Prime Time

Not so long ago, Sarah and I were browsing the makeup aisles in Superdrug when I discovered that she had never used primer. I was absolutely shocked as since I can remember I had always used a base for my eyeshadows. I believe it started around the Barry M Glitter Dust faze where I thought ‘how do I stop this dust falling all over my face?!’ So I began using creamy eyeshadows as a base. This worked well for a few years and was very affordable; however since trying proper eyeshadow primers I have noticed a huge difference. 1) The eyeshadows were usually coloured, therefore you would have to use it as a base for a colour that complimented it well. 2) Some were quite watery, so you would have to wait for it to dry a bit before applying, and sometimes the colour would dry too quickly and the shadow wouldn’t stick/ apply evenly.
  Now since discovering eyeshadow primer, I have also ventured out into using other primers. I am now going to list the 3 I use and give you my honest opinion on them...



URBAN DECAY Eyeshadow Primer Potion

Since purchasing this more than a year ago I have used it EVERY SINGLE DAY. It has a neutral colour when you apply it so you can use it as a base for any colour ranging from white to black! It applies evenly so gives a lovely even finish when you apply your shadow. It will not budge (so don’t worry about creasing and smudging throughout the day) and when removing my makeup using water, after the first splash my shadow is still intact. The primer itself has lasted me ages, only now is it beginning to run out and I’ve had it for more than a year. In my opinion this is 200% worth trying out if you have had an issue with eyeshadows in the past.

URBAN DECAY Eyelash Primer Potion

There is not a day that goes by that I do not use this product! It might not seem an essential to everyone, but it is an essential to me! If you are like me and have an obsession with thick, false looking lashes, and used to use 3 mascaras at one time to achieve that effect... then your troubles are no more. Not only does this provide an EXCELLENT base for mascara, it also gives you the impression that you are using two mascaras (just so you don’t need to go cold turkey on your habit ;-) but honestly, it separates my lashes perfectly so there is no clumping when building up mascara and it gives the illusion of thicker lashes as the mascara coats the potion already attached to the lashes. So if you are not too fussed about shadows and are big on lashes instead, invest in this miracle product!

 L’OREAL Studio Secrets Resurfacing Primer

I don’t tend to use face primers as often as I use the other two primers. I guess because I’ve been blessed in having quite even skin, so no matter which foundation/powder etc that I’m applying, if done properly, it gives an even finish. However I do believe face primers are worth trying anyways. The L’Oreal primer gives a smooth, velvety effect when applied and it is good if you are like me and put a load of face cream on before foundation, so the primer gives a non sticky surface to work with. I do also notice that with primer my makeup stays in place a lot better, so I will use mine mostly when I’m going out in the evening and I don’t want things like poor weather and sweaty clubs to ruin my makeup. But in terms of using it in the day I wouldn’t really as I’m one of those people who prefer my makeup once it has set on the skin throughout the day.

All in all, I think primers are essential in creating a good base for makeup. If you haven’t yet tried a primer and are considering it, I would suggest deciding which area of makeup is the most important to you, be it: your skin, eyelids or lashes and start with one of the three and once you get the hang of that, branch out to the other areas if that interests you. Apologies that the products I mentioned are a bit on the pricy side, I just wanted to give an honest review and these are the primers I use and swear by. However as I am pro drugstore products I will tell you that MUA do an eyeshadow primer which my friend now swears by, and it is less than £3 and if I can remember correctly MUA also do other primers, so check their makeup counter out. Or if you want to start out like I did with creamy/liquid eyeshadows, that is fine also, the one I used to use was MISS SPORTY Eye Illuminator.

Thank you so much for reading!

Until next time x x x