Loose Powder

When shopping at Target, I usually take a look at the e.l.f. fixture to see what might catch my eye. Recently, I picked up a set of three eyelid primers for $3.

The primers come in Nude (standard primer color), Pearl (white with shimmer), and Champagne (light brown with shimmer).

The swatches on the left are just the primer while the ones on the right have Everyday Minerals eyeshadow in Laptop over it – the first stripe is the eyeshadow without primer.

I didn’t like these primers at all. Overall, the application was a bit dry and chalky. The Pearl was too shimmery and also was kind of patchy when applied. The Champagne was too dark and I don’t think I’d use it at all. Thankfully, I didn’t spend too much money on these.

How many of you are using eye shadow primers to extend the life of your look for the day? Here’s a look at four primers I’ve been trying, including a new one by Glory Box Cosmetics.

The testing group includes the Glory Box primer, Fyrinnae’s Pixie Epoxy, e.l.f.’s Mineral Primer, and The All Natural Face’s Eyeshadow Primer.

Since, it’s new and I haven’t talked about it before, Glory Box Cosmetics’ TKO Eyeshadow Primer boasts all day wear without creasing. The 7ml tube of white primer applies clear and a tiny amount goes a long way. It goes on feeling slippery, like a silicone face primer, and the company advises that you wait 15-20 seconds before applying your eye shadow.

For the stripe tests, I used Glory Box Cosmetics’ Battersea aqua eye shadow and applied with a brush using the same amount for each stripe.

The first swatch is the eye shadow without primer. Next is Glory Box, then Fyrinnae, e.l.f, and finally The All Natural Face.

The Glory Box and All Natural Face primers both made the color a bit darker and bolder. Glory Box also seemed to bring out more of the shimmer. Fyrinnae’s Pixie epoxy was the next in terms of bringing out the color in the eye shadow, while e.l.f.’s primer didn’t do much but add a lighter base.

I let the swatches sit for about half an hour and then just brushed them lightly a couple times with my hand. This was the result:

Without primer, the eye shadow was mostly gone. The Glory Box primer did about as well as the All Natural Face primer. The e.l.f. primer actually did worse than no primer – it’s almost gone. The best performance came from Fyrinnae’s Pixie Epoxy – there was a bit of shadow lost, but it’s still mostly there.

I did another quick swipe with my  hand a few minutes later:

Again, the Glory Box and All Natural Face primers performed more or less equally. The stripe without primer and he one with e.l.f. primer are both pretty much gone. The Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy performed the best, once again.

My preferred eye shadow primer for long wear is always going to be Fyrinnae’s Pixie Epoxy. For daily use, I would either go with The All Natural Face or Glory Box – even though they didn’t do well on the rubbing test, they work find during the day if you’re not touching your eyelid all the time. I give up on e.l.f. primers.

All of these primers were easily removed with soap & water or your usual make-up remover.

Pixie Epoxy is available from Fyrinnae‘s site (lately it’s been down a lot, but orders still seem to be making it out). The All Natural Face sells their primer on their website and their Etsy shop. Glory Box Cosmetics also has an Etsy shop and the e.l.f. Mineral eye primer is available from their website.

There are a lot of reviews out there about Urban Decay’s Primer Potion in Original, and I would have to agree with all those reviews. This is one of the best eye shadow primers I have ever used. Just a sweep of this primer and your eye shadow will stay vibrant and last the whole day without any worry about creasing.

The primer comes in a really cute silvered capped purple “potion” bottle. The applicator is an angled brush that can be a bit awkward to use at first, but once you figure out the best angle to apply it, application becomes a breeze. However, I have read someone where the change to the angle brush came from the problem that a lot of the primer product was left in the bottle due to its shape back when the original brush was only a straight brush. So apparently angled brush is more efficient in getting more product out of the bottle.

I thought I would give Physicians Formula new Correcting Primer a try since it had a Try Me Free sticker attached to it. Additionally, I was in the market for new concealer. This primer is promoted as a 3-in-1 corrector + Primer + Sun protection, since this primer also has SPF 15.

This Correcting Primer comes in three different colors, green, yellow, and pink. I opted for the green color since I tend to use the green concealer to offset redness from my skin blemishes.

