Beauty Vixen: Primers

How I avoided reviewing this with my other primer reviews is beyond me ( BTW I reviewed OCC Primer, Quo's Primer, Smashbox Photo Ready Primer, Benefit's Dr. Feelgood, Avon's MagiX Face Perfector and ELF's Mineral Infused Primer)
I picked up two of the .5 oz versions back in November of '09 from Sephora for an amazing $8. Yep $8! I grabbed one, went home used it the next day and ran back to Sephora to get another one. I wish I grabbed more!
Usually a 1 oz bottle retails for $45 at Sephora, so this was a great deal indeed.
Lucky Sephora's site recently ran the same promotion and I grabbed four this time around.

While not my everyday primer, I do love how it makes my skin feel, it isn't silicony like other primers but still leaves the skin nice and smooth allowing the makeup to go on easily. I like to mix my sunblock that I use on my face with it, it help the sunblock blend better with my skin and allows my makeup to go on smoother than just using the sunblock alone.

Cover Fx claims that it's Skin Prep is a nourishing foundation primer that has Anti-aging properties.

From Coverfx.com:

"WHAT DOES IT DO?

It is an "anti-aging" primer
Hydrate and smoothes skin to blur the appearance of lines and pores, facilitate blending and extends wear

SKIN TYPE

All skin types especially Normal to Dry
Sensitive skin

From Sephora.com:

Vitamin F is an omega-3 fatty acid used to treat dry, atopic skin.
Vitamin A is an established anti-wrinkle active.
Vitamin C (magnesium ascorbyl phosphate) increases natural collagen formation by cells, resulting in more plump, youthful looking skin.
Vitamin E is the antioxidant workhorse of cosmeceuticals.
Bisabolol is a natural anti-inflammatory agent derived from the chamomile plant to reduce redness and inflammation.
Hyaluronic Acid is a naturally found skin humectant. Hyaluronic acid captures 1000 times its weight in water to provide ultimate skin hydration.
Squalene, derived from Mediterranean olives, is a pure emollient which nourishes and hydrates the skin. Squalene improves skin elasticity and softens skin texture.
Matrikines, small peptides, that serve as messengers that regulate the sequence of events required for skin repair and wound healing.

So, have I found it to help with anti-aging? I don't know, I honestly love the stuff but still use other primers depending on the weather, my skins condition that day and the type of makeup I am wearing (i.e. when using Temptu s/b foundation, I use Temptu s/b primer). I do know it seems to treat my no longer 18 year old skin better than some other products do and always leaves it feeling nice.

coverfx.com

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Being a complete makeup junkie my collection has gradually started to include multiple types of eyeshadow primers. Today I am going to discuss the different types of eye primers, their effectiveness and my preferences.

My collection! (left to right) First Row: elf Eyelid Primer, elf Mineral Eyeshadow Primer, elf Studio Primer and Liner Sealer, Too Faced Shadow Insurance and Urban Decay Primer Potion

Second Row: Mac Paint Pots in Painterly, Perky, Girl Friendly and Artifact

Third Row: Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner in Bunny Hop and Recess

I personally love how eyeshadow primers ad staying power to your eye shadows and liners, keep them from creasing and stop liners from smudging.

There seem to be two basic types of eyeprimers, ones like Urban Decay Primer potion and Too Faced Shadow insurance that have no coloration to them when blended into the skin and ones with coloration in them such as the paint pots by mac. I personally like to use coloured ones to ether neutralize the blue/purple tones on my eyelids or to increase the vibrant colours of the shadows I am going to apply. If I am just going to wear an eyeliner and no shadow I like to neutralize the blue/purple tones on my lids by using a skin toned primer and if I am going to wear an eyeshadow intense look I like to have a base that is clear to give extra staying power and follow that with paint pot that matches the eyeshadow colour to give the colour some extra strength and once again to increase the staying power.

