Eyeshadow Primer VS Eyeshadow Base (A Complete Guide)

You get the ‘Eye Gloss’ look without help and have your eyeshadows left in shimmery strips in your creases, right? Or why else would you be here?

Even if some say eye primers just encourage you to use more makeup or label eye primers as a ‘marketing thing,’ you have to try it out and then decide whether it is worth it or not.

WHAT IS EYESHADOW PRIMER?

A liquid or creamy double-sided tape. Yes, that’s what it is, a formula acting like double-sided tape, griping eyelids and eyeshadows on both sides and making sure nothing moves around or budges.

WHY IS EYESHADOW PRIMER USED FOR?

You’ll use eyeshadow primer to create a barrier between body oils and makeup materials you use on your skin.

So after you apply your eyeshadow primer and let it sit properly, it will prevent the oil being secreted from your eyelids from interacting with your eyeshadow. This way, eye primer helps the product stay put for up to 24 hours or more.

HOW IS FACE PRIMER DIFFERENT FROM EYESHADOW PRIMER?

FACE PRIMER	CATEGORY	EYESHADOW PRIMER
Maximums are water-like and see-through. So no hustle of finding the right shade. Mismatched tinted primers can get blended perfectly with your foundation.	SHADE	Most eye primers have tints on them but on the lighter side. People of colour most probably won’t find a matching shade. But blending a skin-coloured eyeshadow on top of the eye primer solves this.
Applied on the face before makeup for an extra layer.	APPLICATION	Applied on eyelids and around the eye area, basically wherever you want to apply your eyeshadow.
Face primers are based on silicon because they cover up pores and thus makeup is smoothly applied.	USAGE OF SILICONE	Not based on silicon. So it is less slimy than face primers.
Gives an unvarying, levelled finish for the foundation to be applied. Blurs out the pores, and wrinkles too.	END GOAL	A surface where eyeshadows can adhere to. And you’ll get the most out of the eyeshadows cause the pigments show up the best when applied after the primer.
Somewhere between solid and liquid with adhesion.	CONSISTENCY	Cream-based and feels powdery when blended.

WHAT DOES EYESHADOW PRIMER DO?

• SUN PROTECTION –

A lot of eye primers come with SPF. But unfortunately, just one drop of eye primer won’t give you the proper sun protection you need, even if it is high in SPF. But combining your eye primer with sunblock will work great!

• ANTI-AGEING PRIMERS –

Eye primers are known to give a smooth base, to begin with, so this product does help with wrinkles to some extent. But some primers have antioxidants and rejuvenating ingredients, which makes them anti-ageing.

• ENHANCING EYE SHADOW –

Get that eyeshadow palette you always wanted but didn’t cause you thought it wouldn’t work for your lids. Eyes primers can enhance every eyeshadow; test it yourself.

• SMUDGE-PROOF –

Eye primer grips eyeshadow base, eyeshadows real good just find yourself the right one.

• UNDER YOUR EYES –

Works excellent to enhance under-eye eyeshadow and stop concealer from creasing.

• BROW PRIMER –

Applying eye primer on the brows and then applying brow products keeps the brows perfect throughout the day.

• ON PIMPLES –

A proper way to cover up pimples is to apply foundation and concealer on top of the primer. You can definitely use eye primer in this case. Pros use eye primer on extra oily areas of the face.

• ON LIPS –

You may use talcum powder after applying lipstick to prevent bleeding or smudging; use eye primer instead.

HOW TO USE AN EYESHADOW PRIMER?

• THINGS YOU NEED –

1. An Eye Primer.
2. An Eye Shadow Brush (Optional).

• STEPS YOU NEED TO FOLLOW –

STEP 1: Apply a dot of your eye primer and blend it evenly with a brush/sponge or your fingers. Apply more cause why not.

STEP 2: Let it sit till dry, preferably half a minute. And now you can proceed with your eyeshadow.

But according to Make-up artist Wayne Goss, if you apply eyeshadows directly after applying primer, your eyes will often look hollowed or like a circled area in photos because the primed skin of your eyelid often does not match your own skin tone. 

So to avoid this effect, he suggests brushing through the eye area with the same foundation you’re wearing and then powdering your lid. Powdering your eyelids won’t take away the aspects of using eyelid primer but will give you a more beautiful blend.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN EYESHADOW PRIMER?

METHOD 1

• THINGS YOU NEED –

1. Vegetable glycerin.
2. Kaolin Clay.
3. Aloe vera.

• STEPS YOU NEED TO FOLLOW –

STEP 1: Take a little bit of vegetable glycerin in a container of your choice. 

EXPERT TIPS – Vegetable oil is plant-based. It keeps the skin hydrated, and since it’s highly soluble, it will make it easier for products to be absorbed into the skin.  

STEP 2: Then add Kaolin clay. The consistency of your shadow primer depends on it. 

EXPERT TIPS – Kaolin clay is an organic mineral ingredient often used in cosmetic products. It can reduce oil and shine and provide a translucent application. So you decide how much to put in, and you can adjust your absorption level.

STEP 3: Now proceed with the holy grail ingredient- aloe vera.

EXPERT TIPS – Aloe vera Hydrating reduces redness and irritation and helps control oil. It dries to a slightly tacky finish like most primers, but without the harsh chemicals that some primers might have.

If you wish to use the shadow primer for a long time, don’t use fresh Aloe vera gel. According to HealthLine specialists and doctors, Aloe vera gel without vitamin C or E can be refrigerated for one week. Vitamin C or E can extend the shelf life to 2 months.

But if natural ones are all you have, just make small batches of primer.

STEP 4: Mix all the ingredients together, and you will end up with a milky liquid or a thick paste. Both of them work just fine.

