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Let’s face it, achieving the perfect makeup look to accentuate your best features takes practice and experimentation. Once you’ve nailed your look, the last thing you want is to get home after a night out only to see barely-there eyeshadow, crusty creases, and gorgeous cat-eyes that turned you into a raccoon. Whether you have dry, oily, or combination skin, eye primer will keep you looking beautifully sleek and crease-free all night. This one extra small step in your makeup application routine will work wonders for longer-lasting, better-looking eye makeup to help you make the most of those accurate lines and shimmering blends you’ve been perfecting. From black and white to yellow, primers come in a range of different colors and formulas. We’ve rounded up the top eye primers in 2024 to help you on your mission to kick the crease. Plus, we’ll guide you on exactly what you need to know when choosing the right primer for your skin type and style.
Detailing the Leading Eye Primers of 2024
Anastasia Beverly Hills Primer — Best Overall
Key Features
- Reduces creasing and staining of eyelids
- Travel size and water-resistant
- Vegan and cruelty-free
- Non-comedogenic and dermatologist tested
A little goes a long way with Anastasia Beverly Hills eye primer. The light-colored base is water-resistant and ideal for setting a blank canvas for shimmers, matte, or glitter effects, whether using powder, liquid, or cream eyeshadow formulas. Since it comes in a small squeeze tube, use your own brush or fingers to apply and let it dry before layering colors for no-stain, no-crease, and no-fade protection. The formula is free of parabens, alcohol, oil, phthalates, and has been clinically tested for skin safety.
Urban Decay Primer — Best for Mature Skin
Key Features
- Anti-aging formula to reduce fine lines
- Vegan, cruelty-free, and free of parabens
- Ensures intensified, crease-free color even on oily skin
- Blurring pigments minimize redness and improve tone
- Flocked wand applicator
This anti-aging eyeshadow primer formula includes dermaxyl to smooth the appearance of wrinkles, as well as kalpariane, which plumps and hydrates the skin improving elasticity. Applying just a small amount with the included applicator wand minimizes redness and improves tone and texture, creating the perfect base for crease-free, all-day color. Plus, the eye primer is available in four shades: the Original and Anti-aging shades dry invisibly to set the ideal foundation for any color overlay, or blending. Eden is an opaque-matte tone that softens super shimmery colors and it can be worn alone as a matte base color. Sin has an opaque shimmer undertone, best for boosting shimmer eyeshadows or to provide a subtle shine highlight when worn alone.
Elizabeth Mott Primer — Best for Oily Skin
Key Features
- Minimizes smudging and fading, so no touch-ups are needed
- Formulated to prevent creasing, especially for oily skin types
- Cruelty- and paraben-free
- Comes in a squeeze tube for finger application
Elizabeth Mott’s ‘Thank Me Later’ eye primer is suitable as a base layer before applying any colorful eye makeup. Not only does it allow smoother application and blending, but it enhances the tone of your eyeshadow to its true color whether powder, cream, or liquid. Plus, this lightweight formula, which balances your complexion and conceals discoloration, is so great that you’ll avoid fallout and creasing, even if you are prone to oily lids or live in a humid climate.
NYX Professional Primer — Best for Fair to Medium Complexions
Key Features
- Natural color finish
- Doe-foot applicator brush included
- Vegan and cruelty-free
- Best for fair to medium skin tones
This natural-finish creamy eye primer sets the tone for amplified color. It prolongs the high-definition appearance of eyeshadow and liner to prevent fading throughout the day. The tube has an applicator brush allowing you to apply just a small amount, making the application precise and controlled; all you have to do is smooth it out with your fingertips.
Once the primer is set, start applying your eye makeup. If you have a fair to medium complexion, this primer really simplifies your makeup routine, since you don’t have to think about a color-matching primer base for your eyeshadow. Plus, you can apply any color on top of it and achieve a striking effect.
Revlon Primer — Longest Lasting
Key Features
- Suitable for all skin tones
- Comes in a small squeeze tube for fingertip application
- Non-dehydrating shea butter formula
- Up to 24 hours of color-staying power
Revlon's eyeshadow primer gel is specifically designed with ColorStay Technology to keep your eye makeup in place for up to 24 hours. In addition, the formula contains shea butter to prevent dry skin, create a smooth base surface, and make blending seamless.
