Lancome Aquatique Waterproof Eyecolour Base

Lancome was a latecomer to the primer scene. Their MA maintained for ages that all you need under makeup is a good moisturizer and eye cream and color would stick and stay true all day. Those of us who've been using primers regularly would beg to differ, of course, and eventually Lancome released Aquatique Waterproof Eyecolour Base as an eye shadow primer.

One would think Lancome might have used the extra time for some serious R&D to develop a superior product. Well, in this case one is wrong. The texture of Aquatique is harder than most primers and almost waxy. It's spreads easier than I feared and creates the desired smooth canvas feel, but this kind of smoothness doesn't do much to make eye shadows stay in place. You feel like you're covering your lids with spackle but the color doesn't adhere to it very well. I've tried Aquatique base with numerous eye shadows from several brands, including Lancome, but the results were never as good as I get with other primers.

Bottom Line: They should stick with what they do best.

Lancome Aquatique Waterproof Eyecolour Base ($24.50) is available from most department stores, Sephora and lancome.com. I got the mini size as a part of a GWP.

All photos are mine.

Let's Talk About: To Prime Or Not To Prime

I made a remark here last week about the importance of using primers and received a few comments from readers who find face primers too slippery or oily and quite counterproductive- if the primer slides off one's face so will the rest of the makeup. Not a good idea, right?

The thing is that there many (many!) types of primers on the market, including some more suitable for oily skin. I know some people can't deal with silicones and I've had one experience with a face primer that clogged my pores. Even among silicone primers not all are created equal- some are thicker than others. And then there are the non-silicone primers: mattifying, brighteners and others. My favorites are from Shiseido, Cle de Peau and Laura Mercier.

The question is: Do you prime? Why or why not? Did you try but gave up on them? Please share your experience, recommendations and/or any requests.

Photo of Greta Garbo, 1928, myvintagevogue.com

Cle de Peau Beaute Luminizing Enhancer Base

Clé de Peau Beauté Luminizing Enhancer Base is not your average makeup primer. It takes a bit of adjustment- the first couple of times I ended up with a bit of a Kabuki face because it's pearly white, not sheer. The base targets and evens skin tone and not necessarily texture, so my guess would be that if you need a primer to fill lines or scars and provide a a smooth surface, this Cle de Peau product might not deliver. However, it does affect the foundation and finish, so there is a visible smoothing effect and at least some enhancing of your foundation performance and lasting. Not as much as most silicone primers that really cement your makeup in place, but enough to make a difference.

So what does the Clé de Peau Beauté Luminizing Enhancer Base actually do?

Mostly, it brightens and gives the face a subtle and an unidentified glow while reducing the appearance of discolorations, uneven skin tone and dark circles. I'd say it's like Nars Brightening Serum on steroids, or maybe with a hefty dose of Touche Eclat. I saw a significant difference when using the base on the dark circle under just one eye compared to the other one. I tried taking photos, but this is beyond my skills or my camera's capabilities, so you'll have to take my word for it. This photographing experiment has also shown a certain glare that affected the pictures. I'd strongly suggest consulting with an experienced makeup artist before you wear it for a photo shoot.

Clé de Peau suggests adding a coat or two for darker areas, and that's true. Unlike most primers, this base builds up. It can also be used over your foundation with very nice results (again, be careful  if you're using it before having your engagement picture taken). I also mixed some with sheer coverage foundations (Chanel Vitalumiere) and with a tinted moisturizer. It worked every time. Used under mineral makeup, the Luminizing Base requires a very light hand and cautious when buffing the minerals. It required some practice, but once I got it, the results were great. Just make sure your skin is very (VERY) well-moisturized. At least if you're my age and trying to look alive.

Which brings us to two usage tips:
1. Despite claims, the base is not an adequate moisturizer for normal to dry skin.
2. Avoid your eyebrows, or better yet, use brow wax or something similar to protect them. It's a hassle to get the liquid out of the eyebrows, and I promise you, pearly white is not a good look for that part of the face.

Bottom line: Probably not a must-have, but used judiciously it can be a great addition to the makeup addict arsenal.

Cle de Peau Beaute Luminizing Enhancer Base ($90) is available from top department stores, including online. I bought it at my local Saks and highly recommend you get a SA/ MUA to demonstrate it before you buy. Thankfully, Cle de Peau people are among the best you can find and they seem to be extra passionate about the line.