The correcting primer comes in a container with a flat brush shaped like a concealer brush. With a couple twists of the tube the correcting primer will flow through the brush and you can apply the correcting primer without having to use your hands, which is very convenient.

However, having only used foundation primers that give my face a soft silky feeling, this primer did not give the same effect at all. This primer is more of a concealer than a primer since it is a lot thicker than the face primers that I am used too, but still smooths out your complexion just without the silky feeling.

Despite this correcting primer not give my face an instant silky smooth feel, this primer does managed to hold my foundation in place for the whole day and it did not feel heavy or constricting to my pores since this correcting primer is also talc-free, hypoallegenic, fragrance free, paraben-free, non-comedogenic, and oil free.

Overall, this correcting primer does its job in concealing my blemishes effectively, smoothing my complexion, helping my makeup last longer, and giving me some sun protection. If you don’t mind not having the silky smoothing feeling for a primer, I’d recommend this correcting primer since it is 3-in-1, and we all know we can use a few less things in our makeup bags.

I have never used a foundation primer until I went to Sephora and had a little bit applied onto my face as I got color matched for some bareMineral foundation. After that little taste of foundation primer and how soft and silky it made my skin feel, I was hooked. However, I was not hooked enough to want to spend $21 on a tiny bottle of primer. So before going on a splurge, I got a couple samples of bareMinerals Prime Time Foundation Primer and the Oil Control version to make sure they didn’t cause me to breakout.

Prime Time Foundation Primer (1 fl oz. – $21)

This primer goes on smoothly and evens out my skin. I love the silky feeling I get from the primer, and it also keeps my foundation powder on longer. The silky feeling from the primer isn’t very oil and is quickly absorbed into the skin though after using this for a couple days it caused me to have minor breakouts.

Pros: makes skin feel soft and silky, not too oily, a good foundation primer

Cons: Expensive, causes minor breakouts on my oily skin.

Prime Time Oil Control Foundation Primer (1 fl oz. – $21)

This primer is a lot thicker than the regular formula. The sample mini jar I had had a dollop of primer and it remained that way until I used it all. As for the regular primer, it is a lot oilier and the moment it was put in the jar it just started to coat the bottom of the jar, but the primer isn’t runny or watery just a bit viscous and not a thick gel like the Oil Control.

I found that because of the thickness of the Oil Control primer, I had to use more primer to cover my whole face, and it did not leave the nice silky feeling that the regular primer had. Also after about two hours, my face would feel very oily, oiler than usual, and I would have to blot out excess facial oil with blotting tissue. Maybe that is the function of oil control and it supposed to keep oil off the skin, but I really did not like the feeling of oil all over my T-zone. Also the primer sort of smelled like glue.

Despite these issues I had with the Oil Control Primer, the primer still did its job in keeping my foundation on; smoothing out my face and making my pores look smaller.

Pros: Works well as primer for mineral powders, did not cause breakouts

Cons: Expensive, primer is thick, does not have silky texture when applied, makes my skin feel very oily, smells like glue

After trying out these samples, I still could not bring myself to spend $21 on a tiny bottle of primer. But Cyn directed me to the Eyes Lips Face (E.L.F.) website and mentioned their primer ran for nearly half of the price of bareMinerals. So I figured it couldn’t hurt and gave it a try.

E.L.F. Mineral Infused Face Primer (.49 fl oz. – $6)

This primer was everything that I hoped for. Just a little pump and I have enough primer to cover my whole face. My face feels silky smooth and it does not cause me to break out. The primer is a great base for my powder foundation and does everything that the bareMinerals primer did. Though the main difference between primers is that it is not as viscous as the bareMinerals Prime Time formula, but the E.L.F primer is far from watery. Though the first time I used the primer, it did come out very watery, but it might have been because it was a really hot day because the next time I used it, the primer came out as a gel and has always been a gel-like texture ever since.

There have been complaints about the bottle pump being cheaply made and it stops pumping after several uses, but I have been using my bottle for a while and have not had any problems with the pump. The only minor problem I have is that the cap for the bottle is a bit loose and has a tendency to fall off when in my makeup bag.

Also you don’t need a lot of the primer to cover your whole face. I usually use only half a pump and it is more than enough to cover my entire face, so this little bottle should last you a while.