Apply just a small amount with your fingertip and even it out across your eyelid and anywhere around or under your eye where you are applying liner or shadow. Once set, apply your color and blend for an even look with no fallout and no fade.
Buyer’s Guide: How to Find the Perfect Eye Primer
Whether you are using powder, gel, or liquid eyeshadow, an eye primer will greatly benefit your look. Not only does it ensure longer-lasting wear, but it also creates a barrier between your eyelid skin and the makeup, preventing sweat and oil from causing the colors to fade and crease. Primer specifically designed for application around the eyes may seem like an unnecessary step in your routine, but don’t be fooled into thinking that it is the same as a face primer. In this guide, we’ll uncover what makes the extra coat of cream so special. We’ll also talk about the top primer colors and help you pick a product most suitable for your skin.
Benefits of Using Eye Primer
If we haven’t made it obvious enough already, the main function of eye primer is to create a base for your eye makeup for long-lasting wear. It creates an oil-free grip for your eye makeup to stick, regardless of whether you are using powder, gel, or liquid products. Since it creates a barrier between naturally oily skin and the color product, it prevents creasing and smudging.
Another benefit of using a primer is that it accentuates the color of your eyeshadow and allows for more even application and blending for a truly vibrant and flawless look. Fewer touch-ups are needed, which means you can bat your lids with confidence all day long.
Eye Primer vs. Face Primer
Eye primer and face primer formulas are somewhat different. Most face formulas include silicone to fill pores, blur imperfections, and provide silky smooth skin. This however would be counterproductive around your eyes since the smoothness doesn’t facilitate adherence of color products, which is why they fade and become creased.
As with face primer, concealer has the same kind of slippery base, making blending more difficult, leaving eye makeup feeling heavy, and forming creases as the oils in the skin interact with the creamy formula.
Eye primer formulas are specifically designed to counteract these problems by offering a slightly stickier cream, allowing products to adhere and stay put. In other words, eye primers provide more grip than slip.
Although eyebrow pencils can often double-up as eyeliner, and liquid eyeshadows can be used as a highlighter, primer is one part of your makeup kit that should only be used in the area it is specifically designed for.
Long-lasting formulas are best for oily skin, while individuals with dry skin can opt for a product that offers some hydration.
Tips for Applying Eye Primer
- You only need a very small amount of primer for your eye area. Think mustard seed size.
- Always wash your hands before applying any makeup to your face, especially around your eyes.
- Blend it over your entire eye area and a touch underneath if you are going to be applying any liner of shadow under your eye.
- Your makeup goes directly over the primer. Use a finishing powder to lightly brush over any areas of primer that haven’t been covered with eyeshadow.
How to Choose the Right Eye Primer Color for You
White primer
White primer can be used on any skin tone and is ideal as a base for pastel shadows and colors you wish to intensify. Apply it with your finger and ensure a smooth, even coverage to avoid blotchy color application. Any color that you apply over the white will be more pronounced.
Black primer
Black primer is suitable for all skin tones and creates the best base for smoky eyes and metallic shades. Don’t be deterred when you see the black tube, as the color evens out to a dark grey when applied in a small amount. It adds depth and richness to smoky and metallic effects.
Shimmer
To provide any matt shade with a slight shimmery undertone, a shimmery primer can provide versatility to your eye kit. It brings brightness on its own and offers a touch of elegance to smoky eyes. You can even use a light shimmer formula as a highlighter or to brighten the eyes by applying it near the inner corners.
Yellow primer
Yellow eye primer is best for color correcting fair to medium complexions. Like black primer, it might seem a bit over-the-top at first glance, but once applied, it has the power to transform your lids. The yellow color neutralizes any uneven shades and redness, creating an even base for color application.
Beige/brown neutrals
For medium to dark complexions, these neutral shades act like color-correcting creams. They correct any uneven spots, create a neutral base for pronounced color, and provide a matte texture to prevent the skin's natural oils from causing uneven application and smudging.