Image: vintage Japanese cosmetics ad from oldorientmuseum.com

Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics- Mineral Primer

I'm a primer fiend. If you're a regular reader you already know that (and you use one. Right? RIGHT?). A good primer create the smoothest base for everything that comes on top, allow you to use less foundation and get a better coverage and keep makeup looking fresh for long hours, even in extreme weather conditions (NYC in mid-August). Silicone-based face primers have become the standard and many companies offer one. They rarely vary, though some are thicker than others and all of them use some form of Dimethicone Crosspolymer as the main ingredient. The differences are in the minor additives and I've discovered that a few can be slightly pore-clogging.

Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics have their own primer, and looking at the list of ingredients it is, as they claim, chock-full of mineral and plant extracts. It's hard to say how much of it (if any) actually gets to work on my skin, but what I like about this Mineral Primer is that it actually feels lighter than than several other similar products I've been using. I wanted to take a photo comparing a drop of three or four silicone primers, but between my camera's limitations and my lack of skills I couldn't capture the difference. So you'll have to take my word for it- the Youngblood product looks the clearest and has the lightest texture. It doesn't affect performance, though. I still get the perfectly smooth canvas effect that works well with every foundation I've tried to use over it. Makeup stays vibrant and fresh from morning to night and I've not experienced any skin issues. Knowing that the primer is made of things like malachite extract, honeysuckle flower extract and also includes jojoba oil is just a bonus.

 Mineral Primer from Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics ($37.50) is available from Henri Bendel (highly recommended to visit the counter, where you can get some good advice and match the products to your needs) and from the comany's website, ybskin.com. I've been testing a sample that was a GWP and recently received a full-sized product directly from the company.

Photo of Princess Natalie Palie in Paris, 1937 from myvintagevogue.com

Urban Decay Primer Potion- Sin

Ever since the release of Sin, the colored and shimmery version of Urban Decay Primer Potion, I approached it several time at various Sephora stores. If I were lucky to find a working tester that seemed half clean and free of cooties I'd swatch it on my hand, wrinkle my nose and think: "Seriously?!". It just wasn't my thing. The color seemed off and the texture reminded me of the long gone Lancome cream eye shadow that used to crease even before you stepped away from the mirror. But I've accumulated so many samples of Sin that I had to give it a fair testing.

The good news is that it looks better than I expected. I wouldn't wear it on its own, as the color is a bit too warm for me, but it actually brightens and mellows other eye shadows that are too cool toned (that's the curse of having a weird skin color). The metallic shimmer isn't too strong and wouldn't create drama when you're aiming for an understated look.

The bad news is that it's not as good as the classic Primer Potion. It doesn't have the same cream-to-powder texture and doesn't create the same silky canvas for the eye shadow you use above. As a result, it doesn't grab the eye makeup as well and doesn't last as long. It's still an acceptable eye primer, but not a great one.

Urban Decay also hasn't improved the packaging- it's still that little genie bottle that looks cute but is completely useless in dispensing the product after a couple of weeks. My strategy with the regular Primer Potion is to remove the inside plastic ring. This way you get more wiggle room for the wand and can reach further into the bottle.

Bottom line: Meh. I'm not buying it.

Urban Decay Primer Potion- Sin ($18) is available from Sephora in store and online.

Kanebo Sensai Eyelid Base (Primer)

Regular readers know that I'm a big advocate of makeup primers. They make whatever color products you use last longer, look better and even apply more smoothly. It's an extra step, but a quick one that pays off hours later. Eye primers are especially great because they prevent your shadow from creasing, melting and changing color as a result of exposure to air and skin oils.

However, I understand why the cream-to-powder texture of many popular brands might feel too dry for those with super dry or mature skin. The Eyelid Base from Sensai by Kanebo is an excellent solution for this issue. This is a very creamy primer, as you can see in the picture. It has moisturizing and shielding qualities while still providing a silky canvas and anchoring your eye makeup. The flesh color you see in the jar disappears upon application, but instead there's a very subtle brightening effect. It's barely noticeable- no sheen, shimmer or frost- only a slight illumination that is always welcome around the eyes.

