Do I Need This? Glitter Primer (with comparison of NYX Glitter Primer and Too Faced Glitter Glue)

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Welcome to the latest installment of my Do I Need This? series. In these posts, I offer my experience and opinions about whether or not I think a product or technique is worth it. Obviously, you don't really need ANY beauty products, so the answer to the question is always going to be no, to some extent. But is it going to change your life (or face)? Is it going to make things easier? Are you going to notice any difference at all? That's what I'm getting at. You may disagree with my verdict, because we all have different bodies/faces/brains/desires, but I'll try to offer a starting point, at least.

It seems like all my posts in this series are about primer lately. Well, there are a lot of different primers out there these days after all. One of the few types I hadn't tried until recently is glitter primer. Um, because I don't use cosmetic glitter, so why would I? But when I had trouble with a lovely, but crumbly, eyeshadow, resident witch recommended a glitter adhesive. From what I can tell, glitter primer originated with indie makeup companies who designed it to work with their loose pigments and glitters, but it's become more widely available in recent years (the Too Faced primer has been around since at least 2011). I am happy to be educated on the real origins of this type of product, however, if you know more than I do, which wouldn't be hard! I picked the only affordable option I'd seen, NYX Glitter Primer ($6), but I also had two samples of Too Faced Glitter Glue ($20) to try out. I'll compare the two products and try to provide some information so you can decide if glitter primer is something that would be useful to you.

Do you need glitter primer?

Short answer: Maybe, if you already own messy eyeshadows and you really want to make them work. Or glitter!

Do I Need This? Mascara Primer (Wet N Wild PhotoFocus Lash Primer vs. Lancôme Cils Booster XL Mascara Base vs. Benefit They're Real Tinted Lash Primer)

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Welcome to the latest installment of my Do I Need This? series. In these posts, I offer my experience and opinions about whether or not I think a product or technique is worth it. Obviously, you don't really need ANY beauty products, so the answer to the question is always going to be no, to some extent. But is it going to change your life (or face)? Is it going to make things easier? Are you going to notice any difference at all? That's what I'm getting at. You may disagree with my verdict, because we all have different bodies/faces/brains/desires, but I'll try to offer a starting point, at least.

I wrote a while ago about how it seems like we're supposed to "prime" our whole bodies these days, and it's getting a bit ridiculous. Nevertheless, eyeshadow primer kind of changed my life. Or at least how I wear eyeshadow. Mascara primer is another one that's been around for ages, at least in more expensive brands, but it's popping up more at the drugstore now as our need to prime proliferates. Over the years I've got countless mini tubes of mascara primer from brands like Dior and Lancôme as various gifts-with-purchase, and I've used them, but I was never really sure that they did much. So I figured I'd do a quasi-scientific test of a few lash primers to see if they actually make difference.

Do you need mascara primer?

Short answer: No, just use an extra coat of mascara.

New Wet N Wild Primer PhotoFocus Eyeshadow Primer vs. (discontinued) Wet N Wild Fergie Eyeshadow Primer

Disclosure: Affiliate links.

Wet N Wild repackaged and reformulated a few of their products recently when they discontinued their Fergie line. I compared the new and old Pearlescent Pink blushes not long ago (not the same!), and I bought a tube of the new eyeshadow primer at the same time to do a similar comparison.

The Fergie primer was my favorite for years. I compared it to a a bunch of other primers (here and here), and for the price, it really couldn't be beat. So I was horrified to hear that it had been discontinued and disappointed when I read comments from some people who said that its replacement, PhotoFocus Eyeshadow Primer, wasn't quite the same. I was curious to find out for myself, especially since the ingredients list for the Fergie primer and the new PhotoFocus primer are identical. (You can see the new ingredients here and the old ones here.) How could it be different, then? In fact, Wet N Wild says "new look" on the product page for this primer--not "new product."

But I can confirm that the new and old primers do not seem to be the same. I don't know what that means. Different suppliers for the ingredients? Different factory/manufacturing process? Who knows!

