Back before I realized the saving makeup grace that is eye primer, I had to struggle with those annoying mid-day eyeshadow creases that looked oh-so glamorously oily and mangled on my eyelids. When I found out that primer was the answer, I paid (and literally ending up paying) for a visit to my local MAC store. There, a kindly salesgirl led me to my solution: the MAC Prep Prime Eye (in Light). "This will help to keep your eyeshadow on," she informed me. For a five-gram jar, the price was expensive, but what can a girl do? I ended up spending my birthday money on it, and was on my way.

A couple of days later, when I had the opportunity to use it, I discovered it was not all as great as it seemed. For one thing, the primer looked and functioned too much like a concealer. When I applied it to my eyelids, it began to crease, which ironically, defeated its purpose. While it did not compromise the colour of my eyeshadows, its staying power is a measly four hours at best before it begins to crease.

As it happened, I ended up buying Urban Decay’s Eyeshadow Primer Potion to help combat my problem. Reluctant to throw away the MAC primer, I still use it at times as a concealer, but never again for its priming powers (or lack of).