I've been testing the Sensai Eyelid Base with most eye shadow and eye liner brands I own and the results are always great, no matter what (or how much) eye cream I've been applying underneath. The makeup stays on looking fresh with no change to color and finish. My one and only gripe is the packaging. The primer comes in this little jar with no want or applicator. You're supposed to dip your finger and dab right on the lid. I suppose you could also use a brush (a synthetic concealer brush would work here), but I find that primers are best applied with one's pinky. The average germaphobe wouldn't be happy with this arrangement, so my suggestion is to use a clean plastic applicator (like the one that comes with many good skin care products) to spoon a tiny amount out of the jar, then use your finger from there. Clean the applicator and rinse in hot water after use and store in a little ziploc bag.

Bottom line: Other than the packaging this is quite fabulous.

Kanebo Sensai Eyelid Base ($26, 0.22 oz) is exclusive to Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman. I received it as a PR freebie.

Photo by me.

Bottom line: A great product and

Too Faced Shadow Insurance Eye Shadow Primer

Having amassed a serious stash of Too Faced's Shadow Insurance primer samples (Sephora seems to be giving them out left and right) has proven to be a good thing during the month or so of packing, moving, unpacking and reorganizing. I had a very small arsenal of fool proof, low maintenance makeup items in my smallest makeup bag and mostly lived on that for several weeks. The tiny Shadow Insurance tubes were very convenient throughout the process.

The eye makeup products I carried with me were some of the top performers: Le Metier de Beaute eyeliner and Nude eyeshadow, Edward Bess (Dusk) and Chanel (Le Bronze) single eye shadows. These are items that need very little help, so the Too Faced primer merely helped them stay on and look fresh from morning till night while running around and doing all the messy work that goes with moving house. Then life went back to normal, my makeup arsenal of unusual size neatly organized in a new storage system and I started testing new stuff as well as wearing all my other beloved colors.

That was when I realized that while Shadow Insurance has a similar texture and feel on the lid to Urban Decay Potion Primer,  it doesn't always deliver. Eye shadows with crumblier textures, some cream eye shadows and even some eye liners don't last quite as long as they do when applied over UDPP, and they often lose some of their sheen or vividness after 6 hours, which never happens with Urban Decay.

Bottom line: Not all primers are created equal.

Too Faced Shadow Insurance Eye Shadow Primer ($17) is available from Sephora, which is where I got all the samples.

Photo: Blank Canvas from retrospectivemediajournal.com

Smashbox Photo Finish Color Correcting Foundation Primer, Adjust (Green)

I had a feeling I might need such a product sooner rather than later. It's November, which means the first of the seasonal colds. While I've managed to keep my skin well-hydrated (more on that in the next post) and flake-free, there's still that telling redness that doesn't exactly spell "gorgeous".

A few weeks ago I picked a bottle of the green Smashbox Photo Finish Color Correcting Foundation Primer at Sephora, after testing it on my husband's hand. His skin has quite a bit of redness and even he was impressed with the way this green stuff evened it out.

Used on one's face it performes just like Smashbox regular Photo Finish Primer- it smooths, fills and creates a silky canvas that allows for perfect foundation application and helps the makeup stay in place from morning till night. It prevents bleeding, migrating, sinking into pores and the general melty face one might experience in less than ideal weather.

The green Color Correcting primer balances out low-to-moderate redness and allows you to use much less foundation and concealer to cover up, which is always a good thing. I doubt it would make much difference in serious cases of scarring or blemishes, but when your skin requires a subtle attitude adjustment, this Smashbox primer is excellent.

Smashbox Photo Finish Color Correcting Foundation Primer ($38) is available from Beauty.com and Sephora. I bought it in store.

Photos by me.

Le Blanc de Chanel Sheer Illuminating Base

I finished a couple of my non-silicone face primers (I usually prefer them during the summer), so I was after something new. The Sheer Illuminating Base, Le Blanc de Chanel looked like an interesting option: a makeup base that also lightens and brightens. Le Blanc de Chanel is part of Chanel's Symphonie Blanche, "a makeup collection that highlights the beauty of white" (whatever that means), though I'm pretty sure it was soft-launched long before this collection came to be.

