Products You Don't Think You Need, But Really Do!

By Carly Crossley

Topic 1.) Eye Shadow Primer. 

Have you ever fallen in love with a shadow color in the package only to be disappointed by it's minimalist appearance when you try to put it on? Or have you had it "fluff" away and settle every where except where you actually want it to go? How about having it crease in a matter of minutes? All of these problems can be solved with a shadow primer. The best part:  It's so quick it adds like NO time to your routine, it's so easy that ANYone can apply it, and a tube of this will last you FOREVER.

I am in a long term relationship with this Urban Decay Primer Potion. I use it on myself every day plus all of my clients and this is only my second tube in a year and a half... and I only cracked this one open in August. There are millions more on the market both cheaper and more expensive. This one has proved to be great for the general population; if you feel your lids are exceptionally oily or dry, there may be other ones better suited to your needs. 

Whenever I am showing my clients what a difference this makes in the most simple of ways, I use this little demo on the back of my hand.  On the right, I apply a tiny dab of the primer, pat it down to spread until it is just the tiniest bit still tacky. 

Then I apply TWO color swatches.  On the right, I use an average amount of shadow on a brush an lightly pat it onto my primer.  On the left, I use a much more generous helping and apply it to my bare skin. The results are obvious with the primer'd side showing the shadow at it's full pigment- true to the compact. On the left, the shadow has a diluted, almost watercolor like effect.

After allowing it to set, you can further test the differences by trying to smear the two or by washing them with water and a gentle cleanser. 

 

The other great thing about this particular primer is that the edges diffuse well.  This means, that you can apply the primer to areas where you want your shadow to have the most impact, or areas that don't wear as well like the lids, but you don't necessarily need to apply it all the way to your brow bone.  This lets you easily smoke out the edges of your shadow without feeling like there is a fuzzy line and a harsh edge where the primer stops.

To complete this look I used- Primer potion, Urban Decay shadows in "Bootycall", "Evidence" and "Blackout", Kat Von D Autograph Eyeliner in Black on top, Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes for lower liner, and Tarte "Gifted" mascara.  I will do a step by step tutorial for exactly how to achieve this look soon, but one last artist's trick for now: most people gravitate to silvers with their blues to match undertones, but I have other preferences- exactly opposite from blue on the color wheel is orange. They are what are know as "complimentary colors" meaning they make each other "pop" (look around at marketing and I guarantee you will start noticing these parings- also red/green (hello, Christmas) Purple and Yellow...) but I digress... so when I work with blues, I like to go for peach or even copper tones for my base colors. 

A quick little tester you can do before you run out and buy your primer is to try it out with cream concealer. Like the primer, pat it until just slightly tacky.  This will mimic the effect of the primer and give you the fuller pigment, but you won't get the long wear, precision placement or crease prevention. 

(Forgive my crappy, iphone only pics.  But rest assured that there is no filter, photoshop, fancy lighting or other editing techniques done that might mess up the results.)