Love primers, especially eyeshadow ones and they are totally essential for me – the good ones really help keep everything stay put.
I have them in compact form, in stick form, in tube form etc…
Even if I don’t specifically have a primer to hand I will use a stick, tacky cream eyeshadow or even a gel liner as a base. I never go base-less because I just feel that my eyeshadow won’t last more than an hour or two.
So when I saw the NYX Eyeshadow Primers I just had to buy them!
They retail at $6 each, I believe – I paid about £16.50 for all three of them from an eBay seller.
They say:
To get the maximum brilliant color of eye shadow on your eye, an eye primer is a must! Apply eye shadow base to eyelids, then apply NYX’s high-pigmented eye shadows and see the colors pop with vibrant and sparkling luster. Eye shadow base grabs and firmly holds finely milled powder so the color in the pot is what ends up on your eye – without a pinch lost.
It comes in three shades – white, pearl and skin tone.
In white –
White can be quite opaque or sheer depending on how much you apply. This works pretty well as a base, and is good for toning down veins and redness although its a little ghoulish is applied all over.
Pearl:
Pearl is a standard sheer, slightly sparkly white base. It looks like a lot of other cream/jelly eye shadows I have.
Skin Tone:
Is, let’s face it, not everyone’s skin tone! Its a warm beige, actually quite good for a warm toned gal like me (NC35), as it doesn’t look too unnatural when applied all over the lid.
All three of the primers (same ingredients I believe, just a change in colour) are quite firm in the pot, but once swatched on the skin, it quickly melts and blends in.
I like this as I hate dragging anything across my eyes.
They look a bit shiny and feel a bit oily but not particularly sticky. I quite like the oily texture because I do think you can really press the eyeshadow into it.
Swatches:
Swatched, I prefer the skintone one the best, but there are other things to consider! Pearl settles into fine lines quite easily so if you have crepey skin around the eyes, beware!
I am testing all three primers with the first eyeshadow I can grab, in this case a Bourjois one in purple:
Whilst I am here I need to mention that these eyeshadow bases are scented – and I HATE the smell.
Its not foul, say like, dog poo or rotting meat, its more like plastic play doh. Its a really artificial, sweet smell which I personally dislike and it did put me off quite a lot.
Why does an eye primer need to be scented? Unless the product is really stinky or something? Urgh.
As a member of the sensitive eyes brigade, I really don’t need perfume in my eye products. That is all.
Back to the product. Here is a comparison of the three:
White does a stellar job of bringing the colour out, as does pearl with a hint of shimmer and skintone, I think, dulls the purple. Yes, its pigmented but also really flat.
Based on these swatches I really prefer pearl becaues the slight shimmer brings the colour to life. White I can imagine, would also work for a whole lot of shades.
Which colour do you prefer?
Anyway, if you compare the swatches of the eyeshadow used with a primer compared to a swatch of it on its own, the difference is great:
See how the eyeshadow swatches with the primer make a huge huge huge difference to an eyeshadow that perhaps lacks pigment?
On that basis, I would recommend any one of these to you if you struggle with getting good colour pay off with your eyeshadows. They clearly make a big difference.
In terms of colours, my favourite is the pearl based on the lovely shimmering effect it gives. I liked skintone as it evened out my own lids but it dulls colours somewhat.
And of course, longevity!
I did see a marked improvement – my eyeshadow lasted about 5 hours and creased towards the end of the day.
I don’t think this primer is as good as say, Too Faced Shadow Insurance but its a lot more affordable and will give you both a colour boost and some preservation.
Ingredients:
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Mineral Oil, Microcrystalline Wax, Silica (and)
Methicone, BHT, Dipentaerythrityl Hexahydroxystearate/Hexastearate/
HexarosinateRicinus Communic (Castor) Seed Oil, Sorbitan Sesquioleate,
Octyldodecyl Myristate, Polyethylene, Fragrance, Butylparaben, Nylon-66,
Ceresin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Polyethylene, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891).
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the comparison, love! I’ve been using quite a mix of things to prime my eyes recently — an Etude House base to prevent creasing, TimeBalm to cover up veins (with my fair skin, I have a *lot*!) and then, sometimes, NYX’s Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk to bring out the brightness of shadows.
In short… I think I’ll be checking out Pearl once I run into it in-store
In need of switching to one-stop priming? I think so.
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Lovely review & thanks for the comparison. Have skin tone right now, will try Pearl next
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Great review. I’m only starting with makeup so .Its interesting to know how important a base is with eyeshadow.
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Thanks for the comparations they are very handy I am using a skinbase tone the i bought for my dark circles under my eyes is a base for dark circles.
i thimk it works somehow even i dont use it anymore for dark circles my ski tone is wat darker now and it looks a kind of whittish
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Thanks for much for this info. It really helped me decide which one to buy.
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oops. I should have read what I wrote.
I meant to say- “Thanks so much for this info. It really helped me decide which one to buy.”
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