Day 46. Eye primer/base comparison

Today's post is a battle between different eye primers/bases. I compared the following products:

- Mac Paint Pot in Painterly
- Mac Paint Pot in Soft Ochre
- Urban Decay Primer Potion (classic).

More information, swatches and review after the jump!



First thing first.
While the Mac Paint Pot are technically cream eye shadows and can be used as such, both shades (Soft Ochre and Painterly) can be used as eye bases because they are a matte neutral color and are slightly sticky when first applied.
Urban Decay Primer Potion in its Original version was born and is a eye primer, and that's it. There are other version of the Primer Potions (a skin toned one, and a bronze and a golden one) but I only tried the classic version so that's what I am using for this comparison.

Swatches. From the left: Urban Decay Primer Potion (transparent),
Mac Painterly Paint Pot, Mac Sof Ochre Paint Pot.
(Top picture taken in natural light; bottom picture taken with flash)

Mac Painterly Paint Pot is my go-to eye base for everyday looks. It is a neutral, matte color with strong pink tones. Since it's opaque and matte, it's perfect both for just evening out the color on the lid and as a neutral base for eyeshadow.

Mac Painterly Paint Pot

Mac Soft Ochre Paint Pot has the same properties as Painterly but instead of being pink, it's distinctly yellow toned.

Mac Soft Ochre Paint Pot

Urban Decay Primer Potion is transparent.

Urban Decay Primer Potion (depotted into a pan on the right)

The Paint Pots have a creamy consistency and a smooth texture. They apply easily and dry in a minute or so on the eyelid. They grip the eyeshadows pretty well and if the eyeshadow is good quality, they make it last without major fading or creasing for about 8/10 hours.

The Urban Decay Primer Potion has a spongy, soft texture; it spreads easily on the lid. It takes just the smallest amount to cover the whole lid. If you over apply, the Primer Potion won't dry and the eyeshadow will crease. I guess that since it's transparent it's difficult to gauge how much primer you are using if you don't pay attention when you pick up the product.
Eyeshadows applied over the Primer Potion last for 8/10 hours for me without creasing and fading.

Next you'll see three different eyeshadow swatched over these three primers/bases. I chose the best and the worst eyeshadow I own and a third one that has a different finish from the others.

The first swatches I am gonna show you are the ones from one of the best eyeshadows I own, that is, Baked from Urban Decay: it's a shimmery bronze eyeshadow that has a buttery soft consistency and applies and blends like a dream.

From left to right, Urban Decay Baked over bare skin, UD Primer Potion,
Mac Painterly and Mac Soft Ochre (top:natural light; bottom: flash)

This eyeshadow is so good that there are no big differences between application over different primers. You can detect a slight shift in color from the application over the UD Primer Potion, which is bronzier, and the Mac Painterly Paint Pot, more golden. The yellow tones in Soft Ochre sort of neutralize the gold shimmer in Bakes, so the color seems more sedated.
It applied easily over the primers, application over bare skin may be a bit patchy as there may be more product where the brush first hits.

Next are the swatches of the worst eyeshadow I own, Urban Decay Uzi, a glittery white eyeshadow.

From left to right, Urban Decay Uzi over bare skin, UD Primer Potion,
Mac Painterly and Mac Soft Ochre (top:natural light; bottom: flash)

This eyeshadow is a nightmare: the fall out is horrid, no matter what primer you use. The only difference is that the Paint Pots seems to grip the white color better since they are stickier and tackier that the UD Primer Potion.

Last eyeshadow I tested the primer with is Mac Cork, a neutral brown color with a matte finish.

Matte shades are notoriously difficult to apply and all three primers makes application so much easier than on bare skin. The color though is truer to the pan when applied over the UD Primer Potion, and slightly darker over the Paint Pots.

Overall I think that these three primer bases are fantastic products and work wonderfully giving intensity and longevity to eyeshadows.
I think the only criteria to choose between these products are based on your personal preferences: if you need coverage because the skin of you eyelid is uneven in color, then choose a Mac Paint Pot (according to your skin undertone); if you prefer a true rendering of your eyeshadow on the lid, than use the UD Primer Potion, since it's transparent it won't change the color of your eyeshadow!

Prices are roughly equivalent: Paint Pots are 5g, full size Primer Potion is 11ml.
I just recently finished my Painterly Paint Pot after two years of intense use. I cannot say how long it would last you a full size Primer Potion!