Overall I am very happy with the E.L.F. primer and will probably stick to it because it is much more cost effective for my tight budget.

Pros: Makes skin feel silky and soft, cheaper price, good foundation primer for mineral powders, has not caused me to breakout yet, don’t need a lot for whole face

Cons: A bit small, but two bottles of these still costs less than the other brand, cap for bottle not tight

Fyrinnae (pronounced “fyeer-ih-nay”) is a company I am fairly new to, but I am loving their unique and vibrant eyeshadows and blush, both of which I’ll talk about in future posts. In this article I am reviewing their fabulous product, Pixie Epoxy.

Fyrinnae does not claim to be a mineral makeup company, but all their products are vegan: they don’t contain silk, carmine, pearl, or beeswax. Some of their ingredients are man-made or lab treated and thus aren’t technically “natural,” but they’re pretty much the same things you find in “mineral” make-up: mica, titanium dioxide, iron oxides, etc. Category and product pages will list all the ingredients in an item.

As stated on the site, Pixie Epoxy is not an eye primer or a base.  It’s a unique “glue,” that is “designed to hold the sparkliest, most shimmery eye shadows in place, minimize ‘fallout’, and also to easily create a foiled look without foiling.”

Ingredients: Glycerin (vegetable derived), Purified Water (Aqua), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Silica, Acrylamide/Ammonium acrylate copolymer, Polyisobutene, Polysorbate 20, Propylene Glycol, Carbomer, Polyaminopropyl Biguanide, Potassium Sorbate.

Personally, I use it without an eye primer because I’m usually too lazy. When I use it with a primer, though, I don’t notice any performance difference.

Prior to discovering Pixie Epoxy, I used e.l.f.’s Mineral Eye Primer. For me, it worked about as well as Urban Decay’s Primer Potion. Eyeshadow went on all right, a little bolder than without a primer but by the end of the day, it was noticeably faded. However, Pixie Epoxy sticks eyeshadow to your lids! I can go 8+ hours and my eye makeup will look almost exactly like it did before I left the house. I say almost because sometimes eyeliner or mascara will run/smudge, but that’s not Pixie Epoxy’s fault.

Now on to the demo swatches! I used several brands of eye makeup as well as both loose and pressed types. The first image below is what the Pixie Epoxy looks like when applied: it’s a bit shiny. You don’t need nearly as much as you think you do! A little dab spread over your lid is plenty and if you use too much you might get some creasing.

In the swatches below, the upper row has Pixie Epoxy, the middle is bare skin, and the lower row is with Urban Decay Primer Potion.

From left to right: Urban Decay Uzi, Urban Decay Flipside, Hard Candy Backstage Pass (gold & aqua), Orglamix Lagoon, Everyday Minerals Starry Eyed, Aromaleigh Palmetto (matte), Aromaleigh Wonderland (gothic lolita), Fyrinnae Cupcake Sprinkles, Fyrinnae We’re All Mad Here, e.l.f. e/s duo Berry Mix (mauve & plum)

As you can see from the swatches, there’s a huge difference in the shadows that were applied over Pixie Epoxy versus just bare skin. There’s also quite a difference between Pixie Epoxy and UDPP except for a couple of the colors.

Here are a couple more photos of the swatches that are a bit more in focus:

Even though Pixie Epoxy is a bit tacky (which is really helpful for glitter shadows like UD’s Uzi), I don’t find there’s any difficulty blending my colors. As I said above, I’ve been using this on my lids instead of a regular eye primer for the last couple months and haven’t had any skin problems.

At less than half the cost of UDPP, do yourself a favor and get the 10ml tube of Pixie Epoxy. While you’re there, be sure to check out their awesome eyeshadow shades!

Nope, the title is not a pun on “All My Bright Eyes” or something. This is actually a review on the products in Almay’s bright eyes collection that consists of a concealer, eye shadow, and eye liner that doubles as a highlighter.

The “bright eyes” collection supposedly “instantly refreshes and enhances your eyes”.

I decided to try this collection because there was a “buy one get one free” sale at CVS Pharmacy. Also since I’m a natural look kind of girl, I thought this collection would be great for me because I could use something that made me look more awake than my usual half asleep stumble into the office each morning.

