Tag Archives: urban decay

Product review: Eye primers – Urban Decay x e.l.f. x NYX

It is not a surprise my eyeshadow tends to crease after a full day at work; our eyelids are the one of the greasiest part of our faces, even for people who don’t have oily skin.

Using an astringent on the lids before applying make up can help, but a good primer is the best bet to keep your peepers looking freshly made up all day.

I had used MAC’s Moisturelush eyecream, used by a MAC MUA as a primer, but I felt it was more like an eye are cream than anything else. It has a nice sheen to it though.

E.L.F. Eyeshadow primer

The first real primer I bought was the e.l.f. one; at £1.50 and alright reviews, it was a no-brainer! I was quite happy with it for a while, and although shadow durability didn’t seem to be much better with it, it really made shadow colours stronger, and that was enough for me.  I bought the sheer one, and it has a wand applicator, which is quite practical. The consistency is quite nice, a bit on the thin side compared to the others I am reviewing, it applies evenly and dries colourless. It served me well for many months!

NYX Eyeshadow Base

Also based on reviews, bought the NYX primer, priced at £5. I went for the white pearl one. Its consistency is quite hard, and I found it quite difficult to use from the pot as it is small, round and quite deep. For someone like me, with long nails, it is a nightmare, so I had to use a make up spatula in order to avoid having tons of the product under my nails everyday. Again, durability wasn’t amazing. A bit better than the e.l.f. but nothing to write home about. Also did the job well on making shadows colours stronger.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion

Now, the star of this review has to be the Urban Decay primer.  Seriously. AMAZING!!!!! I went to their counter at House of Fraser to pick up the All Nighter long lasting make up setting spray (review to come soon), which I had tried a few days before in the same counter, and the girl was sooooo nice (seriously, I cannot say this enough!), she offered me a sample of their new foundation (reviewed here) and  when I asked about the eye primer, she put a little bit in an empty foundation sample bottle so I could try at home.

Next morning, I used it on my morning make up routine; went to work and went for a spin class on my lunch break. I kid you not, after sweating buckets (as you do on a spin class!), I went off to the changing room and when I looked in the mirror, to my surprise, my eyeshadow and liner were still intact. It didn’t all melt into the crease, I had no smudges; I didn’t look like a panda, as I often do after the mentioned class.

So I am sold, with no doubt, the Urban Decay is the best from this lot. I bought the product since, at £14.50 for a 11ml tube and have been so happy I cannot describe. On holidays, baking in NY and then at an outdoors wedding, the primer, used in conjunction with the make up setting spray, kept my make up in place and eyes and face looking fresh for a whole day.

I am very impressed and have now developed a love affair with Urban Decay!

Product review: new foundation trial – YSL x Urban Decay

My little samples

My foundation has been purchased from MAC for a good eight years. I have been through almost every foundation they have, seriously, no joke – Select FPS 15, Face and Body, Mineralize Satinfinish, Studio Fix Fluid – and at the moment I am wearing Matchmaster, which I really like.

Foundation is very important for me; I have it on my face pretty much everyday, so I am quite particular: I like a medium coverage that you can build up, natural looking, hard-wearing, that doesn’t aggravate skin conditions and fells nice on.

Being a fan of Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat, I was really looking forward to trying their new foundation, Le Teint Touche Éclat, which retails for £28. After reading several reviews and seeing it described as “magic”, “revolutionary” and so on, I decided maybe it was time to leave MAC and venture into a new world of foundation.

So I booked myself a colour match appointment at the YSL counter and went in full of hope. Foundation aside, I was bitterly disappointed and frankly, infuriated. The beauty assistant treated me soooo badly. The first question she asked, before anything  was “Do you actually intend to buy the product or are you just gonna try?” Rude. I politely replied I used another brand but wanted to try something different; if I liked it, would purchase. She looked unimpressed and didn’t even tell me about the product and the technology, criticised me for wearing powder (without explaining that you shouldn’t with this new foundation, as this is what it was taken away!) and was usually quite abrupt on her comments. And it got worse when I asked for a sample. Anyway, after insisting I left with a sample, which I tried for a few days.

Rant over, now to the foundation: it is not for me. It spreads and blends well, the consistency is medium; not too thick nor too thin. Its coverage is very, very light, so if that is what works for you, you will probably love this one. I struggled to build it up to a level that I feel good about. Also, because the formula has taken the powder finish out of it, I felt it was a bit sticky on my face,. The finish wasn’t great on me, it didn’t photograph well; as I mentioned before, my skin is far from flawless, so I wear foundation to diminish visible problems – but unfortunately you could see everything I want my foundation to conceal in the pictures!

The second product I tried in the past weeks was the new Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition liquid make-up, by Urban Decay, which retails for £27. The consistency of this foundation is quite fluid, and I though the coverage was going to be super light, as it is more liquid than the YSL.

I came across this sample because I wanted to buy the Urban Decay’s All Nighter  long-lasting Make-up Setting Spray (which I will review soon) and the outrageously lovely girl at the counter (take a lesson here, YSL) offered me the sample (and another lesson here). I also left with a sample of the Eyeshadow Primer Potion (which will be reviewed alongside the ones I have been using) – mind you, she didn’t have any samples but she put some in a little pot so I wouldn’t leave without it. THAT’S GOOD SERVICE.

So back to the foundation; the coverage is actually a light-medium, maybe a bit too light for me, but buildable. It has a nice finish to it, they describe it as demi-matte, and I actually quite like it, it looks fresh and natural on me. A serious contender to bump Mac’s crown off, I’ll keep wearing it and will make up my mind when my current bottle is over!

A couple of things to learn here:

  • I refuse to be mistreated, so I put a complaint with YSL and the department store. YSL is yet to reply. The department store, even though I knew from the offset that the beauty counter staff are not their direct employees, was extremely apologetic in their response.
  • How important it is to try products properly before investing in them. Each skin likes different products, so always worth bearing that in mind when thinking “uh, she said it is bad” or “she said it is great!”. Try it, that’s why they have samples. Just go in and ask!

What about you? Have you tried any of the foundations above? What did you think? Or do you love another brand?