The new primer has a decidedly thicker and firmer texture and it doesn't intensify eyeshadow quite as well as the old primer. Take a look:

I used a mediocre CoverGirl eyeshadow single to test the primer. On the far left is no primer, then PhotoFocus, then Fergie, and finally Black Radiance (reviewed here) for good measure, since it's made by the same company. It was harder to build up the intensity of the eyeshadow over the PhotoFocus primer--better than no primer at all, but not nearly as effective as the other two. The new primer also seemed to be slightly different in color/opacity from the Fergie stuff, in addition to being much thicker. You can see the difference faintly at the bottom of each of the swatches above, but I swatched all three on white paper to show it more clearly.

Again, PhotoFocus on the left, Fergie in the middle, and Black Radiance on the right. It's not the easiest photo to interpret, so let me help. The Fergie primer is the most opaque of the three and also the most yellow-toned. The PhotoFocus primer is sheerer, but not as sheer as the Black Radiance primer. None of these three products is identical.

Of course, I've also used the new primer on my actual eyelids. In the test pictured here, I used PhotoFocus on one eye and Fergie on the other, under Burberry Rosewood. I find Rosewood (swatched here) to be quite powdery and sheer, so it benefits from a good primer.

PhotoFocus, immediately after application:

Fergie, immediately after application:

I didn't see much difference, other than that my right eyelid is apparently more wrinkly. (I think it's mainly the raking angle of the light.)

And then I took photos again at the end of a very sweaty day, after about 8 hours of wear. You'll have to excuse the poorer lighting, since it was night and I had to take the after photos indoors.

PhotoFocus after 8 hours:

Some definite fading, but no creasing.

Fergie after 8 hours:

No creasing here either, but it has faded less.

Conclusions? I don't know exactly what the fuck Wet N Wild is doing with these replacements for products that were formerly well-loved and highly rated, which are ostensibly the same thing, but clearly aren't really. If your primary reason for using an eyeshadow primer is to prevent creasing, you should be fine using the new PhotoFocus primer (I have extremely oily eyelids, so I've put them to a rigorous test). If, however, you mainly want to intensify the pigmentation or opacity of your eyeshadow or to prevent fading, I would opt for something else, like the Black Radiance primer. Though it looks and feels more like the PhotoFocus primer than the Fergie one, the Black Radiance primer performs better. And it's cheap, too. Or you can stock up on leftover tubes of Fergie primer while you still can.

A possible dupe for the discontinued Wet N Wild Fergie Eyeshadow Primer? Black Radiance Eyeshadow Primer

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When I found out that Wet N Wild was discontinuing their Fergie line, my first thought was BUT WHAT ABOUT THE EYESHADOW PRIMER? It's been my favorite for a few years now, and in all my tests it performs as well as or better than all the more expensive options I've tried: Urban Decay, Too Faced, and LORAC here, and Nars here. So despite still having half a very worn-out tube--i.e. at least 6 months' worth--of the Fergie stuff left, I panicked and bought a tube of Black Radiance Eyeshadow Primer. (This was in the short period after the Fergie stuff has disappeared but before the new Wet N Wild Photo Focus Eyeshadow Primer had appeared.) Black Radiance is owned by the same company as Wet N Wild, and so the packaging of their products is very similar, along with the price point. The ingredients of the Black Radiance primer and the Wet N Wild Fergie primer are also similar, though not identical.

Black Radiance Eyeshadow Primer:

Isododecane, Talc, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, CyclopentaSiloxane, Polyethylene, Disteardimonium Hectorite, VP, Eicosene Copolymer, Synthetic Beeswax, Propylene Carbonate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Boron Nitride, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Phenoxyethanol, Sorbic Acid, Bisabolol, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Capric Triglyceride, Caprylic, Acrylates Copolymer, Magnesium Carbonate, Crithmum Maritimum Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Stamen Extract, Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891)

Wet N Wild Fergie Eyeshadow Primer:

Isododecane, Talc, Cyclopentasiloxane, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Polyethylene, Vp/Eicosene Copolymer, Boron Nitride, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Propylene Carbonate, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Synthetic Beeswax, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Methicone, Phenoxyethanol, Acrylates Copolymer, Magnesium Carbonate, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Bisabolol, Sorbic Acid, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Crithmum Maritimum Extract, Dimethiconol, Nelumbo Nucifera Stamen Extract, Bismuth Oxychloride/Ci 77163, Iron Oxides/Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499, Titanium Dioxide/Ci 77891 0812.

