 |
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
by 2012Saver
I first tried this Urban Decay Primer Potion when an Urban Decay eyeshadow palette I bought contained a mini sample of the primer. I liked using it so much that I bought a full size version of the primer.
The Urban Decay Primer Potion is a product that you put on your eyelids underneath eyeshadow to help the eyeshadow last ... longer and prevent it from creasing. Urban Decay have recently updated the packaging of their Primer Potion, it now comes in a purple squeezable tube with a pointy shaped lid that screws on and off. It no longer has a wand with a brush on the end, but when you remove the lid there is a needle nose tip which allows you to control how much of the product you squeeze out.
The product itself, when squeezed out of the tube, is a fairly thick, light beige coloured lotion. It is easy to squeeze out of the tube and I simply apply a small amount to my finger tip then dab it over my eyelids. It is easy to blend.
My eyelids are prone to irritation and the skin on them can sometimes be red/pinkish in colour as a result. When I apply this potion it really neutralises this and leaves my eyelids a natural, matte shade. This makes my eyes look brighter and wider immediately and for this reason I have started to wear this primer potion on my eyelids even when I am not applying eyeshadow over the top. The primer potion feels light on my eyelids and does not leave them feeling greasy or looking shiny.
When I apply eyeshadow over this primer, the eyeshadow blends easily over my primed eyelids. The colour of the eyeshadow definitely looks more intense when it is applied over this primer, and I have found that I need to use less eyeshadow to achieve the desired colour intensity. I usually find that with more expensive, better quality eyeshadows, creasing is not a problem even when the eyeshadows are used without a primer. But when I used a cheaper eyeshadow that would usually crease, with this primer underneath the eyeshadow stays smooth with no creases in the colour. When I have this primer on I have found that eyeshadow definitely lasts longer and stays put all day, which it often doesn't when used on a bare eyelid.
I think this primer potion has moisturising properties, because I am prone to dry skin and irritation around my eyelids but since I have started using the primer I have noticed that this has cleared up a bit and my eyelids are really soft and smooth. The primer is easily removed at the end of the day using my normal cleansing routine.
As well as recently changing the packaging of this product, Urban Decay changed the size of the product increasing it from a 10ml tube to an 11ml tube. An 11ml tube costs £15. I have been using my primer most days for over a month and there is still at least half of the tube left, as so little is required per application. I think this is therefore a reasonable price for what is a very good product.
This product is available to buy at anywhere that stocks Urban Decay products - namely House of Fraser and Debenhams as well as online. I am giving this a 5 star rating along with my full recommendation, as I cannot fault this product and will probably never wear eyeshadow without it again! Thanks for reading/rating.
Read the complete review |
 |
Smashbox Photo Op Under Eye Brightener
by kiss_me2070
About Smashbox
= = = = = = = =
Smashbox are a cosmetics company that originated from the studios of LA. I only heard of this brand around a year ago and weren't really familiar with any of their products, until I read reviews on dooyoo and ciao about some of their products such as primers and foundations that they sell. ... Smashbox have a large cosmetics range suitable for all skin colours and types. Their products are more expensive than high street brands such as Bourjois and Maybelline, how-ever their products are very good quality and create professional results that are longer lasting than products that you may find on the high street. Although there are other brands that may be similar to this brand such as Benefit & Gosh, this brand stuck out for me so I decided that I would try one or two products in their range to see if they were as good as they claimed. I currently use at least 3 different products in the Smashbox range and love the quality of the products so if I need a new item of make-up I always go to the Smashbox counter for a look. I always find the ladies at the Smashbox counter very helpful and they often offer to try the product on you to help you find one suited to your skin tone/colour. There is one particular lady at the Smashbox counter in my local Boots store who I find really helpful and also very polite so I always go to the counter when she is there. I got into Smashbox products a few months ago now and have since been addicted to purchasing more of their products. I find their products a little pricier than others that are available; how-ever I have been impressed with their products so far. If I ever need a new item of make-up I always visit the Smashbox counter to see what they have and to try their products. The lady at the counter is always really helpful and often tries the products on me first so I can then decide if I want to purchase them or not. This is a brilliant way to see how the product works and how the final results look on your skin.
The Product
= = = = = =
The product I am reviewing is by Smashbox and is an Under Eye Brightener that helps to banish dark circles. The product is packed with vitamins that wakens and brightens tired eyes with good-for-your-skin ingredients including Vitamin E, Red Wine Extract and Peptides. The Under Eye Brightener immediately wakens and brightens the skin and can be used on any area of the face to highlight and add radiance. You can wear this product alone or apply under concealer. I actually only purchased this product after the lady at the Smashbox counter used this product on me as I wanted something to help hide the dark circles I have under my eyes. As well as using this product on me, she also used some concealer and under eye primer (will also be reviewing shortly). I had already seen this product on the Smashbox website and it has quite a few good reviews and a high rating so after the lady on the Smashbox counter used this on me, I thought I would purchase it anyway. This product is Winner of Self Magazine Healthy Beauty Awards for Best highlighter, which is another reason why I thought this seemed like a good product. This product comes in one shade only which is Nude. All Smashbox products come in a black box which always has a picture of the product of it and it also states what the product is. You get a total of 7.1ml of the product in the tube. On the back of the box you can find a list of ingredients and you can also read a little about the product an how to apply it. The tube that the product comes in is quite small and is a pearlescent colour which is beige. The lid to the tube is quite big and is black in colour and this twists off to reveal a small brush which is actually attached to the lid. This is how you apply the product.
