These Eyeshadow Primers Will Help Your Eye Makeup Last All Day

1. Jason Wu Beauty Wu-Prime Eye Eyeshadow Primer 

Wu-Prime Eye is a full-coverage base that ensures your eyeshadow lasts all day. This lightweight formula glides smoothly on lids, providing an even canvas for any eye look and intensifying color to keep your eyes looking perfect all day long. This primer is packed with vitamin E (for hydration) and vitamin B (for anti-aging properties that reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles), so your skin benefits with every use.

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2. Too Faced Shadow Insurance Eye Shadow Primer

Too Faced’s best-selling formula intensifies color and helps lock down eyeshadow for over 24 hours of non-creasing, fade-resistant wear. The formula is an essential blend of skin-loving ingredients, and it comes with an easy-blend, doe-foot wand for seamless, professional application. This translucent eye shadow primer glides on weightlessly, helps protect against blue light damage, and fights breakthrough oil to help keep shadows smooth, waterproof, and long-lasting.

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3. Wander Beauty On-the-Glow Blush and Illuminator

Wander Beauty’s original, award-winning multitasker delivers a complete look in the palm of your hand. On-the-Glow can be used on your cheeks, lips, eyes, and body, streamlining your beauty routine and helping you do more with less. With cream color on one end and a buildable illuminator on the other, On-the-Glow keeps you gorgeous no matter where you are. Use it to add beautiful color and dewy luminosity or to give a natural flush to lips and cheeks. Plus, as our article suggests, it works wonders as an eyelid primer.

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4. Wander Beauty Dualist Matte and Illuminating Concealer

Get ready in minutes with Wand Beauty’s double-sided concealer. This 2017 O, The Oprah Magazine Fall Beauty O-wards winner features a tug-free, full-coverage matte stick on one end and a lightweight illuminating liquid on the other. The crease-proof formula provides long-lasting coverage that blends seamlessly without feeling heavy or cakey. Use this concealer for everything, including covering blemishes, contouring your face, and priming your eyes for eyeshadow.

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Other rave-worthy primers

Primers are a must-have for your lids, lashes, and even your whole face — so here are a few of our all-time favorite primers to help your makeup last much longer.

1. Honest Beauty Extreme Length Mascara + Lash Primer

This award-winning, bestselling double-sided mascara and lash primer is designed to deliver ultimate length and volume. Apply the primer along your lashes, wait 30 seconds, and top it off with a few coats of your favorite mascara. You’ll get next-level length that’ll have everyone thinking you’re wearing extensions.

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2. ITEM Beauty Boost Juice Lash Primer & Color Mascara

Nourish, prime, and color-coat lashes with this multi-tasking lash elixir. This primer and colored mascara features two conditioning hues that disappear under mascara to help lashes look fuller and longer. The lilac side volumizes with bamboo extract and dense fiber bristles, while the blue side lengthens with rice bran and long-and-lean fibers.

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3. Touch In SOL No Poreblem Priming Essence

Designed to provide an extra boost of hydration, No Poreblem Priming Essence is for those looking to take their skincare or makeup routine to the next level. This formula is enhanced with calendula flower extracts to minimize pores and smooth skin texture, leaving you with flawless, dewy skin. Use it on its own as a face moisturizer and brightener, or pair it with Touch In SOL’s No Poreblem Primer to create the perfect blank canvas for your next killer look.

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4. e.l.f Poreless Putty Primer

This skin-perfecting poreless putty primer is infused with squalane to grip makeup for all-day wear and protect skin from moisture loss. The velvety texture glides effortlessly over the skin, smoothing out imperfections while minimizing the appearance of pores.

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5. Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer

Elevate your foundation to an unprecedented level with this state-of-the-art primer that extends your foundation’s wear-time for a perfect complexion that lasts. With a texture unlike any other, this primer not only creates a smooth, even canvas for makeup but also conceals redness, minimizes the appearance of pores, fine lines, and wrinkles, and provides broad spectrum SPF 15 protection, all in a supremely airy, silky, cloud-like texture. No wonder it won InStyle’s Best Beauty Buy award for Best Primer in 2014, 2015, and 2016.

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FAQ

Do you need a primer for eyeshadow?

Technically, you don’t need to prime your eyes before you use eyeshadow. But primer offers so many benefits that you’ll probably want to. A layer of clean eyeshadow primer helps create a smooth surface on top of your eyelid, so your eyeshadow lays evenly across your lid. This is especially important for complicated eye looks that blend several colors, as a smooth surface is key to the perfect blend and a crease-free finish.

Primer also helps your eyeshadow appear brighter and more pigmented, which is great for bold and colorful looks. And even if you’re going for an understated, natural eye look, primer helps lock the shadow and eyeliner in place. A quality primer creates a smudge-proof eyeshadow base, so your look lasts all day. 

What kind of primer do I use for eyeshadow?

The kind of primer you need depends on your specific goals. Typically, the best primers for eyeshadows are as close to your complexion as possible (or even clear) and have a matte finish. But there are reasons to use different types of primer. A dark-tinted primer adds depth to a smokey eye, and an illuminating primer is excellent for people with dry skin.

Also consider the type of makeup you want to buy. Many cosmetic companies sell cruelty-free or vegan eyeshadow primers for makeup lovers who want to avoid animal products. If ingredients matter to you, check the label before you buy. 

What’s the difference between eye primer and eyeshadow primer?

The words “eye primer” and “eyeshadow primer” are virtually interchangeable. They both refer to a beauty product that smoothes out your eyelid, creating a crease-free canvas to apply your shadow. 

Another product that’s similar but slightly different to eyeshadow primers is eyeshadow base. Unlike primers (which are usually silky in texture), eyeshadow base tends to be thicker and tacky. Its job is to bind to your eyeshadow pigments, making them more vibrant and colorful.

So, what’s the best eyeshadow primer for you? Check out community reviews on Flip to find out. You’ll watch real people show you how these primers work in real time. Whether you want to see a trending product in action or to compare shades against your skin tone, the Flip community makes it easy to find a good eyeshadow primer that’s right for you.