My Must Haves: Eyeshadow Primer!

My first Must Have is... drum roll please... Eyeshadow Primer!

Prior to using primer, I pretty much stuck with one or two eyeshadow shades- a really light lilac and a random brown.  I would try other shadows but nothing would blend well, everything would fade and crease on me within hours and if I attempted to wear eyeliner? Hello raccoon eyes- everything was a melted hot mess by the end of the day. 

Then, three years ago, the planets aligned and my friend Janae introduced me to her friend's makeup blog, Classy Cosmetics where she talked about Urban Decay Primer Potion.  This, THIS, is what I had been searching for! 

What are the benefits of using an Eyeshadow Primer???

• Your shadows will having something to cling to (rather than sliding around an oily lid) and really maximize the shadow color- vibrant shadows will stay vibrant!
• Prevents Creasing and Smudging- I always apply from lid to brow and under my eye as well
• Keeps your shadows looking fresh and just-applied all day long, there is no fading
• Depending on the type/shade of primer, they will give your shadows a different effect/sheen

All of the above is totally worth the simple added step of smearing primer on your lids.  Trust me, if you wear eye shadow, you NEED this! 

If you'll remember from yesterday, I mentioned how much I love having options.. and options, I have for you!  You're Welcome.  :) 

 click below to view a larger picture of the swatches

('swatches' is a makeup term for when you swipe a product to show off it's shade)

Urban Decay Primer Potion aka UDPP: 

$19 for .37oz in a squeeze tube at Sephora or $18 for .34oz in a bottle with a doe foot applicator at Ulta

• Original is a sheer nude
• Eden is a matte Tawney
• Sin is a shimmering champagne
• Greed is a metallic gold

My Thoughts: I loooove the original UDPP as well as Sin and experience zero creasing with them.  Those two are my favorites and I have purchased the original twice (and wouldn't hesitate to do it again) and I'm still working on my huge XXL Sin bottle that I bought over a year ago.  Sin compliments most skin tones and can be worn on it's own but it's a little on the frosty side so I prefer to at least dust another shadow on top of it. I will sometimes have a tiny bit of creasing with Eden but this is fabulous for when you're using a matte shadow and truly want it to remain matte. It's very yellow based and need very little product so that it's blended out without being noticeable.  If you are someone that has redness to their lids, Eden will really neutralize the red and give you an even toned lid to work with).  Greed has some sparkle to it and will also give your shadows a metallic sheen to them.  This is not a primer that I can wear on it's own as I am much to cool toned to pull off all that yellow.

Helpful Hint: Urban Decay usually includes a mini bottle (which is about 1/3 the size of the original bottle) of their primer with their palettes, this is a great way to try it out (that's how I collected my Eden and several of the Original bottles) or you can purchase those alone for $9.

NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base 

$24 for .26oz in a bottle with a doe foot applicator at Sephora

• There is just one formula and it is truly a nude matte base

My Thoughts: This stuff is the bomb.com.  I got a little bottle of this as a Sephora Points Perk and it works every bit as good as the original UDPP.  If you want your shadow to show up without any influence of a base, this is your friend. Should there ever be a day where I ran out of mini UDPP's I would purchase this in a heart beat.

Too Faced Shadow Insurance aka TFSI:

$18 for .35oz tube at Sephora or Ulta

• Original is a sheer nude
• Candlelight is a shimmering (light) gold

My Thoughts:  Unfortunately, the original TFSI creases on my oily lids just a little bit, it's enough that I don't use it. My friends with drier lids just love this stuff though and have zero problems.  Sometimes the formula will separate a little in the tube so you just need to squeeze it a little prior to using, don't ever apply it directly to your lid!  I got Candlelight as part of a set and I don't have a problem with it creasing. It's a really light gold (much lighter than Greed) and while I don't initially notice a difference in the shadow after applying, I have noticed that as the day goes on, there is more of a metallic sheen, I love it! 

Pretty sure I rambled on enough to last a lifetime but hey, you never know.. please let me know if you have any other questions!