Le Blanc de Chanel's strength is less as a primer (it's decent, but doesn't hold firmly onto makeup for more than 8-10 hours) and more as a smoothing and subtly illuminating canvas. The texture is thin and it has a mother-of-pearl finish without looking pearlized on skin. It takes a bit of trial and error to figure out how much to use so you don't end up with white residue on your face. I'm not too crazy about the no-pump bottle, but at least they put in a plastic spatula so you don't have to stick your finger inside.

The effect of Le Blanc de Chanel is subtle. You wouldn't get kabuki face as long as you don't overdo it, but your foundation will look smoother and brighter. Speaking of which, some foundations look a tone too dark when you use this base, so I've found myself reaching for the lighter ones I own and diluting others with a moisturizer.

After a few days of using LBdC I realized it reminds me of something: Nars Brightening Serum. They have a very similar texture and effect (better bottle, though), so I compared the ingredient lists of both products and realized that the main difference is in the order, they both use the same stuff, only in different concentrations. This is probably why Nars Brightening Serum threads the line between skin care and makeup with a lingering effect, while Le Blanc de Chanel is classified as a makeup base. It seems like Chanel used a lot more talc in the products (it appears lower on the Nars list), which explains the white leftovers you get if you use too much of it, and I'm not sure I'm very happy about it.

Bottom line: Nice, but you get a similar effect (and probably a better product) for a considerably lower price from Nars- (2.5 oz for $61, while the Chanel base is $45 for only 1 oz).

Le Blanc de Chanel Sheer Illuminating Base is available from Neiman Marcus and chanel.com.
Both photos of the product are mine.

Sephora Brand Professionnel Perfection Makeup Base

The last few months I've been mostly shying away from silicone-based primers. Mostly because of the humidity (if you were in NYC last weekend you know exactly what I mean). My lotion-like primer of choice is Shiseido Smoothing Veil, and I've already gone through two jars of it. But a while ago I picked a tube of Sephora brand primer, simply because the small, very travel-friendly packaging, and while it's not perfect, I can still declare it a well-spent $12.

There's something pearly pink in there which made me nervous, but it doesn't show unless there's incompatibility issues with your foundation. I discovered that my Chanel Vitalumier doesn't mix well with this primer and produces some weird debris on the sides of my face and patches in the nose area that let the pink show through. However, when used under my tinted moisturizer, Benefit You Rebel, the results were flawless.

The staying power is great: 8-10 hours even on a disgusting humid day. Makeup is kept fresh, my skin is happy, I can't ask for much more.

Sephora Brand makeup is available online and offline. I bought mine at the Union Square store.


Tomorrow: The Scent Twins take Manhattan

Beauty Emergency- Running Out Of Eye Primer

On my second day in Paris, I discovered to my horror that I've run out of eye primer. I had a travel size one in my cosmetics case, but apparently I've done just enough travel in previous months to use every drop of it. So there I was in front of the mirror in my hotel room, half dressed, makeup only half done, ready to start my day (and eager for my breakfast of pain au chocolat) but knowing full well that without something to hold my eye makeup, it'd all be gone before my long day of walking, Metro-ing and sniffing perfume is over.

There was a Sephora just across the street from our hotel, but it was still a couple of hours before it was to open. So I went digging in my train case, searching for something that would work in a pinch. It was a Goldilocks moment: everything I checked was either too thin (liquid foundation, liquid concealer) and wouldn't last, or too thick (anything in cream or solid form), until I found the mini Some Kind Of Gorgeous (Benefit Cosmetics). The somewhat weird texture was perfect for my needs and as soon as smoothed a little across my lids I could feel the silky finish and knew it would hold.

And it did. I haven't noticed a difference from wearing a regular primer. My makeup lasted all day through the evening without fading or creasing. Crisis averted and I kept using it all through my vacation.

Velvet Veil Makeup Primer by Face Time

I got married by the sea, on a hot and humid summer night in 1996. I can't say I remember much of the actual event (people said it was lovely and the photos confirm), but I do know that my makeup could have used some help in the staying-in-place department. No one heard of primers back then, so it was all about using a good powder and hoping for the best.

Velvet Veil is the product I wish existed back then, because it performs amazingly well. I tested it against the elements: wind, pouring rain and a sweaty day. Nothing moved and it kept every foundation I tried fresh, and only required minimal powdering.

