Lid Primers -- a New Specialty Product

Foundation primers have been around for several years now; we all know that they help your foundation go on evenly and stay on longer. Now there are specialized primers, too. One type is a lid primer for eyes. Two of these are Benefit's "Stay Don't Stray," and "Photo Finish Eye Primer" from Smashbox.

Stay Don't Stray comes in a tube that dispenses the product with a pump. Pump a small amount onto the back of your hand, then apply three small dots under your eye using your fingertip, and blend. Then do the same thing for the eyelid. Stay Don't Stray prepares your eye area for make-up, evening skin tone and minimizing the appearance of fine lines, while brightening the eye area so you'll look younger and more wide awake. It protects by hydrating with sodium hyaluronate and fights signs of aging with Vitamins C and E. Like all Benefit products, it's paraben-free. Finally, it locks concealers and eye shadows into place and keeps them there. The cost is $24 for 0.33 ounces.

The pros of Stay Don't Stray are that it does what it says it will; it really does blend, evens out skin tone, hydrates the eye area without leaving it feeling oily, and keeps eye shadows from settling into the crease, all without irritating sensitive skin. If you like the natural look, this will give it to you. The downside to Stay Don't Stray is the pump. It's impossible not to get too much out, and you end up having to wash half of it off your hand. I feel that it blends better with a small concealer brush than with my fingertips. I hope that Benefit will get enough customer feedback about the pump to change their packaging.

Photo Finish Lid Primer by Smashbox is recommended for use on the lid, but I've used it as an under-eye primer too. Like Stay, it prepares your eyes for the application of eyeshadow, or can be worn alone for a flawless no-make-up look. It's packaged in a lip-gloss-like tube with a brush built into the top. Photo Finish Lid Primer contains Smashbox's patented Phytomoist, a botanical hyaluronic acid to moisturize, along with amino acids to diminish fine lines; "soft focus pearls" reduce the appearance of those lines. Simply apply a small amount to the eyelid and blend it from lashline to just under the brow; let it absorb and dry completely, then apply shadow and/or eyeliner. The cost is $20 for 0.1 ounce.

The pros of Photo Finish Lid Primer are pretty much the same as those of Stay Don't Stray: it works; it does what it says it will do. It smooths the surface of the eyelid and evens out the skin tone, it can be used alone for a great natural look, and if you apply eye shadow and/or liner over it, it stays where you put it and doesn't collect in the crease. The downside? Well, there really isn't one, other than the fact that it costs slightly more for the amount you get than Stay Don't Stray. The upside to that is that you don't waste as much, so it probably comes out to about the same price per use.

Whether or not you need a lid primer is a question you'll have to answer for yourself. If you wear eye shadow for 8 hours a day or more, or work in a hot or brightly-lit environment, it's a good idea, because it does keep your make-up looking like you just applied it. If you have visible veins in your eyelids, giving them a bluish cast, then it's an even better idea, because that blue tone can change the look of your eyeshadow, especially light ones. If you're young and only wearing eye shadow for an evening out, you can do without it. Which one is better? I'm wimping out on that one; I like them both. If you have a Sephora store, go there and try them both for yourself, and see which one you prefer.