My Favourite...Eyeshadow Bases and Primers

When I first started playing with make-up, practically all I wore was eyeshadow and mascara. For the longest time people told me I should invest in a decent eyeshadow primer and for the longest time I ignored them. I really couldn't see what kind of difference it could possibly make, but when I finally bought one I was kicking myself for not doing so sooner! Then I started using bases too, which opened a whole new set of ideas when it came to colour placement and different effects. So anyway, here are my favourite eyeshadow primers and bases!

Eyeshadow Primer

Preps the eye area for make-up, creating a barrier between the skin's oils and eye make-up. Makes eyeshadows bolder, easier to blend and longer lasting.

[[ TFSI alone, TFSI with UD 'Peace' eyeshadow, 'Peace' alone ]]

1. Urban Decay Primer Potion is a real cult classic - with good cause! A tiny amount spreads over the eye area smoothly and evenly, creating the perfect base for eye make-up. Eyeshadows last at least 12 hours for me without any signs of creasing or fading, though of course this varies person to person. £12 from Boots or Debenhams.

2. I prefer Too Faced Shadow Insurance to UDPP, since not only does it create a smooth, even base and make my eyeshadows crease and fade resistant, but it makes colours a touch bolder. I'd also say that it is a touch creamier than UDPP. Available from Boots and Debenhams for £16.50 (the price has SHOT up since I bought it for £11!)

Eyeshadow Bases

Eyeshadow bases are placed over an eyeshadow primer to either help the eyeshadow stick, make the eyeshadow colour bolder or alter the eyeshadow colour all together. 

[[ UD 'Lucky' alone, UD 'Lucky' with UD 'Honey', 'Honey' alone ]]

1. Pencil eyeliners. The first pencil eyeliners I used as bases were the Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliners, which I still love using today! Eyeshadow stick to them really easily and they don't crease at all. Fantastic :) I love using 'Lucky' in particular, it is the creamiest of the bunch and makes anything slightly golden look incredible. available from Boots and Debenhams for £11.50 each. 

[[ ELF black cream eyeliner alone, ELF black cream eyeliner with UD 'Fishnet' eyeshadow, 'Fishnet' alone ]]

2. E.L.F black cream eyeliner, this is fabulously opaque and easy to layer up. It will crease if you take it further that the lid, however, so I prefer to line my eyes, soften the edges and apply eyeshadow over the top for a smokey effect. Available in seven other colours, I'm eyeing up the copper shade next! £3.50 from the E.L.F website.

[[ Beauty UK 'Blue' metallic eye spark, Beauty UK 'Blue' metallic eye spark with UD 'Goddess', 'Goddess' alone ]]

3. Eyeshadow pencils. NYX jumbo eye pencils are probably the most widely regarded, especially 'Milk' which I have reviewed recently. I also love the Beauty UK 'Metallic Eye Sparks', although they do crease fairly quickly, even over a primer. NYX jumbo pencils - £2.99 from love-makeup.co.uk. Beauty UK 'Metallic Eye Sparks', £2.49 from Superdrug and the Beauty UK site.

[[ Fyrinnae 'Pixie Epoxy' alone, Pixie Epoxy + UD 'Absinthe' eyeshadow, 'Absinthe' alone. ]]

4. Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy/ Hi-Fi Eyeshadow Base. Both basically work in the same way, though I would say that Pixie Epoxy is less prone to creasing and takes to mattes much better than the Hi-Fi base. These are gels which give a 'foiled' look once eyeshadow is applied over them. They work particularly well with metallic and glittery eyeshadows. Pixie Epoxy is $7, available from the Fyrinnae site. Hi-Fi High Impact Shadow Fix is $5.99, available from Hi-Fi's Etsy store.

Have you tried any of these? What do you think of them? What are your favourite primers and bases?