In the past few years, as I do more and more outdoor activities, I find that one of the most important makeup products I can use are eyeshadow primers for long-lasting eye makeup and in particular, to make my eyeliner stay on all day. With hooded and oilier eyelids, it’s easy for my eyeliner to smudge on my lids.
Originally, I had thought that having a waterproof eyeliner will do the trick (here are the Best Waterproof Brush Tip Liquid Eyeliners At Sephora). Although it performed a lot better than a non-waterproof one, parts of it still rubbed off at times. And when I do a lot of outdoor activities as well as take photos on my camera through the viewfinder or if it’s too windy out, my eyeliner disappears so quickly! I also don’t always get to look in the mirror and at the end of the day, I find the winged part of my eyeliner is missing and it’s not a good look. So of course I had to find a way to ensure my eyeliner stays on me all day without worrying about re-application.
After trying out almost every eyeshadow primer at Sephora (I don’t bother trying the ones with low ratings), I have finally determined the top 3 best eyeshadow primers that you can use to ensure your eye makeup looks fresh at the end of the day just like when you first applied it!
1 – Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Amplifying Eye Primer
What It Is – The Fenty eyeshadow primer is weightless, enhances color vibrancy, and smooths the lids for effortless blending and longer, crease-proof wear. Its Invisipink formula is perfect for all skin tones and is designed to help grip eyeshadow color for long-last eye makeup.
How To Use – Using the applicator, apply the eyeshadow primer directly onto your eyelids and blend with your fingers. You can also choose to use a damp makeup sponge, but I find it much easier with the fingers and I rather not dilute the formula in any way! You can then give it a minute to dry before applying your eyeshadow and eyeliner. You can set the eyeshadow primer lightly with a setting powder if you’re in a hurry. I don’t have a lot of time or patience so I usually wait about 30 seconds before applying eyeshadow and/or my eyeliner and it works perfectly fine.
Product Texture – It’s not too creamy but smooth to apply and you can feel it has good staying power.
Wear Time – I don’t normally wear my makeup for more than 12 hours and the eyeshadow primer allowed my eye makeup to last for the duration of my day with no creases or smudges.
Price – $22 USD / $29 CAD
Size – 8 ml
My Take – I really like the applicator for the Fenty Beauty eye primer since it allows me to control how much I want to use and allows me to spread it out on my eyelids before I fully blend it out. The color of the primer is perfect for my skin color and it blends easily and smoothly. I find that the Urban Decay Primer Potion is way too creamy and this is the perfect consistency. It allows my eyeshadow to stay vibrant with no creases and if I’m wearing eyeliner on its own, it doesn’t smudge or disappear either.
2 – Smashbox 24 Hour Photo Finish Eyeshadow Primer
What It Is – This high-impact eyeshadow primer locks in eyeshadow and maximizes color vibrancy for up to 24 hours. It has a sheer, translucent finish that absorbs excess oil on eyelids and ensures smooth coverage and long-lasting eye makeup throughout the entire day. It also has a sweat and humidity-resistant formula that prevents budging, fading, or creasing.
How To Use – Squeeze a little bit out of the tube and warm it between your fingertips before applying a thin layer to your eyelids. Let it set for about 30 seconds then apply your eye makeup. You can also use this 24-hour eyeshadow primer to tame your brows and lock on brow powder.
Product Texture – This eyeshadow primer is slightly drier and thicker than the Fenty one and you can feel the staying strength of this one. It doesn’t feel heavy, just strong and you know it’ll do the job.
Wear Time – It definitely does what it claims! Although I don’t wear my makeup for 24 hours and am rarely awake for that long (although it happens – hello long travel times), it makes my eye makeup last my entire day with no creasing or smudging.
Price – $22 USD / $28 CAD
Size – 11 ml
My Take – If you want your eye makeup to survive up to 24 hours, this is it. Especially when you’re having an active day or an important event to attend, the Smashbox 24 Hour Photo Finish Eyeshadow Primer is perfect for the occasion. The formula and consistency are easy to work with and you can have confidence that your eye makeup will look great all day. However, I do wish they had better packaging since it is a metal squeeze tube and sometimes this material can split as you start to roll it. I would also prefer for the opening to be smaller so that you can have better control of how much product you use. This isn’t a deal-breaker though, because the product does work extremely well.
3 – Nars Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base – Original
What It Is – The Nars eyeshadow primer is lightweight and creates a seamless canvas that keeps cream and powder eyeshadow looking bright and fresh. It prevents your eyeshadow and eyeliner from smudging, creasing, or caking with this polymer and mineral-powder blend. With a deep-sea and antioxidant rice extract, this eyeshadow base dries quickly to a matte finish while keeping the eyelid smooth and prepped for makeup application.
How To Use – Sweep a thin layer onto your eyelids with the applicator and smooth it out with your fingertips. It will dry within seconds so blend quickly!
Product Texture – This eyeshadow primer is not as thick as the Smashbox one but it spreads easily on the lids and does dry quickly. Because of this texture and the quick drying time, you can already tell this primer will make your eye makeup last all day.
Wear Time – My eye makeup survives the day with no smudging or creasing and my eyeshadow stays vibrant as well.
Price – $26 USD / $35 CAD
Size – 7 ml
My Take – The Nars Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base is another great option for long-lasting eye makeup. The applicator is easy to use, you can control how much product you want to use and it’s easily spreadable on the eyelids.
Final Thoughts
Fenty Beauty, Smashbox, and the Nars eyeshadow primers are great options and really are the best for long-lasting eye makeup and it just depends on which brand or packaging you prefer. I find that they work better than all the other popular eyeshadow primer brands and their texture, consistency, and lasting power is good enough for me to repurchase over and over.
The most important thing for me when it comes to eye makeup is that my winged liner stays on all day and there is no eyeshadow creasing on my lids. These eyeshadow primers perform as I expect them to and you won’t need to worry about your makeup disappearing even during a fast-paced day. Even if you don’t plan to go full glam and opt for simple makeup, an eyeshadow primer is always a good idea to at least make sure your eyeliner is sharp!
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