This is a silicone primer and the texture is thicker than the famous one from Smashbox. It's also more opaque, though once applied you see nothing. I like it for the way it keeps my face fresh all day, but I have a serious problem with its heaviness. I don't like the way my skin looks after wearing it for days (or the way I felt after 10 days of testing). It looks like my skin couldn't breath underneath the primer, though I'm sure there's a better explanation. Also, while I can't be completely certain the Velvet Veil is the culprit, I experienced some seriously clogged pores and a couple of zits I could have happily lived without. While it doesn't happen when I only use it occasionally, my skin definitely suffers if I make this primer part of my normal routine.

So, bottom line: a fabulous primer, but my skin isn't happy to encounter it on a regular basis. I'm keeping my bottle, but would only use it for special occasions that require heavy duty products with exceptional staying power.

Velvet Veil ($22) and the rest of Face Time products are only available online from the company's web site. That's how I bought my bottle.

An Uneven Road to Perfection: BECCA Complexion Products

You know all those regurgitated magazine articles about the most common makeup mistakes and no-nos: The obvious foundation on the jawline, the dark lip liner with pink lipstick, the unblended eyeshadow... It's all true, but no longer as common as it once used to be. People do learn, eventually. What's far more common is the half-done makeup: You see a woman who obviously took the time to carefully do her eye makeup, maybe even curled her lashes, chose the right lip color and dabbed on some gloss, but the problem is that she did all that on an uneven surface or skipped a step in the complexion perfection routine. And it shows.

(Another complexion pet peeve is the over-buffing of mineral makeup that results in an unnatural shiny mask. One day when we look back at makeup blunders of this decade, this is going to be at the top of every list, together with excessive smoky eyes that reach the apple of one's cheek, but that's a discussion for another day.)

Once upon a time, before primers appeared on the market, it used to be hard to keep a natural, even face without having to redo the whole thing mid-day. Thankfully, we now have eye primers that do not let eyeshadow crease or fade, and face primers that help us keep up appearances from day to night. They come in two formulas: Clear silicon, like the excellent Smashbox Photo Finish, that glides over the skin and smoothing it, and thin creamy ones that melt into the skin, refining its texture (like the Sephora brand, Shiseido Smoothing Veil and many others).

BECCA Silky Hydrating Primer belongs to the latter group. It's supposed to be a moisturizer as well as a primer, but I wouldn't recommend giving up your usual product. It worked well on top of my regular cream and did a good job at keeping the skin supple and my makeup in place for long hours. The texture is very thin, and since it comes in a regular tube, it dispenses more than needed and is quite wastefull.

The primer worked better with my regular Chanel foundation than with BECCA's own Luminous Skin Color, but that's not really surprising since the LSC is more of a tinted moisturizer than a full-blown foundation. As such, it's lighter in coverage and quite sheer. It feels pleasant on the skin and gives it a nice, healthy finish. I really liked the way it looked: Fresh but without that silly dewey look many light products give. I liked less the way the pump bottle works: It's so squirty, I'm constantly having to wipe the lotion of various surfaces in my bathroom.
Since the coverage is so light, this product requires a touch of concealer on problem areas underneath.

BECCA's compact concealer is a two-in-one deal. You get two intensity levels of coverage: medium and extra. Both are quite thick, which makes blending tricky, especially in the eye area. Also, all the concealer brushes I own are quite useless with this texture. It only works with fingers, which isn't the most hygienic thing ever. The coverage is better than many other concealer I've tried, but the blending issue is a big one in a product that needs to not be seen. The biggest flaw is in the packaging: You need to keep the little plastic insert that tells you which side is which, because you really don't want the pasty extra coverage under your eyes. Believe me: I tried. Quite annoying.

The finishing touch for every well-made face is powder. The one BECCA is offering is loose, very fine milled and gives a truly fabulous, natural look (lovely finish that blends perfectly with the skin and never looks powdered), but only if one manages to work the correct amount, because the packaging, again, doesn't make it easy. What I do, is get some powder on the puff, and then swipe a brush over it. It's a bit of a hassle, even if the results are good.

