I hate when I find a gorgeous eyeshadow that looks completely amazing when I put it on, and then within a few hours, it's either faded or creased and looks like complete crap! For eyeshadows to look good all day, you need a good eye primer/eyeshadow base (either term works). There's a few tricks to putting them on, and I have a few recommendations on particular ones that I've used and had really great results with. I've used Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion ($17) and I have to admit, it took me a while before I really liked it. I finally figured out that I was using a little bit too much of it, and I had the same problem as Thea - it wasn't blending properly. Icouldn't get the color to move on my eyelid with a brush, it was almost stuck right where I first started applying it. Then, after using it for about six months and it was running out, I was scraping the last little bit I could get and had just a tiny amount to put on my lids. That's when I realized that I just needed to use less all along! I was using WAY too much of the primer, and it wasn't really drying and setting completely, so my eyeshadow was just gooping up in it and wouldn't blend out. So if you're a fan of the Primer Potion, try using just a tad bit less than you normally do - that just might work for you.
MAC's Prep + Prime Eye ($16.50) is another one I'm pretty fond of. It comes in three shades, and has a little bit of a creamy texture. When I use that, I dab it on gently with my ring finger and let it set for a few minutes before applying eyeshadow. Letting it dry completely keeps it from creasing up and provides the smoothest possible canvas to blend your eyeshadow properly.
Lancome's Aquatique ($24) is my all-time favorite eyeshadow base. It's a cream base, but it's almost dry in texture because it's waterproof. It sets pretty much instantly, so you can go to putting your eyeshadow on immediately. I'm a big fan of super black eyeshadow and when I prep my lids with Aquatique, it's easy to put on and blend in until I get it to that smoldering black perfection I want. It's the only base I've used that keeps my black from creasing or fading to gray throughout the day.
Another great option is to use a cream-to-powder finish eyeshadow. Clinique's Quick Eyes Cream Shadows ($15) come in nine shimmery shades that are all a perfect starting point for your eye look (my personal favorite is Sparkling Nude). They come in a tube with a wand like many lip glosses have. All you do is swipe a little on, then blend in. You can very easily add powder shadows on top because it dries to a powdery finish, so blending other colors is a piece of cake. I will say the one downfall I have with Quick Eyes is that once you've used what's in the middle of the tube, you end up with a lot left in the bottom and close to the top that you can't get to because the wand obviously doesn't bend. I've end
ed up using pliers to break off the top neck of the tube and I just put a little Saran-wrap over it and secure it with a rubber band so I can put a cotton swab down in there to dig out every last bit.
Nars Cream Eyeshadow ($21) is pretty great, too. It's super-blendable with that cream-to-powder finish. One downfall: not enough shades! My favorite is Cosmic Girl, a shimmery light gold color. It looks good with just about anything, and again because of the finish, powder shadows blend in easily over it.
An honorable mention on one other eyelid primer: Bare Escentuals bareVitamins Prime Time Eyelid Primer ($16) is specifically formulated for use with powder eyeshadows (duh! bareMinerals is all powder products, so it HAS to work for their eyeshadows). I've not used it on my eyes, but I was in Sephora and put some on my hand and then topped it with some eyeshadows to see how it would hold and how it blended - pretty good, I must say. That's my next experimental makeup purchase.
So, all in all, eyeshadow bases are a big must in my book, just remember to use most of them rather sparingly and let them set and dry before you apply any powder shadows over top of them and you should get a great eye look that will last all day.
On one last additional note - I'm getting my hair all chopped off and colored tomorrow! I'm a hair chameleon, I love to change my hair often. For the last year and a half, I've been growing it out and it's been my natural, very dark brown. It's past my shoulders now, the longest it's been since I was in tenth grade! I wanted it my natural color for my wedding, and my veil was very long and beaded so I needed my hair to be long enough to wear in an updo so it would have something to anchor to. Now that my wedding has come and gone, it's time for a new look! I'll be posting some pictures soon. Wish me luck!
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