Price/Availability
= = = = = = = =
I purchased this product from my local Boots store from the Smashbox counter. You can also purchase this product from www.smashbox.co.uk. I actually prefer buying product from the Smashbox counter as I can always ask the lady there on how to apply the product or help choose the best products for me. For a small tube of the Eye Brightener it will cost you £16.00 which may seem rather pricey for such a small tube o the product, how-ever I always find Smashbox products good quality.
Using the Product
= = = = = = = = =
Smashbox advise, before applying concealer apply this product under eyes and blend out using your fingertips. For a lifted and youthful appearance, highlight the inner corners of the eye and the orbital bone. You can even fake pout by dabbing this product on top of the cupids bow. I did actually only purchase this product to help in banishing dark circles or making them appear less obvious. The girl at the Smashbox counter applied this under my concealer, so I was going to do the same thing. I applied some primer first and then waited a few minutes before applying this product. I unscrewed the lid carefully ready to apply the product. The colour of the product is a light pink colour which is very pale and it looks as though it has a slight shimmer to it as well. Using the brush applicator I dabbed the product gently under my eye where the dark circles appear. I then sued my little finger to gently blend the product in. As I blended the product I noticed that it looked slightly shimmery. Although the actual product is a pale pink colour I couldn't actually see this colour once applied. I was planning on applying concealer over the top of this. I applied the concealer as normal and looked at the results.
The area under my eyes did appear to look slightly brighter and the dark circles did look reduced which I was impressed with, although I don't know if this was the concealer or the actual brightener. After applying the concealer the shimmery look from the under eye brightener was reduced. I was impressed with the way the brightener appeared to wake my eyes up and also appeared to make them look less tired. I decided I would use the eye brightener on its own to see how well it worked and if it was the brightener or the concealer that actually helped to reduce the appearance the dark circles. I applied the brightener as normal over primer and then looked at the results. I actually only applied this under the eye so I could compare it to the other one afterwards. I product was again; really easy to apply using the brush applicator and I used my little finger to blend the brightener in. The product made the eye area look brighter, which I think was due to the shimmery look of the product. I didn't find that the product alone helped to reduce the appearance of dark circles much and instead reflected some light from the area due to the shimmery look of the product. I did apply the product to the inner corners of the eye very (I did this carefully to ensure I didn't get any of the product in my eye) and I loved the look that the brightener gave my eyes. They appeared to look brighter and more awake. Whether wearing the under eye brightener alone or with concealer, as long as you use primer I find that the product lasts a reasonable amount of time and doesn't need to be re-applied during the day. I have also used this to highlight other areas on my face as suggested on the packaging and I think this looks great as well.
Overall Opinion
= = = = = = = =
I has high hopes of this product due to it being a Smashbox product and also because it won an award this year as well. The product also has many positive reviews on the Smashbox website as well and despite reading a few bad reviews on Ciao and dooyoo; I decided to try the product anyway. I love that the lid has a built in brush which makes applying the product really easy. I find that you only need a small amount of the product as a little of it goes a long way. As the product does have a slight shimmer to it I think if you used too much of the product it would look to shimmery. In terms of the product banishing dark circles I am not convinced that this product actually does anything to help even reduce the appearance of dark circles. I only found that the appearance of my dark circles was reduced when using the product under concealer. When using the product on its own, I didn't see a reduction in the appearance of the dark circles; how-ever I thought the product made my eyes appear more awake and gave them a nice, bright look as well. I particularly like using the product on the inner corners of my eyes and I think they appear to look more awake and I think it also helps to bring out the blue colour in my eyes as well. In terms of value I think the product is reasonable, as apart from Benefit I don't know of any other cheaper brands that do a similar product to this. I wouldn't suggest buying the product if you want to try to hide dark circles; how-ever it is a great product for making eyes appears brighter and more wide awake. I only use this product 1-2 times a week so although the tube for the product is very small it will last me a good amount of time before I need to purchase anymore. I would buy this product again and I would recommend it to others to help brighten the eye area and to highlight other areas of your face.
(review may also appear on ciao)
Read the complete review |
|
|
Benefit Ooh la Lift Instant Under-Eye Brightening Boost
by emstockings
this product is amazing!
its perfect for when you have tired eyes or simply just want a boost.
you can put it on after or before your foundation and i simply put a few dots around the bottomof the eyes and dab it in with my little finger.
it blends in really nice and you can see the difference straight away.
i ... purchased it for my wdding day just because as the night goes on my eyes do tend to get heavy and look tired and this worked wonders : )
i did top it up a little bit throughout the night over my foundation but it still ddi the same thing!
i actually got this from ebay but you can buy it from most beauty stores and its not too expensive for a good name like benefit.
its good for nights out, everyday and special occasions.
depending on your skin type you may need to use a bit heavier than what i do but it lasts a long time either way.
Read the complete review |
