Primers are something every girl needs a couple of in her arsenal, I reckon. I'm not a daily foundation primer user (just too much load on the skin for me, ta), but I do keep a bottle of Smashbox Photo Finish on hand for special occasions or for when I want skin to look particularly flawless when made up.
But eye bases and primers are things I use all the time, and I have a fair few I trot out for varying requirements: Guerlain's Ombre Eclat shadow primer is a good daily pick as it's not sticky, tacky or super-heavy duty. It basically just gives you a little more intensity and some more staying power. The big guns are things you all know about like Urban Decay's Primer Potion and Too Faced's Shadow Insurance, and more recently I've become enamoured of Trish McEvoy's Eye Bases too.
I've some more I get regular use out of, too, and they're from fairly new-to-Ireland brand, Make Up Store. It's a Swedish line that you can find at Arnotts, and has lots of interesting and useful little bits and bobs in its offering like Mixing Liquid and Blend and Fix.
Advertised
Mixing Liquid (left) is not strictly a primer as such, being a clear liquid, but it can be used to create easy-to-apply shadow from pigments or to give extra intensity to wishy-washy shades - just wet a brush, swirl it in your pan of crappy shadow and voila! A more intense result.
Ok, yes, you can pretty much do the same with water (or Optrex), so it's not one you may feel you absolutely have to own. I got it as a sample, so am pretty happy to keep it in my kit. I have often used Shadow Insurance or Mavala's eye primers as mixing mediums to create cream eyeliner, but as they're both coloured, that does affect the outcome. This, being clear, is great for when you want an exact result.
Blend and Fix (right) is a more interesting prospect. While the brand says it's suitable for mixing with pigment or for getting intensity and keeping shadow in place, I think this tacky clear gel is a winner for glitter. I don't find any of my other primer offerings sticky enough to really keep sparkles in place over the course of a night, but because this has a little glueyness to it - it's similar enough by the sounds of it to Fyrinnae's Pixie Epoxy - it really does hold glitter firmly in place with a minimum of shedding.
You're still gonna get some, just not as much - and no, it doesn't glue lids together and it does set, so you're not going to feel like you've got Pritt Stick on your eyelids as you bat yer lashes at that fella you fancy.
PS: will update with prices for you all asap.
