Primed and Ready

 A few years ago, I never used primers of any kind. I assumed they were about as effective as The Ab Belt (apologies if you own one and love it). However, once I gave an eyeshadow a try, I began to rethink everything (except for the Ab Belt) and became a changed woman. Now, I never put on eyeshadow without it.  There are so many primers out there-- but  the only ones I've ever ended up bringing home (via sample or purchase) are featured below. All of the primers were swatched with the silver shade in Lorac's Private Affair Palette. I chose this shadow because mid-toned, glittery shades like it seem to be one of the hardest to get to stay put without fallout/fading/creasing.

Lorac Behind the Scenes Eye Primer ($21 at Sephora): This one came with Lorac's Private Affair Palette (which I love). It's similar in texture and color to UD's Primer Potion but slightly thicker. It feels a little oily at first but it dries clear and semi-matte. I feel like it keeps shadows true-to-color and incredibly pigmented. After rubbing all the shadows, this one seemed to perform the best.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Original ($20 at Sephora, $10 at Nordstrom Rack): No eye primer post would be complete without this cult classic. This is the first one I was introduced to and the only one I repurchased because at the time, it was the only one I was really familiar with. This one dries clear and is the thinnest of the bunch. It's a good color and consistency for priming brows (which is really what I use it for now). Initially it feels a little greasy but once it dries that goes away. After I gave all the shadows a good rub, this primer retained the least amount of product. I've tried "Eden" and "Sin" in the line as well but not enough to give a decent review.

Benefit Stay Don't Stray ($26 at Sephora): This came in a recent Birchbox and it was also the first time I'd ever used it. It's very thin and heavily pigmented and comes in two skin-tone shades (which is great and unusual). The product description states you can use this to prime under-eyes for concealer (which made it feel a little too cakey on me) as well as eyeshadows. However, this creases almost instantly if you don't put on a shadow overtop. The primer itself does stay put, but it doesn't hold on to shadows very well (notice how it was after rubbing my arm). This primer also gave the shadow a more flesh-toned appearance. Plus, the price tag makes it pretty much the worst value of the bunch.

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in "Milk" ($3.50 on Cherry Culture): I love this product. It's completely matte and works perfectly for under the brow brightening, cupids bow, inner corner, and as a primer. Since it's white it does a great job of getting eyeshadows to show up really true to color. Even though it isn't marketed as a primer I feel it holds on to products better than all but the Lorac primer. I bought this from Ulta for around $5 but would highly recommend checking out Cherry Culture for better deals.

Mac Paint Pot in Painterly ($18.50 from Mac): Another cult classic and one of my favorites even though it doesn't perform as well as the NYX pencil or the Lorac primer. I love that it completely neutralizes my eye lid and gets rid of any veins, redness, etc. While similar in color to "Stay Don't Stray" this one doesn't crease even if you don't put a shadow on top. I found that this works best if you use primer underneath (however, that's one too many steps for most mornings). It's quite a thin, slightly slick feeling primer that dries to a matte finish. I couldn't get it to photograph well but this primer gave the shadow a slight pink hue after being rubbed.

You be the judge; Which primers do you think performed the best? Do you have any other favorites?