Today I wanted to talk about some of the eyeshadow primers that I’ve been testing over the last couple of years. My all-time favorite eye primer was the Too Faced Shadow Insurance, but they reformulated it and added fragrance, so I had to move on. If you read enough of my eyeshadow reviews, you can probably tell that the MAC Prep + Prime 24-Hour Extend Eye Base is my favorite, with the Urban Decay Primer Potion bringing up a close second. Let’s get into some details if you are interested in any of the primers I’ll discuss today. Eyeshadow primers aren’t just good for people with oily eyelids; they can also help intensify eyeshadow colors, help glitter/mica particles adhere better, and improve the longevity/wear time of your eyeshadows. I do have dry skin, but because my eyelids are slightly hooded, I can get oily in the crease because the lid folds on itself. So I have to wear an eye primer to prevent the eyeshadow in my crease from disappearing.

The formulas featured today all claim to increase wear time, prevent creasing, and intensify color. I don’t prefer chunky shimmers or glitter eyeshadows, so I don’t use glitter glue. All but the Milani and e.l.f. Eyeshadow primers claim to either last for 24 hours or increase eyeshadow wear for 24 hours. Although the Milani Stay Put Eye Primer claims to extend wear, it only promises up to 8 hours of wear, while the e.l.f Lock It Down Primer doesn’t list a specific time claim. The MAC Eye Base Primer claims to prevent fading as well, but that could also be folded into the wear-time claim. There are some smoothing claims from Urban Decay and Milani, and the Pat McGrath Intensifeyes Longwear Primer claims to blur skin texture. To me, the MAC Eye Base is the most smoothing for texture, despite it not appearing in its claims. I have tested every eyeshadow primer on this list with several formulas, from my most affordable eyeshadows (Wet n Wild, Milani, Colourpop, CoverGirl), to my most expensive (Chanel, MAC, Pat McGrath, Tom Ford). My main concerns are longevity without color fading and the formula’s ability to prevent creasing. Based on that, I’d rank these from best performance to worst performance in this order:

1. MAC Prep + Prime 24-Hour Extend Eye Base (can make mattes harder to blend)
2. Pat McGrath Labs Intensifeyes Longwear Primer (performs well for me, but something in it irritates my eyes, so I no longer use it)
3. Urban Decay Primer Potion (dries out faster than other formulas, causing it to crease more as it gets older)
4. e.l.f. Lock It Down Eyeshadow Primer (can cause some fading with some shadows, and a big issue is that it does not work with my Pat McGrath Eyeshadows)
5. Milani Stay Put Eyeshadow Primer (does not prevent creasing for more than 3 hours for me with one exception)

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**MAC Prep + Prime 24-Hour Extend Eye Base, 12 mL, $32

The MAC Prep + Prime 24-Hour Extend Eye Base is smoothing, applies clear, intensifies shadow color, and keeps my eyeshadows in place. I wear makeup for 8 to 10 hours, so I can’t confirm the 24-hour claim, but I never see any fading. Of the eyeshadow primers I’ve tried, this gives me the most color intensity. The grippiness of this primer helps intensify the eyeshadow, but it also makes it harder to blend mattes. I accept this tradeoff because I want the color payoff, but it is something to keep in mind. I also see less fallout from eyeshadows when I pair them with the MAC Prep + Prime Eye Base vs the other primers featured today.

The MAC Prep + Prime Eyeshadow Primer has a thick paste-like texture, so there will be a learning curve if you typically use thinner primers like the Urban Decay Primer Potion or Milani Stay Put Eyeshadow Primer. It has about the same consistency as the Smashbox Eye Primer, but MAC’s formula is less dry, making it easier to spread. If you can stand to work with it, the performance is excellent. I find this thicker formulation good for smoothing eyelid texture, so if you are looking for that, it could be worth a try. I will call out more specific eyeshadow formula pairings for the other primers, but I’ve never met an eyeshadow that I felt didn’t work with this primer.

**Ulta

	$ 32.00 Sale Price $ 32.00 Regular Price
MAC Prep + Prime 24-Hour Extend Eye Base

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**Pat McGrath Labs Intensifeyes Longwear Primer, 5 mL, $32

The Pat McGrath Labs Intensifeyes Longwear Primer has a thin texture, prevents creasing, and keeps eyeshadow color true. The brand claims that it boosts color, but I don’t think it outperforms the MAC Prep + Prime Eye Base in that aspect. However, compared with not using a primer, it provides a slight boost. It is supposed to be translucent and is almost clear, but it applies with a subtle tint (slightly visible on my NARS Tahoe/Estee Lauder 4W4 skin tone). The other claim I didn’t experience personally is that it is supposed to blur skin texture. It is possible, though, that it is hard to assess, considering that I always apply eyeshadow on top of it. But after I use it, I don’t think my eyelids look blurred.

