This Primer Is the Secret to Keeping Eyeshadow on Oily Eyelids
There are a few things I can count on every day: that the subway train is going to be too packed to get on on my first try, that I'm going to want a third coffee, and if I'm wearing eyeshadow, that it's going to crease before noon.
I don't understand what makes Urban Decay Naked Palettes so good, or why the Internet freaks out every time Too Faced drops another peach-scented one, and that's all thanks to my eyelids' oil glands. Basically, I'm not an eyeshadow person. There's no point in trying when, regardless of whether it's a powder or cream, any eyeshadow will inevitably slide off my oily eyelids.
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There are a ton of blotting papers and eyeshadow primers out there that promise to keep eyeshadow from creasing, but none of them have been able to make my eyeshadow stay put. But if there's anyone that can get me to give eyeshadow primer one more shot, it's Rihanna, someone who knows how to wear an eye makeup look.
With countless standout eye makeup moments under her belt, like the fuchsia eyeshadow she wore at the 2017 Met Gala and the white cat-eye from earlier this summer at Louis Vuitton's Spring 2019 menswear show, it was only a matter of time before Rihanna released a Fenty eye-makeup collection.
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That's exactly what RiRi has done with the Moroccan Spice Collection, looking to one of her favorite countries for inspiration. Along with the 16-pan eyeshadow palette and liquid eyeliner that's been all over Instagram, the collection includes the Pro Filt'r Amplifying Eye Primer ($22; Sephora.com), the counterpart to the brand's existing foundation primer.
Considering the foundation primer has become a fan favorite, I figured that if I was going to give eyeshadow primer another shot, Fenty's should be "the one" I try. As for the actual primer, it's light pink but goes on invisible. It's formulated to feel weightless and create a smooth base for eyeshadow with grip so that it will stay crease-free. Plus, it boosts any shade's color vibrancy.
The packaging suggests you dab on the primer straight from its doe foot applicator, but I found it easier to use my fingertips. Since I am new to eyeshadow, I decided to keep things simple by wearing a single color on my lids. I chose a shimmery lavender from one of Marc Jacobs Beauty's Eye Conic Eyeshadow Palettes, my favorite color and one of this season's biggest eye makeup trends.
This is an eyeshadow I've swatched on the back of my hand before, so I was already familiar with how pigmented it is, but when I layered it over Fenty's Primer the color payoff was surprisingly so much more intense. The shadow didn't go on effortlessly; I was able to feel the resistance of the primer's grip as I brushed it across my lid.
It turns out that the extra effort it took to sweep the eyeshadow on was worth it. My eyeshadow looked, dare I say, perfect when I left my apartment in the morning. When I checked it around 3:30 that afternoon, it was still crease-free and looked nearly identical to how it did when first applied.
I'm far too lazy to include a full-on eye look in my everyday makeup routine, but when the mood strikes, RiRi's primer has me covered so that the extra time I take to apply eyeshadow isn't wasted.