For this collection, Almay suggests that certain colors should be used for specific eye colors, which I found useful since I’m horrible at figuring out what colors play up my eyes and which don’t. There are choices for the three major eye colors: blue, green, and brown.

Since I’m a brown eyed girl, I picked up the suggested base + concealer in Medium, eye shadow in Bronze, and liner/highlighter duo in Soft Black/Champagne.

Base + Concealer – Medium ($8.99)

The concealer comes in a squeezable tube. The concealer is squeezed out of the tube into a brush tip applicator, which seems like a great idea if you were planning to line your eyes with concealer. The brush tip is on the thin side and it is fine for dotting the black shadows under your eyes, but it takes a bit more work to cover your whole eyelid. I also found out that squeezing the concealer through the tube into the brush could get messy really quickly because you have to squeeze the tube pretty hard for any concealer to come out of tube and into the brush applicator. Additionally, the brush applicator did not help in giving me an even distribution of concealer. Instead I had problems where I would have a lump of concealer where I first applied the brush and run out by the time I reach the end of my eyelid. So I still ended up using my fingers or a makeup sponge to make sure the concealer evenly covered my eyelids and under my eyes.

As for concealing any puffy eyes and dark under eye circles, I don’t see much of a difference compared to other concealers. It might have lightened up the area a bit, but not enough for a significant difference. On the other hand, using this concealer as an eye base is actually not bad at all. I’ve tried it a few times and it lasted all day with no creases. But I suggest using this as a base for powder shadow because the cream shadow that Almay suggests you use with this base in this collection creased the moment I opened my eyes. To prevent creasing, I had to add another layer of powder eye shadow (Neutrogena’s Nourishing eye duo in Iced Coffee) over the cream eye shadow. The addition of the powder eye shadow worked beautifully leaving no creases.

Pros: good eye base for powder eye shadows

Cons: applicator brush not very effective and can get messy, very hard to squeeze, and not a good concealer

Cream-to-powder shadow – Bronze ($8.99)

When I first bought this, I had no idea it was a cream shadow, and I had never used cream shadows before I got this. It was serendipity because I ended up loving this cream shadow, and the color in this set is perfect for a natural day look. The eye shadow is a duo that consists of two colors light beige and brown. I have used this shadow by itself or with a layer of powder eye shadow over it, and I like the final result of both looks.

This cream eye shadow also works well as base if you happen to run out of primer, concealer or just don’t have any thing other than the cream shadow handy.

Pros: good colors, cream shadow, good eye base

Cons: none really unless you hate cream shadows

Liner/Highlighter duo – soft black & champagne ($8.99)

Like the cream shadow, the moment I used this eyeliner I was in love. The soft black color goes very well with the bronze shadow set. It was very easy to line my eyes with this pencil. The lines came out smoothly, and I didn’t even need to apply pressure on the pencil it to get a smooth line.

The champagne highlighter color is a nice iridescent off white color that I like for highlighting the corners of my eyes. Like the liner it did not need pressure to achieve a smooth line.

Pros: Liner and highlighter in one, no struggle needed to get a smooth line, good color combination

Cons: The liner is on a thicker pencil which means I need a different sharpener when the tip gets blunt.

Now that I’m done talking about each individual product, let’s see how they work together.

Instruction on the Almay Bright Eyes site suggests the following steps in applying the collection.

1. Apply the base + concealer under eyes and over eyelids.
2. Apply eyes shadow on eye lids. Darker shade on lid to crease and lighter shade from crease to brow bone.
3. Apply darker eyeliner along upper/lower lash line. Then apply highlighter to inner and outer corners of eyes and highlight brow bone below eyebrows line.

After doing my usual regimen for preparing my face with foundation, concealer and powder, I applied the bright eyes collection as directed. As noted before, the base + concealer with the eye shadow leads to immediate creasing.

Aside from the creasing, bright eyes does make my eye seem more “refreshed” since the eye shadow and liner/highlighter added definition to my eyes. Out of the three products in the bright eyes collection, I would consider purchasing the eye shadow and liner/highlighter duo again. I would definitely pass on the base + concealer and try something else.