METHOD 2

• THINGS YOU NEED –

1. Silk powder or Arrowroot powder (Vegan substitute)
2. Kaolin Clay.
3. Any lightweight moisturizer.

• STEPS YOU NEED TO FOLLOW –

STEP 1: Take a little bit of silk or arrowroot powder in a small container. This is what’s going to give the primer slip and smoothness.

STEP 2: Add kaolin clay, preferably the same amount as the powder you just took.

STEP 3: Add any of your favorite moisturizers and mix all the products. You want to make a good paste. Add more of the ingredients if you need to.

STEP 4: Apply with a q tip on your eyelids, let it sit for a minute, and then proceed with your eyeshadow. This lightens and brightens the eye area.

METHOD 3:

• THINGS YOU NEED –

1. Body butter (preferably unscented or light-scented)
2. Foundation.
3. Cream concealer.

• STEPS YOU NEED TO FOLLOW –

STEP 1: Take equal parts of the foundation, concealer, and body butter in a container and mix it properly. The primer is ready to use.

This will last a good five to eight hours. If you have oily eyelids, this primer will probably crease on you sooner than somebody with dry or normal skin.

METHOD 4

• THINGS YOU NEED –

1. An empty spray bottle.
2. Aloe vera gel.
3. Rose water.

• STEPS YOU NEED TO FOLLOW –

STEP 1: Start with a small empty spray bottle; it’s best if that has a high spray function. Put a few pumps of aloe vera gel or half a teaspoon.

STEP 2: Fill up the bottle with rose water and shake properly to mix them. You can also use tap water, but using rose water will also work as a good toner.

METHOD 5

• THINGS YOU NEED –

1. Lip balm (preferably no fragrance and essential oils).
2. Silk or arrowroot powder.
3. Liquid foundation.

• STEPS YOU NEED TO FOLLOW –

STEP 1: Put lip balm in a container and blend it so that the product melts a little, or you can heat up the product in a microwave too.

STEP 2: Add a little foundation and then the powder. Mix well.

METHOD 6

• THINGS YOU NEED –

1. Vaseline.
2. A brush.
3. Paper Towell.

• STEPS YOU NEED TO FOLLOW –

STEP 1: Apply very little Vaseline to your lids and spread. Don’t overuse it because it can ruin your whole look.

STEP 2: Use a brush to put on the eyeshadow. Every time you put Vaseline on your eyelid, clean the brush on a paper towel. This is because Vaseline can make eyeshadows stick together. 

STEP 3: Next, put a small amount of eyeshadow on lids coated with Vaseline, clean, and repeat.

MORE THINGS TO EXPERIMENT WITH WHEN MAKING EYESHADOW PRIMER

• TREE TEA OIL –

For dry skin, you can add two drops of tree tea oil to the recipe just to make it up into a moisturizing primer. Alternatively, you can add your moisturizer if you don’t have this.

• ADDING TINT –

If you don’t like the color of your primer, just add a bit of your foundation or a powder that matches your skin tone. In the end, the primer is pretty translucent, so it won’t be as chalky as some people may think.

• CORNSTARCH –

This is a substitute for kaolin clay. The main concern here is about contaminated corn starch. So be cautious about using spoil-free cornstarch. Again this is for temporary use, so make it in small batches and apply it immediately.

• EXTRA KAOLIN CLAY –

If you want a more matte appearance then do add extra kaolin clay. Since It blends out eventually and does a better job at controlling the oil and shines.

WHAT IS AN EYESHADOW BASE?

Eyeshadow base can be any product that is applied after the primer to give a smooth base to run the brushes effortlessly. It can be a BB cream or thick matt concealer and can even be your gel eyeliners too!

WHAT IS AN EYESHADOW BASE USED FOR?

Eyeshadow base is used to give the exact color of eyeshadow you see on your palette to your eyelids. The eyeshadow base escalates the pigments and pops every color on your palette.

It’s also essential to choose a suitable base. For example, a light base would work better for lighter eyeshadow than dark-pigmented ones.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EYE PRIMER & EYESHADOW BASE

EYE PRIMER	CATEGORY	EYESHADOW BASE
Maximum is white or skin tinted but gets invisible after blending, like sunscreen.	COLOUR	Can be dark or light in colour depending on what look you’re going for. White bases make vibrant colors visible the most.
Eye primer never creases after blending.	CREASING	The Eyeshadow base will crease if not applied on top of the primer.
Not more than one little drop. Too much of the wrong product makes it worse.	REQUIREMENT	Can be used as much as you need to create a proper base.
Definitely needed to up the eye shadow game.	IMPORTANCE	You can skip the eyeshadow base for everyday wear if you want.

HOW TO USE EYESHADOW BASE?

• THINGS YOU NEED –

1. Thick matte concealer or
2. Black gel eyeliner or
3. Any colorful eyeshadow pencils.

• STEPS YOU NEED TO FOLLOW –

STEP 1: After you’ve applied eye primer, apply any matte concealer and gel eyeliner of any color as a base. It depends on how you want to look. You can also start with white.

STEP 2: Tap the base in with a fluffy brush. Make sure to look down all the time while blending all the folds and creases before the base dries down. Now go ahead with your eyeshadows.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Even if you have never considered adding eye primer before, I hope you’ll now. This product has perks, and you’ll see that after a long day of wearing eye makeup. The before creased-up, tired-looking eyes won’t bother you anymore. Of course, the quality of the primer matters too. For your information, all the homemade recipes and primer alternatives work well, too. Still, they won’t give you the ultimate coverage that the real product does, as the ones who love dark eye-looks already own their own eye primers. For those who want to start, please grab an eye primer before anything else; otherwise, you’ll end up frustrated after a couple of hours.