Note that there was also, I think, a pink, shimmery Fergie primer, but this is for the translucent beige version, called "For My Primas." (Yep.)

The things I'm looking for in an eyeshadow primer are as follows, in order of importance: prevents creasing on my extremely oily eyelids, intensifies pigment, and prevents fading. Ideally it will also provide a smoother surface for applying eyeshadow, but I can work around that.

So first, here is a comparison of how these two primers work to intensify eyeshadow, using a terrible CoverGirl eyeshadow single that I keep around at this point just to test primers. On the left there is a swatch with no primer, in the middle over the Black Radiance primer, and on the right over the Wet N Wild Fergie Primer.

I think the Black Radiance swatch looks slightly more intense here, but it may just be the angle. They looked about the same in person. You can see a slight whitish halo around the edges of the Fergie swatch. I'd read people who complained that the Fergie primer was too light and showed up as chalky on their eyelids. Because light beige things tend to blend in with my skin, it can be hard to tell if they are translucent or just pale, so I swatched the two primers over a black eyeliner (Urban Decay Zero): Black Radiance at the top, and Fergie on the bottom.

I used the same amount of each product, so you can clearly see that the Fergie stuff has more light pigment in it. The Black Radiance primer is also a little thicker, though, so it picked up a bit of the eyeliner when I swiped it. I haven't noticed that this difference in thickness makes it any more difficult to apply to the eyelid, by the way.

So I'd call them even in terms of intensifying eyeshadow, but the pigmentation of the two might make a difference for you: if you have light skin and prefer a translucent beige primer to even out the color of your lids, you won't get that from the Black Radiance primer--which makes sense, since this is a brand designed for black women. Personally, I am happy with the more translucent primer, because I will just use a beige eyeshadow if I want to. It's more versatile.

As for the other factors in performance, creasing and fading, the Black Radiance primer is amazing at preventing creasing. Even on my sweatiest and oiliest days, if I use this, my eyeshadow does not fucking crease at all. Most of the time the Fergie stuff doesn't crease either, but sometimes with cream eyeshadows, at the end of a long day I'll notice some mild creasing. Probably only I can see it when I wink at the mirror from 6 inches away, but still. The Black Radiance is that tiny bit more effective.

On the other hand, my eyeshadow does seem to fade more using the Black Radiance primer than the Fergie primer. The Fergie stuff keeps it at the same intensity pretty much all day, while it looks a little lackluster after a day of wear over the Black Radiance stuff.

For that last reason, the Black Radiance primer isn't a perfect replacement for the Fergie primer, but it's an excellent alternative, if you can find it. This brand is, unfortunately, not available everywhere. My local Walmart sells Black Radiance products, but not all of them do. I bought this tube from drugstore.com--and it's only $4, slightly less than the $5 Wet N Wild option.

I've heard conflicting reports of the new Wet N Wild Photo Focus primer. Supposedly it has the same ingredients as the Fergie one, and the packaging looks a lot alike, but some people report that it doesn't work as well. Others say that it is, in fact, identical. I'll probably pick up a tube when I am running low on the Fergie stuff to compare them. In the meantime, if you are desperate for another tube of the Fergie primer, you can get it for $13 on Amazon--still cheaper than Urban Decay etc.!

Have you tried the new Wet N Wild primer? I'm curious what the consensus is--if it has the same ingredients list as the old one, it should work the same, right?

Do I Need This? Lip Primer (Comparison of Too Faced Lip Insurance Lip Primer, e.l.f. Lip Lock Pencil, and Bite Beauty Line & Define Lip Primer)

Disclosure: Affiliate links.