NON-Coloured Primers (go on clear)

	Packaging	Product Discription	Pros	Cons	Price	Should I Try it?
ELF Eyelid Primer	Wand in a tube. Actual tube has a texture so fingers with lotions wont slip.	Thin and slightly oily. Blends into skin without adding colour.	-$1USA-Cheap! -packaging is nice	-oily in texture -Probley can not get all the product out of the tube, but it was a buck	$1USA	NO! spend the extra on the studio primer if you have to try an elf one
ELF Mineral Eyeshadow Primer	Wand in a tube. Handle/top has a minimal texture to it to prevent slippage.	Thicker than the Eyelid primer, and slightly tacky. Blends into skin without adding colour.	-$3..Cheap! -Lots of product in tube for price -makes eyeshadow last longer than alone.	-Not as good at Urban Decay's -Not as Good as Too Faced's	$3USA	YES. it's $3 if you hate it it was $3
Urban Decay Primer Potion	Wand in a tube. Sample size is a cylinder, regular is a curved bottle	Thicker than both the ELF primers listed above. Tacky, almost sticky. Blends into skin without adding colour.	-Makes shadow last all day is amazing -can be bought in many colour options (glittery, tan, pink)	-Packaging is wasteful -expensive	$18USA $24CAD	YES
Too Faced Shadow Insurance	Is a squeeze tube.	-Thicker than the Urban Decay but is less tacky. Blends into skin without adding colour.	-Squeeze tube makes it so you can get the most out of the product -Makes shadow last all day. -Really good	-Expensive -Doesn't blend as well as the Urban Decay	$17USA $22CAD	YES

Coloured Primers

	Packaging	Product Discription	Pros	Cons	Price	Should I Try it?
ELF Studio Eye Primer & Liner Sealer	One side has the primer in a stick and the other has a clear liquid with a eyeliner pencil in it for making shadow into eyeliner	Creamy and looks like a concealer in stick form. Tacky and in a Caucasian nude tone. Great coverage	-CHEAP! $3 for it and the liner. Provides great coverage and conceals well without being greasy or oily -Minor creasing in the hottest weather and the longest days -better than using a concealer, it isn't greasy or slick	-Only comes in flesh tone	$3USA	YES- it's cheap and works well for what it is (I like it on the just eyeliner days)
MAC Paint Pot	A glass pot with black plastic lid	Creamy product that comes in many colours (matte & frost). Painterly is caucasian matte skin tone. Gives great coverage	-Coverage is great -colour selection is wonderful -painterly conceals blue tones on lids -coloured versions ad pop as a base colour -can be worn alone as a shadow/liner -keeps shadow on a long time. -Made in Canada	-....none?	$20Cad	YES - there is a colour for you out there and it works great
Benefit Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow/ Liner	A glass pot with black plastic lid	Smooth and more slick than paint pots. Comes in many colours (all frost). Not thick coverage but can be layered for a buildable colour.	-ads a great colour base -can be worn alone as a shadow/liner -makes shadow stick longer than alone	-only comes in frost -creases slightly -colours aren't that visible	$19USA $24Cad	...maybe.. test it in the store first and see if you really like any of the colours first.

Swatches:

Paint Pots:Top left to right: Painterly Paint Pot, Perky Paint Pot

Bottom left to right: Girl Friendly Paint Pot, Artifact Paint Pot

Creaseless Cream Shadow/liner: Left to Right: Recess, Bunny Hop

(sorry my lighting sucks)

Elf Primers: top - eyelid primer, middle - Mineral Eyeshadow Primer, Bottom - Studio Primer and Liner Sealer

Top - Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Bottom - Urban Decay Primer Potion

Conclusion:

Overall I like both the clear versions and the coloured based versions of eyeshadow primers. I think they work best when used together through layering of a clear with a coloured one over for maximum crease resistance and shadow preservation.

