The pandemic also permanently changed behaviors like touching and rubbing eyes. I also love not having to scrub my makeup off at the end of the day- I don’t really want my shadow to last 9+ hours.
Urban Decay Primer Potion. I loved the original formula, but have heard such bad things about the clean reformulation that I’m afraid to buy it.
Used to love UD primer potion and MAC/Smashbox 24h eye primer. They don’t hold up as good as they did on my oily eyelids
It’s gotta be UDPP. I’ve been through so many incarnations of it, from the much hated “genie bottle” to the squeeze tube with the narrow nozzle (love that one) to its current incarnation of a doe foot AND what looks like a squeeze tube but isn’t. I think they must have reformulated it because it’s just not good at all now compared to how it used to be. I’m not willing to repurchase it and I rarely use the tube I have (once in a while to see if it’s my imagination that it’s so cr*ppy).
Almost everything? I’m giving UD Primer Potion in Eden another shot, as that one never irritated my eyes. Would love to be able to get more Nyx Proof It!, but didn’t see it on Ulta’s site anymore, so IDK what happened to that one. Even though I love the smoothness I get from the heavy hitters like MAC 24HR Eyeshadow Primer or the similar one from Smashbox, they seem to not like my eyes or something?
I used to swear on Too Faced Shadow Insurance and Urban Decay Primer Portion… but nowadays they seem… meah. Now it’s all about the ABH and MAC eye primers, they seem superior in so many ways.
A couple of my favs no longer work for me. I have mature, very textured and hooded eyes
1. MAC paint pot in painterly. I still find this shade absolutely perfect, but struggle to find the balance between enough coverage for underlying discolouration and the product emphasizing texture. It’s clunky.
2. ABH eye primer. For the same reason above.
I’m using Laura Mercier eye basics in shade linen. It’s not perfect either, but I seem to be able to get better coverage using a thin enough film to not emphasize texture. In terms of my hoods, I don’t think it is as good as ABH at preventing transfer, but the lesser of two evils.
I used to love the Too Faced eye primer, but now I’m finding my lids getting oilier as I get older; the Fenty eye primer is great for being sheer, oil control, and for makeup longevity. I’d love some more recommendations though!
I use to use UD’s Primer potion but that is now hard to get here. When I am wearing primer all over my face I use the Nude by Nature Airbrush primer on my eyelids as well.
But when I want to have just an eyeshadow primer on, I am now using Mecca’s Eye potion and that is turning out to be excellent.
Hey Genevieve: Is the Mecca product coloured or colourless? I have veins and wrinkles and hoods.. and LOL
I used to love the Milani eyeshadow primer so much, but I think they changed the formula at some point, or my eyelids just got more oily because eyeshadows would crease on me when I used it. So I switched to an OG, the UD Primer Potion and haven’t had an issue since!
Personally, unless you need the eyeshadow to make it through a sweaty summer or thunderstorm, I never use eyeshadow primer. I did to follow the trend for a couple of years and then I just stopped without a thought. Haven’t missed them. I’m one of those that often puts foundation on my lid and a base eye shadow color, so I really don’t see the need (for me).