Saturday, September 28, 2013

Eye Primers: Worth the hype?


Everywhere you turn, one makeup company after another has some sort of eye shadow base.  They all have the exact same claim: that they will keep the eye shadow you worked so hard to perfect in place, all day, no creasing, etc., etc.  I'm calling shenanigans on this.  It really boils down to one factor: Do you have oily lids?

I do.  As I said in my Smooth Away post, I have combination skin.  My T-zone and cheeks are oily while the outer perimeter of my face varies from normal to dry.  Guess what area falls into the oily region of my face?  My eyelids. 

 (This isn't me, but I feel like this is what I am dealing with)



I started using my first ever eye primer when I was in college and became OBSESSED with all things bareMinerals. Seriously, I chucked out all of my other makeup and only used their products, because for whatever reason, they made my skin look amazing.  

(Look at all the pretty colors!)

The Prime Time Eyelid Primer was pretty good; it did what I asked of it, keeping my eye makeup looking good for a night out on the town.  Then I started student teaching and I needed my makeup to last all day and into the night.  Well, this just didn't hold up to the task.  In fact, the majority of the makeup started to look rather haphazard by about 1:00 pm (I would go in about 7:30 am, so having put on my makeup prior to this we're talking about 6 hours later).  I had always had the ability to do touch ups throughout the day if I needed them, but now that I was chasing Kindergarteners around, It just wasn't possible

 (Me during student teaching.  Loved these kiddos!)

I did some research and stumbled upon the Urban Decay Primer Potion.  When I found this, I was pretty sure I had discovered a gold mine.  This stuff works, but there was a bit of a downside.  I started to notice that my eye shadows weren't blending as well.  I love to create drama on the outer corner of my eye while brightening up the inner tear duct and I was having difficulty creating my favorite looks.  I kept using it anyway, because when I did finally get my makeup the way I wanted it, it would stay all day and, frankly, all night.  I know this because sometimes I would be so tired after teaching, planning, working afterwards, and then more lesson planning, I would fall into bed without taking off my makeup.  (Don't do this.  Really.)  However, I couldn't get over the nagging feeling that I shouldn't have to settle.  I wanted the best of both worlds.

(Creating a look like this was nearly impossible)

In come the M.A.C. paint pots.  I started my M.A.C. obsession in the summer of 2012 as I am drawn to highly pigmented products and this store had 'em to the extreme.  The clerk causally asked me what primer I used and we both agreed it was a great primer but she had the same difficulty with it that I did.  She suggested the paint pot in Painterly.  She told me it had the exact same wearability and could blend shadows without any problems.   

She lied.  Well, not entirely, because it did blend well, but about an hour after applying it, the creasing began.  For a long time I used my products together.  I'd put the primer potion on my lids, let it dry, put the paint pot on, let it dry, and BAM, long lasting primer that blends well.  


But that nagging feeling always came back.  Why do I have to use TWO products to get what I need?  It's just not fair!  Well, I was watching one of my favorite YouTubers: MissGlamorazzi and she ALSO has oily lids.  She talked about how she started using Nars Smudge Proof Eye Shadow Base and that it worked wonders for her.  So I picked it up on my last trip to Sephora, and I am really glad I did.  This stuff is pretty great.  My eye makeup lasts all day and I can blend my eye shadows.


I will still finish my other products because I hate to waste makeup, but it's nice to be able to quickly put a base on without having to worry that I am taking too much time or that I am compromising the quality of my look. 

Tell me what your favorite eye primer is in a comment below, or hit me up on Twitter & Facebook!

XO - Bekah

No comments:

Post a Comment