Welcome to the latest installment of my Do I Need This? series. In these posts, I offer my experience and opinion about whether or not I think a product or technique is worth it. Obviously, you don't really need ANY beauty products, so the answer to the question is always going to be no, to some extent. But is it going to change your life (or face)? Is it going to make things easier? Are you going to notice any difference at all? That's what I'm getting at. You may disagree with my verdict, because we all have different bodies/faces/brains/desires, but I'll try to offer a starting point, at least. 

One of the ways beauty companies keep us buying things is by continually creating new categories of suddenly indispensable products. Primer is one category that has certainly been growing over the last five years or so. Suddenly we need to prime everything: our faces, our eyelids, and even, apparently, our hair. I'm not going to be buying any hair primer, and foundation primer rarely seems to actually do anything to improve my makeup, but eyeshadow primer has actually become essential for me. I used to rarely bother with eyeshadow because it creased and melted off in a couple of hours, so primer makes a huge difference. But lipsticks and lip glosses can be finicky and fleeting too. Will lip primer do anything to make our lives easier? Or is it just another gimmick?

Do you need lip primer?

Short answer: Maybe, if you have problems with lip color feathering or pigmented glosses fading.

I'm going to compare three different lip primers here--one very cheap and two pretty expensive, one a thick liquid and two waxy sticks. Too Faced Lip Insurance Lip Primer ($20) is a whitish, translucent liquid product that comes in a tube with a doe foot applicator. It's similar to an eyeshadow primer (though I tried using eyeshadow primer on my lips and it was not a success). Bite Beauty Line & Define Lip Primer ($22) and e.l.f. Lip Lock Pencil ($3) are very similar, hard, matte, waxy crayons. The main difference is that the Bite product smells minty. (Note: I have a mini version of the Bite primer, which was part of the holiday Bite Discovery Kit.) No swatches of the primers here, because they are all nearly transparent. All three products make essentially the same claims: to prevent feathering and make lip color last longer. I tested each product with the same tricky lip gloss and lipstick.

Not my greatest photography.

First up, lip gloss. One of my favorite lip glosses is Avon Glazewear in Intense Plum (now sadly discontinued but still available on Amazon). As the name suggests, it's a quite pigmented purplish gloss. The problem is that that once I blot it, most of the color disappears. Wearing a thick layer of it, however, isn't really an option, because it gets messy and smeary. Too high maintenance. So a primer that can keep it in place at full strength would be ideal.

(Many, many photos below, so I will give you a cut.)

My cheap favorites: the best makeup under $10

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I wrote a post like this way back when I started my blog, so I thought it might be interesting to update it and see how many of my favorites have stayed the same and how many have changed, now that I've tried a lot of new shit. I've also compared a lot of cheaper things to more expensive products along the way, and in all cases, the makeup in this list equals or outperforms pricier alternatives. I'm just doing makeup today, but I'll follow up with another post about my cheap favorites from other categories like skin care and hair products.

My cheap favorites are reliable and inexpensive. They're things that I replace when I finish them. Obviously I don't use these products exclusively, but I keep coming back to them because I prefer them to others. Below I've included links to previous reviews on my blog, if they exist. I've also tried to link to the best places online to buy these things, to my knowledge. Most of them are easy to find in any drugstore or Target/Walmart, etc.--in which case you might be able to get them on sale. But you might be like me and prefer online shopping when possible, so I've linked them below.

There are a few categories of makeup for which I don't have a current cheap favorite. For example, foundation: I'm picky about it and haven't found anything I absolutely love at any price point, though the Maybelline SuperStay Better Skin Foundation, reviewed here, is decent when sheered out, and Boots No. 7 Lift & Luminate Foundation is amazing if you can find a good color match (I can't). As for concealer, I have a favorite (reviewed here), but it's not cheap. I've used some good drugstore concealers, like Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circles, but I tend to run into problems with the range of shades available. I had a favorite powder (Maybelline Mineral Power Finishing Veil Translucent Powder--lots of Maybelline here in the "almost" category) but of course it's been discontinued, so I'll have to find something else soon. I don't have a favorite bronzer, because I almost never wear bronzer. I also don't currently have a favorite lip gloss, I guess because it's not a product I love to wear in general. There a plenty of perfectly fine lip glosses out there, but nothing that I am particularly excited about.

