My Eyeshadow Wouldn’t Last an Hour Without Fenty’s Primer
As I write this, I have on eyeshadow. This might not seem like a groundbreaking ordeal, given that I own no less than 12 eyeshadow palettes and have spent years writing about beauty. But it is, in fact, a Very Big Deal. In the decade since I started playing around with makeup, not one eyeshadow primer could make color last on my lids for more than a couple of hours. If quicksand met a garbage disposal branded by Slip 'N Slide, that'd be my eyelids. But Rihanna has reached out and touched my life personally, and now I can wear eyeshadow, thanks to Fenty's new eyeshadow primer.
To recap, I've tried the following eyeshadow primers: all of them. Yes, even the best-sellers with thousands of five-star reviews. (Urban Decay, Too Faced, Nars, Benefit, Nyx—all the ones that people swear by because they work, but yet, somehow not for me). I've tried unconventional tactics, like starting with foundation on my eyelids and dusting on setting powder, or using a creamy base like MAC Paint Pots and Revlon ColorStay Crème Eye Shadow. Nothing worked. At a certain point it started to seem more like my problem than the products', especially when I'd log on to Instagram and see people churning out beautiful, intensely pigmented shadow looks that stayed put for hours.
Real beauty goes beyond the surface—and so do we. Sign up for our newsletter to get honest reviews, personal essays, and more every day.
But I knew Fenty's would be different the second I swiped it on my hand. We first met at the brand's pop-up shop for its Moroccan Spice collection, where the primer debuted. Next to a limited-edition eyeshadow palette and a new liquid liner (called Flyliner!), the primer didn't seem like it'd be the hit of the collection—it's not flashy like that.
Like Fenty's foundation primer, it looks pretty subdued. It's got the same packaging and muted, pale pink color, which the brand claims is universal for all skin tones because it spreads out sheer. But instead of feeling slightly silicone-y to the touch, like most shadow primers, Fenty's feels tacky, like glue 30 seconds after you've squeezed it out. I was intrigued. I approached a rep for the brand and she nodded that it was true, the primer was her dark-horse favorite new release.
With a fluffy tip the size of a cotton swab, the primer deposits a light, Velcro-esque coating on my lids. I wait about thirty seconds before topping it with color, and for the first time in my life, I now know what it looks like to wear eyeshadow without having it turn into a thin line of color collected in my eyelids' crease. It's—dare I say?—eye-opening. Now to put those palettes I've hoarded to use…
Fenty Beauty By Rihanna Pro Filt'r Amplifying Eye Primer, $22, sephora.com
Related Stories:
-The Best Waterproof Mascaras, According to Glamour Editors
-The 10 Best Cream Eyeshadows of the Hundreds I've Tested
-Urban Decay's Born to Run Palette Is as Perfect for Summer as It Gets