The Pat McGrath Intensifeyes Primer keeps my eyeshadows in place for my regular 8 to 10 hours of wear time, and I don’t see any fading. It worked well with several formulas, including Chanel (Latte Frappe Single), Natasha Denona (Bloom Palette), MAC (Future Flame Palette), Tom Ford (Peach Dawn Quad), and Pat McGrath (Dawn Divinity Palette and Petalmorphosis Mothership). Unfortunately, although I like the performance of this eyeshadow primer, I experienced eyelid irritation when using it. I will say, though, that this primer is not a good value for money (when compared to the rest on this list). I have seen complaints that it feels empty, and I can see why. It contains only 5 mL of product in its heavy glass container. While it performs well for me, I still wouldn’t recommend it based on the price for the amount of product.

**Ulta

	$ 32.00 Sale Price $ 32.00 Regular Price
PAT McGRATH LABS IntensifEYES Longwear Primer

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**Urban Decay Primer Potion, 10 mL, $28

This one is highly rated and often recommended when people are looking for an eyeshadow primer. The Urban Decay Primer Potion is smooth, prevents creasing, and intensifies eyeshadow colors (though not as well as the MAC Prep + Prime Eye Base). It is supposed to dry clear, but it has a subtle tint (slightly visible on my NARS Tahoe/Estee Lauder 4W4 skin tone). Urban Decay is cruelty-free, and the Primer Potion is one of the brand’s vegan products.

Although the color intensity the primer potion provides falls short of MAC, it still does a great job. I especially appreciate that I have an easier time blending mattes over this eyeshadow primer. It pairs well with most of my eyeshadow formulas, but I notice more fallout when I wear Pat McGrath eyeshadows with this primer than with the MAC primer. Natasha Denona eyeshadows work well and resist creasing when paired with this primer (but MAC’s work even better). During my typical 8- to 10-hour makeup-wearing day, I don’t notice any fading. However, the closer this primer gets to its 6-month shelf life, the more creasing I see toward the end of the day. That is why I think it dries out faster than other formulas.

**Ulta

	$ 28.00 Sale Price $ 28.00 Regular Price
Urban Decay Original Eyeshadow Primer Potion – 0.33 oz

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**e.l.f. Lock It Down Eyeshadow Primer, 7 mL, $8

e.l.f Cosmetics is cruelty-free and vegan. The e.l.f. Lock It Down Eyeshadow Primer prevents creasing and keeps eyeshadow color true, but it causes some odd fading. The Lock It Down Primer has a lot of slip and feels slightly oily, but it does “dry,” though it doesn’t feel dry to the touch. You do have to give this primer some extra time to dry, or the fading issues will be even worse. It feels tacky to the touch and creates a slight drag when I blend mattes over it, but overall, it doesn’t make blending eyeshadows any harder.

It doesn’t make any of the eyeshadows I’ve tried with crease, but I do notice that they melt into the primer somewhat and, at times, fade. Shimmer shades and darker mattes, applied heavily in the outer V, are still visible at the end of the day, but they look faded and wet compared to how they started.  Lighter matte shades and mid-tones I use for transition shades fade throughout wear, and I’ve felt the need to touch up my eye look on days when I’m going out (after about 6 hours of wear). I’ve tested this primer with Colourpop, MAC, Lancome, Pat McGrath, Tom Ford, and Wet n Wild Eyeshadows. Pat McGrath Eyeshadows melted together by the end of the day each time I paired the e.l.f Eyeshadow Primer with them, so I’ve just accepted that they don’t get along. Colourpop, MAC, and Lancome did better, but the fading is not ideal, and I still had the issue of the “wet look.” Surprisingly, the eyeshadows that I didn’t have any problems with when I wore them with the e.l.f Lock It Down Eyeshadow Primer was both from Tom Ford and Wet n Wild. So, it would seem that this primer does work for some eyeshadows.

**Ulta

	$ 8.00 Sale Price $ 8.00 Regular Price
e.l.f. Cosmetics Lock It Down Eyeshadow Primer

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**Milani Stay Put Eyeshadow Primer, 9 mL, $10.99

Milani is cruelty-free, and the Stay Put Eyeshadow Primer is one of the brand’s vegan products. The primer is smooth, dries clear, and intensifies color (not as well as MAC and Urban Decay). This primer is very popular, and I expected to get along with it much better. Unfortunately, although Milani claims this primer will increase wear time to 8 hours, I’m lucky if it prevents creasing for 3 hours with most eyeshadow formulas.

When I use the Milani Eyeshadow Primer, matte eyeshadows look the least dry on me, which I appreciate. However, longevity and color payoff are always better for me with either the Urban Decay Primer Potion or the MAC Prep + Prime 24HR Extend Eye Base. The best longevity I’ve seen from this primer was when I paired it with a Chanel single eyeshadow, but based on how it performs with other shadows, I assume that had more to do with Chanel’s formula.

**Ulta

	$ 10.99 Sale Price $ 10.99 Regular Price
Milani Stay Put Eyeshadow Primer – Nude

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Hope you found this helpful, thanks for reading!

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If you’d like to check out more of my content, here are some places to start. 

• Blush Index
• Brands A-Z
• Bronzer & Highlighter Index
• Brush Index
• Concealer Ranking
• Eyeshadow Index
• Foundation Round-Up
• Lipstick Index
• Makeup Storage and Organization Ideas
• My Favorite Makeup
• Powder Round-Up

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