But let's get to my actual favorites. My photos aren't the prettiest, because I am currently using most of these things and, in many cases, have been using them for a long time, so they're a bit beat up. (Lots of images after the jump.)

Empties 2015, Part IV: Makeup and Skin Care

These are actually things I finished in April (at the same time as the previous batch) but haven't got around to posting. I have another whole bag full in my bedroom. Perpetually behind!

As always, foils will get minimal-to-no comment, since they are generally too small to form an opinion on.

Makeup

Fresh Sugar Balm in Rosé: This was part of the Sephora birthday gift a couple of years ago. I don't like anything about these balms, really. I don't find them moisturizing, and I'm not a big fan of citrus fragrance in lip balms. I used it up by wearing it under lipstick.

Wet N Wild Fergie Take on the Day Eyeshadow Primer: This is my favorite eyeshadow primer. You can see how it compares to a bunch of others here. The tube lasted almost 2 years (which explains why the print on the tube wore off), and it worked perfectly the whole time. Now I am left with subpar primers, and it's making me sad.

LORAC Behind the Scenes Eye Primer: I started to use this again after the WNW primer ran out, but it was getting pretty dry and was even more ineffective than when it was new. When I realized that it was actually making my eyeshadow crease more, I ditched it. What a waste. (Also reviewed in the same post linked above.)

Sephora Anti-Shine Foundation Primer: This worked well under foundation, but it seems to have been discontinued, so I'll have to find something else I like. Right now I'm working through some clear silicone primers, which are never that impressive to me.

Tarina Tarantino Eye Dream Hyperlight: I complained about this on Instagram. I barely used any of it, but I just couldn't get any product out without a huge fight, so I gave up. I got it in a subscription box (Boxy Charm), so at least I didn't pay full price for that rage-inducing shit.

ULTA Plush Drama Volume Mascara: I also complained about this on Instagram. The brush was way too fucking big for my face.

Skin Care

e.l.f. Lip Exfoliator: Briefly reviewed here. I had used about half of it, but then it started to smell funky.

Paula's Choice Clear Pore Normalizing Cleanser (mini): As I've said before, all the PC cleansers I've tried are effective but very expensive for pretty basic products. In general, I find most cleansers unobjectionable and unexciting, unless they are very drying, don't remove makeup, or sting my eyes.

Philosophy Hope in a Jar Moisturizer (mini): This stuff does indeed moisturize, but I found the fragrance so obnoxious that after using it twice I just squeezed the rest into a big bottle of body lotion. To me, it smells kind of like moldy lavender.

Mason Natural Tea Tree Oil: Tea tree oil is the thing that works best for me when it comes to acne treatment but not all of them are equal, because a lot of oils are diluted despite being labeled 100% tea tree oil (see this Tumblr post). This one is effective. I'm on my third bottle.

Paula's Choice Resist Barrier Repair Moisturizer with Retinol: I'm not sure about this. It's a very light moisturizer that I used at night throughout the winter. I don't totally understand what it is supposed to do - or at least what makes it different from any other moisturizer, other than that it contains retinol. I didn't think it made much improvement to my skin when I was using it, but my skin has been terrible for the last month or so, so maybe it was doing something? This is why I haven't reviewed it - my review would read: "Moisturizer, yes, ??????" I might try it again. It would probably provide more than enough moisture for my summer skin.

Paula's Choice Hydralight Moisture-Infusing Lotion: Good. Reviewed here. 

Paula's Choice Ultra-Light Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum: Love this stuff. On my third tube. Reviewed here.

Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Super Antioxidant Serum with Retinol (mini): I also don't know if this did anything, but it smelled weird and had a super-slippery silicone texture that I didn't love, so I probably won't use it again. It was similar in feel to a silicone primer, so it might do double duty that way.