Seen and Smelled Around Here

I'm one of those who loved Black Orchid, Tom Ford's first fragrance for women. It works amazingly well on me; I don't get any of the infamous pineapple and crotch. Since it's strong and has a marvelous sillage, I felt it was best to retire it for the summer. I wish they came up with the EdT version, Voile de Fleur, a little sooner. It would have made a sexy summer night scent. I doubt that any of the Black Orchid haters would change their mind, since despite a more transparent composition the fragrance is about the same, funky, earthy notes included. But if you tried and found the original too heavy or syrupy, it's worth giving a try, because to my nose the blackcurrant is tamed by a more sparkling floral note, and the vanilla is also less fierce.

Trish McEvoy Eye Base Essential is giving the wonderful Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion a good run for its money. It works exactly the same way (dot on the lid, use your pinky to evenly coat, wait 15 seconds to let dry before you apply your eye shadow, which will now last all day/night without fading or creasing) and has the same feel to it- you know you're doing it right when your lid becomes a silky canvas.

Unlike the one from Urban Decay, this primer has five different color options. I don't know how necessary it is, since a primer is supposed to be completely invisible, but you ever had a problem with the Potion's shade, maybe the variety here would be worth the extra cost (Trish is $22 to UD's $15). I'm wearing the one in Bare and it works perfectly for me.

All of a sudden, after nearly a lifetime of dismissing Shalimar because it seemed to be everywhere, therefore not very interesting, I've fallen head-over-heels for the parfum version. It's all about the wood-vanilla base that emerges from under the citrus top notes. all I can say is that my skin really loves vanilla, which in return is very kind to me.

I have a vintage bottle, but the new one is just as good and addictive, and I have a serious problem of lusting after the limited edition Black Mystery bottle, just because. I just tried the EdT, and this one does smell too sharp and too common as far as my nose is concerned, so my recommendation for the parfum stands firmly.

Remember the days you only had one blush in your makeup collection? It wasn't that long ago, but with the ever-growing number of textures and options available, most of us have long succumbed to the pretty colors. Bobbi Brown Pot of Rouge is advertised as suitable for both lips and cheeks, but it's too dry for my lips. However, on the face it's perfect and the color Summer Pink gives me a natural flush: Not sun kissed or tanned, just a dark rosy color that looks healthy and not painted. This color seems to be available from the big department stores, but it's gone from the official Bobbi web site. I hope it's not a goner.

Something funny happened when my husband tried Comme des Garcon 2 Man. This perfume is supposed to be all about incense, wood and smoke, but on his skin it was pure and plain pepper. Black pepper, red pepper and white pepper, strong and pungent. I didn't think it was too bad, but he was so disgusted he had to wash it off right away. we both agreed that the original is quite lovely, especially in the drydown. I just need to decide if I can get over some disturbing opening note that was too vomitty for comfort.
CdG perfumes are available online from Luckyscent, but you can find the most popular ones at several department stores (my local Nordstrom carries them) as well as Jeffreys and C.O. Bigelow. The latter is fast becoming one of my favorite stores to sample and buy perfume. They offer many interesting brands while lacking the department store attitude.

Smooth

August is all about survival. Heat, humidity and crappy TV are trying to do us in. Saving face gets a new meaning during a season which makes some of our makeup staples cry. I don't know about you, but putting on a silicone-based face primer doesn't feel that great to me right now. Neither does foundation. Still, in order to look perfectly put together, one needs a little help in the even-things-out department.

This is when Shiseido Smoothing Veil saves the day. It's an intriguing concept: A white primer/foundation in the tub, colorless on the face and somehow gets your skin to look smooth and even. It doesn't cover up serious imperfections; You still need your concealer for that job. But, everything else gets that healthy skin finish. It's a good primer which holds whatever makeup I apply on top very nicely (and helps it last). The SPF 16 is a great bonus, as it saves me piling on another layer of product.

I can't say much about the fine line diminishing claim. I don't have much to diminish there, and generally, I'm quite skeptical about such things. But, since overall skin appearance is smoother, fine lines may be less visible.

Much Ado

My experience with DuWop products has been underwhelming so far. Yes, they make lovely eye shadows in some of the most beautiful combinations available. But, I deeply disliked their toe polishes (all of them looked cheap) and have found the much-hyped Lip Venom to be nothing to write home about.

Subsurface isn't going to land in my product hall of fame, either. I've been using it here and there for months now, hoping that eventually I would get what it's all about. No such luck.

As with many of their offerings, the basic idea is great. It's a double-duty product that is supposed to deal with two problem areas. One side contain an anti-blemish solution, while the other side is an under-eye primer. It's supposed to be a pre-concealer treatment with some anti-aging action. The problem? Both sides do diddly squat.