I think it is best to try out some samples or trial sizes before shelling out big bucks for any product like this. In the clear wand versions I personally like the Too Faced Shadow Insurance the best. I like the fact it is thicker than the other brands, not oily, not as sticky and most importantly I like bottle the best. I feel the traditional bottle for the UD Primer Potion is just too wasteful. As well as I also find it just as effective for keeping the shadow from creasing and keeping it on all day as the UD version. It really was a toss up between the two, but the packaging was the thing that swung me Too Faced's way.

I do still like the ELF Mineral eyeshadow primer, I think it is very good and budget friendly. It does fall slightly short of the UD and TF versions, but not too far behind. Their Eyelid primer on the other had, I would not recommend, it really is not that good.

As the creamer coloured based version go I LOVE LOVE LOVE my paint pots. Perky (a peachy shimmer version) is by far my most beloved while Painterly is the most used because it is a great skin toned shade that neutralizes blue/purple tones on the eyes. I also love the ELF studio Primer and eyeliner sealer for the primer part. Not only is is priced right it does a very good job of keeping everything where it should be and neutralizing eyelid colours. If I could recommend just one coloured primer it would be the Painterly Paint Pot by MAC.

I am sorry if this went on too long, but I guess there was a lot to be said for eyeshadow primers.

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In this part of my primer review I am going to look at two mattifying primers. The first is from Avon and the second from Benefit.

Avon's MagiX Face Perfector:

This product is a white gel formula that dries matte on the skin. Very little is needed. It also has an SPF of 20. Avon claims "Colorless matte formula makes all skin tones look naturally flawless.Wear alone or under makeup. All skin types. Holds back shine for up to 10 hours, Visibly smoothes the look of fine lines and pores, SPF 20 sun protection." Their spokesperson/artist and Patrick's wife Jillian Dempsey says "This colorless formula is perfect for anyone who want to look naturally flawless and beautiful without looking like you're wearing any makeup. It's universally flattering and a secret weapon in your makeup bag."

I like using this in the summer. I find that it helps a lot with that glow I get in the summers humidity and also the spf value is a nice advantage in the summer. I do not find that it evens out my skin tone but I did find it did a good job of keeping my foundation on and making it last. I doubt I would wear it on a makeup free day but I do often wear it in the summer under tinted moisturizer (also with spf 20), I find it to be a great match, the primer keeps the moisturizers shine under control while complementing it as base and adding spf to the combo.

I do like this product and I would buy it again.

Pros:

cheap ($15 Canadian for 30 ml, you can also find it on sale often)
Nice for oily, shinny or summer skin
Matte finish
spf 20 (always a good thing)

Con:

may be too dry for some skin types
doesn't meet claim of evening out skin tone

Benefit's Dr. Feelgood

I got this primer as a freebie with my Sephora points. It is a solid primer that Benefit claims "Benefit Dr. Feelgood mattifies the complexion and reduces the appearance of fine lines and pores. Fabulous for mid-day touch-ups...can be worn alone, under or on top of makeup! "

I found that it smoothed out my skin like there was no tomorrow and lines vanished. I really really really liked the way it felt on my skin and how it left it feeling. I did not find that my foundation went on that great on top of it or that it helped it last longer.I feel that it almost works better without a foundation on top of it, making it a bad primer. But once again it leaves the skin feeling amazing so it would be a good choice for makeup free days. I did seem to have an allergic reaction to it (I went red and puffy on the sides of my face near my eyes and it lasted 2 days). I do not hold this against the product, I just have sensitive skin.

This product can also replace a mattifying gel or blotting papers/powder. It can be put on top or under makeup and for touchups. I think it would be great for touch ups and people with T zone shine issues. I love that it comes in a tin and that so little is needed for a great effect.

Pros:

fills in wrinkles and line
is solid and travels well
great for touch ups
can go under or over makeup
little is needed
controls oil and shine

Cons:

foundation doesn't go on that great over it (making it a poor primer)

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