Kate Somerville Oil-Free Moisturizer (foil)

Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream Moisturizer (foil): So. Much. Perfume.

PC 4 Men (Paula's Choice) Daytime Protect SPF 30 (foil): This was a decent, but not special, sunscreen. I assume the idea for a men's sunscreen is that they shouldn't be forced to feel anything icky on their precious man-faces, but it wasn't any less greasy than any other decent SPF 30 product.

That's it! At least as of April. Let me know if you want more details about any of these things.

e.l.f. Baked Eyeshadow in Enchanted: Worth the trouble?

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
I bought this eyeshadow even after reading a handful of reviews saying it pretty much totally lacked pigmentation and sucked, because it looked so fucking pretty. I got it for half price ($1.50), and so I figured I wouldn't hate myself too much if  I ended up with someone inside my head doing the "I told you so" dance.

e.l.f. Baked Eyeshadow in Enchanted

Turns out I don't hate myself at all. It is definitely more hassle than your average eyeshadow, but the shifty rose gold gorgeousness is worth it, in my opinion. Basically, you must use primer with this shadow or you're going to get fuck all from it. Even better, though: use a wet brush. You can see in the photo above that I've been using half of the thing wet and half dry. I don't like to get the entire surface of a powder product wet, because sometimes that creates a hard film which makes more trouble if I want to use it dry in the future.

The swatches below show it dry without primer, dry with primer, wet with e.l.f. Lock & Seal, and wet with water. On the left, the part where you pretty much don't see anything at all: that's without primer. I used the same brush to swatch it over my favorite Wet N Wild primer, and it's much prettier. It works nice this way on the eyelid, but it's sheer.

Swatches of e.l.f. Baked Eyeshadow in Enchanted (left to right): dry, dry with primer,
wet brush with e.l.f. Lock & Seal, wet brush with water

The Lock & Seal and water create a similar effect (the difference in sheen is mostly from the angle of the lighting). The main distinction between them is that the Lock & Seal will make the product last longer. In the swatches below, I rubbed over them both a few times with a dry cloth, and more eyeshadow wore off the water swatch. Be careful with the Lock & Seal though: if you apply too thick a layer of eyeshadow, it can end up flaking off. Don't go crazy.

Swatches of e.l.f. Baked Eyeshadow in Enchanted after wear test (left to right): e.l.f. Lock and Seal vs. water

Finally, here's a comparison with the rose gold-looking shade from the Wet N Wild Coloricon trio in Sweet As Candy, just to compare with another cheap pink eyeshadow. At least it seemed like it was rose gold until I put them side by side. It's looking a lot more rose and a lot less gold here. The shimmer is pretty silvery in comparison. Both are swatched with a damp brush.

Comparison swatches of e.l.f. Baked Eyeshadow in Enchanted
and "eyelid" shade from Wet N Wild Coloricon trio in Sweet As Candy

The other shades of e.l.f. Baked Eyeshadow are all supposed to be much easier to work with. I own Burnt Plum, and it definitely performs better on its own - I'd still recommend primer, though, to get the most out of it.

I do not regret buying this eyeshadow at all. It's a bit more finicky than usual, but since I always need primer anyway, I don't mind much. I'll take the slight increase in hassle to have such a spectacularly pretty eyeshadow for $3 or less. But now you know what it's going to take to make it work, if you're considering picking it up.

Why you shouldn't use Milk of Magnesia as a primer (from Beautiful with Brains)

Good to know!

Quick review: Pixi Flawless & Poreless Primer

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
I guess the theme of this weekend is: Shit I Don't Like. This is going to be a pretty quick one, because I don't actually like anything about this product. Or quick by my long-winded standards, anyway. Here's the description from Pixi's website:

Primer creates a seamless, silky canvas with a beautiful no-shine, cashmere finish. The formula's skin-loving ingredients clear and unblock pores to allow for utterly flawless, long-lasting makeup application. It is the perfect skin primer for all complexions and all skin types. Pore minimizing. Shine controlling. Hydrating. Oil free. Hypoallergenic. For all skin types.

