Tested: Eyeshadow Primers

I've long been a fan of eyeshadow primers. A good primer will hold your look in place all day, whilst still keeping the vibrancy of colour.  It's no secret that I love the NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base but the price can sometimes be a bit off putting.  I was excited to see that high street brands were taking note, with Rimmel and MUA releasing their own offerings to the eyeshadow base world.  I've tested all three against each other, putting them all in the deep end, only using them when I needed my eyeshadow to stay put all day - birthday parties, 9 hour shifts etc. 

MUA Professional Eye Primer; £2.50 - available at Superdrug

The cheapest of the bunch, MUA's eyeshadow base comes in the smallest of the three tubes.  On the packaging, it boasts to be long lasting, smoothing and no creasing. This is the only primer out of the three which has any colour to it.  Similar to the Urban Decay Primer Potion, it has a beige, skin tone like colour to it.  It felt nice across my lids, not sticky but instead silky smooth.  Eyeshadows applied evenly on top and were easy to blend.  Unfortunately, the product didn't hold my look in place all day, after two hours, I noticed that my eyeshadow had started to slip and crease and by the end of the day, I had virtually no eyeshadow left.  I was left quite disappointed after hearing so many reviews and being recommended it several times.  I wonder if there is a colour chemical that doesn't agree with my skin as the Urban Decay Primer Potion also had the same results.  

Rimmel London Exaggerate Undercover Shadow Primer; £4.99 - available at Boots or Superdrug

Rimmel London have had some successful product launches so far this year, include their new eyeshadow primer.  The packaging guarantee's 18-hour wear, as well as being smudge and crease proof.  The product is silicone based, giving it that smooth and silky texture.  It's a white cream consistency that disappears once blended over the eyelids.  When applying eyeshadow on top, they went on easily and evenly and were still very blendable.  Whilst the product is long-lasting, it doesn't last the promised 18 hours.  After four hours my eyeshadow had started to move slightly and after eight - ten hours I had noticed some creasing.  In my opinion, this is good wear for an eyeshadow primer and I wouldn't need the product for much longer than ten hours. 

NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base; £19.00 - available online or at Space NK

The most expensive of the three, NARS' offering has once again come up top trumps.  NARS say that this product is lightweight and wont cause your eyeshadow to smudge, crease or cake.  They don't give a time frame like Rimmel, only stating that it is long wearing.  Again, it feels silky smooth across the lids, the white cream fading once applied.  Eyeshadows apply smoothly on top, sticking to the primer but not so much that it cakes or begins to crease. Layering colour is easy and the primer allows you to blend colours seamlessly.  Whenever I wear this, I barely notice a difference after six hours and by the time I'm taking it off, it's still pretty much in place, how I applied it ten hours earlier.  

Overall, I still love NARS' offering but if you're looking for something for a quarter of the price, Rimmel's latest launch is the best bet.  

What's your favourite eye product to create a long lasting look?