Battle of the Primers!

First of all, let me just explain a little bit about what a primer is and why it's useful for those of you who may not know.  A primer provides a base for your eyeshadow to adhere to, making your colors more true to what they appear in their containers and keeping creasing to a minimum.  They are especially useful for ladies (and gents) who experience excessive creasing due to oily eyelids.  Usually you apply a thin layer of primer to your lids and wait for it to dry before applying your shadow, then apply your shadows as usual.  Patting shadows on over a primer instead of sweeping usually yields the best results with color payoff and minimum fallout.  I should mention that your own results may vary, as these are my own personal findings based on my skin type and my results using these products.

So here's the lineup:

• Urban Decay Primer Potion (in Eden) - $19.00 for 0.37 oz.
• My Beauty Addiction Shadow Poxy - $4.50 for approximately 0.18 oz.
• NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil (in Milk) - $4.49 for 0.18 oz.
• L'Oreal Paris De-Crease Eye Shadow Base - $7.99 for 0.2 oz.
• Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer - $20.00 for 0.08 oz.
• Too Faced Shadow Insurance (Original Formula) - $18.00 for 0.35 oz.

 Color Payoff

All of the primers did make shadows "stick" better and show up more vividly than on bare skin.  The two I felt had the best initial color payoff were MBA's Shadow Poxy and the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk, both of which have a sort of creamy texture, as opposed to the liquid-to-powder-type finish all of the other primers seemed to have.  This texture allows for better adhesion, but does make shadows more prone to smudging after application.

 Indoor Lighting

HD Fluorescent

Urban Decay  ★★★
My Beauty Addiction  ★★★★★
NYX  ★★★★★
L'Oreal  ★★★
Smashbox  ★★★
Too Faced  ★★★

Color Wear

I definitely had the best color wear with Urban Decay Primer Potion and Too Faced Shadow Insurance.  L'Oreal De-Crease probably came in third with some slight fading and creasing, but generally good color at the end of the day.  Smashbox Photo Finish comes in fourth because even though De-Crease did crease slightly, my colors really seemed faded and lackluster at the end of the day.  NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil somehow managed to maintain pigmentation despite some creasing, and My Beauty Addiction Shadow Poxy had color totally out of place at the end of the day.

Urban Decay  ★★★★★
My Beauty Addiction  ★
NYX  ★★★
L'Oreal  ★★★
Smashbox  ★★
Too Faced  ★★★★

Crease Resistance

Urban Decay, Too Faced, and Smashbox all had very little to no creasing.  L'Oreal had some creasing, but nothing that would be obvious unless somebody was really looking for it.  NYX had some creasing, but managed to still leave color behind, making the creasing difficult to spot from a reasonable distance.  My Beauty Addiction had excellent color payoff right away, but a lot of creasing as the day wore on.

Urban Decay  ★★★★★

My Beauty Addiction  ★

NYX  ★★

 

L'Oreal  ★★★

Smashbox  ★★★

Too Faced  ★★★★★

 

Amount of Product for the Money

Urban Decay -  $51.35/oz.  ★★★
My Beauty Addiction - $25/oz.  ★★★★★
NYX - $24.94/oz.  ★★★★★
L'Oreal - $39.95/oz.  ★★★★
Smashbox - $250/oz.  ★
Too Faced - $51.43/oz.  ★★★

Overall Rankings:

Urban Decay -  16/20★

Urban Decay Primer Potion performed the best overall.  The consistent results for color payoff, wear, and crease resistance, in addition to the mid-range price point, put it just a step above the rest in my book.

Too Faced - $51.43/oz.  15/20★

Too Faced Shadow Insurance had consistent results in each category.  If it were a bit more cost-effective, or had better color payoff, it would have easily taken first place this bout.

NYX - $24.94/oz.  15/20★

The NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk tied with Too Faced Shadow Insurance.  It performed quite well across the board, especially considering that it's the least expensive product in this lineup.

L'Oreal - $39.95/oz.  13/20★

I was really impressed by L'Oreal Paris De-Crease Eye Shadow Base.  It wasn't the best in any category, but it's definitely a good deal if you don't want to spend a lot of money on a decent primer.

My Beauty Addiction - 12/20★

My Beauty Addiction Shadow Poxy has great initial color payoff, but the creamy formula is prone to creasing over time.  Great for a look that needs to be bold, but doesn't need to last very long.

Smashbox - $250/oz.  9/20★

Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer is the most expensive product on the list, with the least amount of product, and it didn't perform exceptionally well in any one category.  Unless the net weight on the bottle is a typo, any one of the other primers is a better value for the money.

So there you have it.  That's my experience with these primers, and hopefully I've provided you with some good information so that you can pick a good one without having to try a bunch of different ones.   Thanks for reading!

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Any statements made on this blog are my own opinion; my intent is to provide an honest and thorough review of my personal experiences for the benefit of my readers.  All products are purchased by me, with no monetary or other compensation provided.  Any product given to me as a gift will be accepted, but not  treated with favor over products I have purchased.