The anti-blemish cream is runny and thin. It might contain salicylic acid, but any drugstore product with the same ingredient performs better, and it doesn't come close to my Holy Grail of pimple fighting .

As for the concealer primer, I wonder why no other company that I'm aware of has come with a similar idea. After all, this is a part of the face that can always use some extra help. We have face primers that make foundation more effective, we have eyelid primers that make eye shadow look better and last longer. It makes sense to have a product that help us make the most of our undereye concealer. Unfortunately, this isn't the one. The primer goes on easily enough (I find the brush a bit stiff for such a delicate area), it's very wet and as such quite pleasant and makes the skin feel refreshed, but any non-greasy eye cream would achieve a similar sensation. You need to wait a minute or two before you can apply concealer, but when you do, there's no difference in application or feeling.

I've gone as far as to use the primer only on one eye so I can compare. No difference detected. My dark circles are alive and well, and since I'm using Secret de Vie instead of an eye cream, my undereye area has been happier than ever. The DuWop primer isn't contributing anything, except for adding a couple of minutes to the time it takes me to put on my face.

"And it was all yellow"

As a latecomer to the "stuff you put on your eyes before makeup" scene, I haven't tried Lemon-Aid from Benefit Cosmetics until recently. This isn't exactly a primer, nor is it a concealer, which is why expectations should not include eliminating dark circles or making makeup last longer. What this product does is take care of red and purple discoloration of the eyelids. It isn't supposed to be used on the under-eye area and doesn't provide coverage or any de-puffing action.

Lemon-Aid is a light yellow cream that has a somewhat waxy textures. It needs to melt a little before patting it on the skin. I know that for some people the texture makes it a bit difficult to use, but I had no problem with application. The tiniest amount is enough to do the promised trick and get rid of the redness. I wouldn't go as far as to say that you don't need eye makeup when wearing it, at least not in my case, because of my naturally dark eyelids, but it provides a good starting point for makeup application, especially for light colors that I sometimes have a problem making them show.

In this sense, it does work the way you'd expect from a primer: Easier application, you need less because shadows spread more evenly and looks better. However, unlike the wonderful Urban Decay eye primer that is a cream-to-powder formula, this waxy product is all cream, which means that sooner or later (two hours in my case) you start seeing creasing, and the makeup doesn't last as long as it should. I tested it with several Dior eye shadows as well as with the Bourjois I reviewed a few days ago. All are very high quality, so the blame isn't on them. Lemon-Aid is just not a primer, and can't be expected to perform like one.

It can be used in combination with a real primer. The question is: Why? I'm as high maintenance as the next beauty blogger, but I don't like loading up my face with layers of products. This is actually why I resisted the primer revolution for as long as I did. I'd rather not use two primers where one is sufficient. Then again, I don't have that big of a problem to cover.
I'd still use Lemon-Aid when I don't need my makeup to hold for a full day and I'm trying to keep things light, but it isn't a must-have as far as I'm concerned.

1000 Beauty Bloggers Can't Be Wrong

From the "How did I live without this until now?" department comes Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion. I'm not a big primer user as it is, unless I'm going for the full face extravaganza, always trying to keep the goop amount on my face to a minimum (well, the beauty-obsessed equivalent of a minimum). Also, I always maintained that using great quality eye products (cream, shadows) makes eye primer an unnecessary item.

I was wrong. I mean, you don't have to use an eye primer, but the results that this little potion gives you are just too good to discard. The hype in the beauty blogs that surrounds this product is well justified. It makes eye makeup hold and last from early morning well into the night. Also, I think it makes eye shadows look better and brighter. It's something about the way the primed skin becomes a more accepting canvas to the brush you're using (speaking of which, there's an interesting discussion on going back to the old sponge applicators on Jack and Hill's beauty blog).

The only secret here is to figure out the right amount to use. I've found that the applicator (it's one of those sponge wands, like the ones that come with most lip glosses) tends to load a bit too much potion on the lids, so I've taken to even things out with my finger, after the initial application. Then, you need to give it a few seconds to set before brushing on the eye shadows. It adds about a minute to the time it takes to get ready, but the long lasting (and great looking) results are worth it.