Here's what it looks like:

Pixi Flawless & Poreless Primer. Looks pale beige but goes on transparent.

Here's a list of things it doesn't do, which could alternatively be titled "Things You Might Reasonably Expect a Primer to Do":

• minimize/blur pores or other "imperfections" (like fine lines/wrinkles, scars, etc.)
• mattify
• make foundation or other makeup apply more smoothly
• make foundation or other makeup last longer
• control oil/shine

Laura Geller makeup is on HauteLook

I've heard that the Spackle primer is really good, and it's on sale for $13 (half price). There's a ton of other stuff. I don't know that much about Laura Geller. Is it worth trying? They seem like interesting products.

You need an account to browse HauteLook, so use my invite link if you like.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Box (9 shadows + mini Primer Potion) $10

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
It's small, but it's cheap, and I have never used up an entire eyeshadow palette yet. Only at ULTA. It's excluded from coupons, but you get free shipping when you spend $25.

(Found this via Musings of  Muse.)

Addendum to yesterday's perfect sunscreen post (yes, it mattifies)

Harley Quinn asked on yesterday's sunscreen post: How mattifying is it?

I don't remember ever having problems with shininess when I used this, but today I decided to put some on at about 4 pm when I was already a little oily from just sitting around all day with my skin doing what it does. Not only did it not make my face look any greasier, it got rid of most of the shine that was there. That makes sense, since it has a silicone base, which is what a lot of mattifying primers are made of, though this is a thin liquid rather than a gel.

The silicone is also one of the things that makes it so wonderful to apply. I can just slide it over my whole face in a matter of seconds. It's slippery, and that makes putting on sunscreen so much less of a chore. Impatience is basically one of the top factors in deciding whether I like something or not. This is fucking quick and easy.

I swear I don't work for a sunscreen company or anything. I just really like this shit.

ETA: The mattifying effect didn't last more than a few hours on my oilyish skin without any powder or anything else on top of it. It went back to normal eventually. But that isn't its primary function, of course.

Do I Need This? Eyeshadow Primer (with comparison, reviews, and photos of seven primers)

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Here is the latest installment of "Do I Need This?", a series about new and trendy beauty products (or just those that might be unfamiliar and baffling to both of us). I'll offer my experience and opinion about whether or not I think the product under consideration is worth shelling out for. Obviously, you don't need ANY beauty products, so the answer is always going to be no, a little bit. But is it going to change your life (or face)? Is it going to make things easier? Are you going to notice any difference at all if you use it? That's what I'm getting at. You may disagree with my verdict, because we all have different bodies/faces/brains/desires, but I'll try to give you a starting point at least.

Short answer: Yes, if you wear eyeshadow or eyeliner.

Do you know of a cheap dupe for Too Faced Lip Insurance Primer?

Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link.

I got a sample of this stuff from Sephora recently, not expecting much from it, but I was really impressed. Damn! I hate it when I like expensive shit. But this really makes lip gloss work better: it makes it more pigmented/brighter/darker, and it sticks and lasts significantly longer. It's some kind of magic. I've been looking for a cheap alternative without any luck, though it seems like such a basic product. Does anyone out there know of one? I am really reluctant to spend $20 on a full size tube of this (or anything else, really) - but I like it enough that I might have to. I want to make sure there isn't something less expensive out there first, though.

I'm thinking I might try some eyeshadow primer, though most of mine have some kind of beige or white pigment in them. I will report back if I have any luck.

Fix Your Face Quickie: NYX Studio Perfect Primer (in Clear) Review

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
It costs $12, and it is exactly the same as the Monistat, the Smashbox, the Lancome, etc. Just buy the Monistat for $7.

(See my review of NYX HD Studio Photogenic Primer here.)

Fix Your Face: NYX HD Studio Photogenic Primer Review (with photos and bonus Star Trek: TNG reference)

Let me start by telling you where I'm coming from when I'm looking for face makeup: I like sheer-medium coverage, because I hate to see makeup on my skin from two feet away. I'd rather have a little unevenness than be able to see the texture of the makeup. This is just a personal preference. I almost never notice if other women are wearing foundation unless I deliberately make an effort to look, so don't take it as a judgement on your own preference. Other than some redness around my nose, purple-blue circles under my eyes, and the occasional zit, I have pretty even skin, so I'm lucky. Those few areas are easy enough to cover with concealer, and then I can use something fairly sheer to smooth everything else out. So this is what I'm looking for in face makeup and, accordingly, in a primer, because I don't want it to cause my makeup to be more noticeable.

I also have a small primer obsession. Mostly, I'm obsessed with eyelid/shadow primers - in fact, I've been planning a comparison post on them for some time now, but I keep deciding that I should buy just one more to add to my collection. It's going to be big. But I am a big fan of using Monistat Anti-Chafing gel under my makeup, so I've been curious about other products that are actually primarily intended as primers. Enter NYX HD Studio Photogenic Primer, which I got from HauteLook (invite link) for about $7 (regular price is $15). Here's how NYX describes this product: "this silky makeup primer fills in pores, minimizes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and mattifies the complexion for a seamless finish. It also ensures the durability of your makeup, which will last for hours under even the harshest lighting."

It comes in a pump bottle, which is good for the stability of the product, though sometimes makes it hard to control how much get get each time. Here's how it looks straight out of the bottle:

A fairly thin, though not runny, lotion-like texture.

My Not-Cheap Favorites (and How to Avoid Paying Full Price for Them, If At All Possible)

See my cheap favorites here.

Okay, I confess, not every makeup/skin care product I use is super cheap. Sometimes I manage to get something fancy for a good price. Other times I haven't found a cheap option that I like as much as the pricier one. I feel like it occasionally makes financial sense to pay the extra $5-10 when you know something is just right, rather than to experiment with a bunch of cheaper options and end up spending more in the process. Your threshold and mine for what is a reasonable price to pay to avoid gambling on something new will differ. For example, I know there are other gel moisturizers that might substitute for the Paula's Choice one I've listed below. For $17 (on sale), I'll just buy the Paula's Choice version, because I love it. If it cost $20+, I would probably look around for a substitute.

I'm linking to all of these products and giving you their regular price, but honestly, I don't think I have ever bought one of them for full price. If I have tips for finding these for cheaper, I've included them below.

The Balm Stainiac in Beauty Queen, $17

This stain has an awesome gel formula, so it doesn't bleed all over the fucking place like Benefit Benetint. That means I can actually use it to outline my lips and then fill them in.  It can be used for cheeks too, but I tend not to use it that way. On my lips it leaves a nice, deep pink stain. Sometimes I wear it under another lip color so that when that inevitably wears off, I'll be left with this. It also feels somehow really soft and luxurious to apply. I know that sounds weird, but I like it. 

I got this for free using my Birchbox points, so if you have any of those saved up, this would be a good choice. At the time I'm writing this, it's $14 on Amazon, which is a little better, at least.

Shameful Behavior

If you needed more convincing to replace your Smashbox primer with Monistat Chafing Relief Gel, how about this? (Warning: gross fat-shaming behavior at the link.) The main problem, in my view, is how the company handled the issue. Apparently reaching out to her on Facebook, but then never actually contacting her? Shameful. That's the same as endorsing the behavior of that individual.

(If anyone has an update on this story, I'd be glad to hear it, but I assume that nothing more has been done.)

Fix Your Face Review: e.l.f. Studio Long-Lasting Lustrous Eyeshadow

This is an unusual eyeshadow. It's a sort of spongey, moussey, springy texture. It's not super soft or moist, so you don't have to worry about getting a big glob when you stick your finger in it. And it works best when applied with a fingertip. Without primer, it will crease if you have oily lids. But it's worth it, since you can get a nice metallic finish that will last with primer. It's also buildable. In fact, you really need to apply two layers to get a really opaque, solid finish, but you can apply the second layer immediately, so it's no trouble.