MILANI Eyeshadow Primer

In my opinion, this primer and the blushes are the gems of the Milani brand. I used UD's primer for years (and loved it) but when Milani became available in my country, I switched primers. The primer really extends the longevity of my eyeshadow and keeps it looking fresh all day. I have oily lids and without a primer, my eyeshadow won't stay on all day. The primer is super easy to apply, the tube is hygienic, it gives a brilliant result, it's not oily and it's cheap. What's not to love?

i used to use the mineral eye primer from elf and thought it did pretty well, but this keeps oil on my eyes at bay for even longer than the elf primer does on me. i basically never get creases in my eyeshadow when i use this primer, and my lids can get quite oily. also, i think this definitely needs to be set. on the rare occasions i feel adventurous and go straight in with color, shadows seem to apply more patchily.

this doesn't have any color to it, but i think it would be nice if it did. it does leave a slight tint but it should be able to work on virtually all skin tones as the color is incredibly sheer. i see what milani was doing there lol, and its definitely better than it being a color that flat-out doesn't work for me at all. but for someone with more obvious veins on their lids that they like to conceal before applying shadows, this will probably not be the best choice.

i really like this eye primer, and will definitely repurchase when i run out - if i ever do!

Yes, the product states "eye shadow primer" and NOT a primer for pencil eyeliners so I should have known, lol, that I would have sketchy problems applying pencil/gel eyeliners after using this: but, happy I did not throw those eyeliners out, but looked at what I used beneath them as to what was the problem as my eyeliners just would NOT go on! That said, my eye shadows were very happy with the primer and were much more intense and true in color. But, that's only one thing.....I am still hoping for a primer that blanks out all the redness and veins that I had been using a concealer for and works as well with powdered eye shadow as it could with pencil/gel eyeliners. This one just isn't it. I need to invent it! LOL.

REVISING my review. Both the Milani and Elf are comparable, IMHO. The key for me is to apply the primer, wait, then use a quality white eye shadow (to get a blank slate and obliterate red, veins, etc, ) and then apply the color shadow you want. I dislike all these steps, yes, am lazy but NO concealer alone worked as well for me as this three step application. (Also, some eyeliners work better than others with a primer--the easiest is liquid, but hard for seniors to apply.) Good luck and thanks for all posts.

My eyelids are extremely oily and I have had trouble finding suitable eye products that last all day. Without an eyeshadow primer my eyeshadow creases within an hour. I have found my HG primer -NARS smudge proof eyeshadow primer. BUT since that is not easily available to me and it costs a lot I tried this one. It's ok. It keeps my eyeshadow game strong for about 6 hours but not a full work day. It's better than most I have tried and I will probably buy it again if I can't get the NARS one. I'm sure this works great for those with less oily eyelids...

This is one of the few products I own that is a true HG. I have very oily skin and cannot wear eyeshadow without a primer. This primer not only gets the job done and lasts all day, but the price is affordable and makes me wonder why I would ever buy a more expensive primer. The only downside is I live in Ontario, Canada and I have trouble finding it. Would recommend to anyone!

I like this primer a lot. I have ridiculously oily eyelids and this primer does a great job of preventing creasing on me. It doesn't work the same with all shadows, but overall I'm really pleased with it. Also I like the squeezy tube. This is a very good product overall.

I usually like Milani products, but this was a bit of a disappointment. I usually use Urban Decay's primer, which is amazing. This kind of cakes up on my eyelids. It does make the eyeshadow stay a bit better than, say, on bare lids but the cakey-ness was an issue for me. I just couldn't get it to apply smoothly. It's ok to use in a pinch but I wouldn't recommend, overall.

I have really oily eyelids. This only works for 2-3 hours. Even UDPP gives up on me. I do like that for the application, it goes on like a moisturizer versus the UDPP is tacky and hard to spread on the eye. I'm using this temporarily as I only wear eye liner and a neutral shade on my eye. If it smudges midday, I just wipe it away.

Price is about $6.00

I've gone through several tubes of this because I always go back to it. I think it's better or just as good as UD Primer Potion, Too Faced Shadow Insurance, Benefit Don't Stray, Smashbox Photo Finish, MAC Paint Pots( horrible on me used as primer). Every other drugstore brand has been a disappointment but I do also like Ulta's Matte Eye Primer. It's around $10.00 but I catch it on sale when ULTA has a sale but Milani is my first choice.

I don't have oily lids, they are on the dry side. This applies easily and never irritates or dries my lids out. I always apply a light dusting of translucent powder or a white or very light shadow over it to set it before applying my other shadows. I use primer every day and a tube lasts me about 4 months. It doesn't crease and my shadows last all day and well into the night. It won't hide veins or darkness if you have those on your lids, but most others don't either and ones that do dry my lids out and crease or cause my shadow to look crepey.

Here is the con... SOME, NOT ALL, tubes gets about 75% empty, then the primer can separate. Not every tube, but some tubes do. So when you squeeze it, oil will come out then the product. Once it begins to get low, if I knead the tube it mixes it back together but I do find this an annoying problem. It doesn't happen with every tube. If you shake or knead the tube once in a while it does help also alternating by storing it upside down then right side up. I don't find this a reason to stop buying it because it's cheap and it works really well for my lids.

Description from the website:

Intensify the color of your favorite eyeshadow and increase its wear from day into night by adding the lightweight, crease-proof Eyeshadow Primer to your beauty arsenal. It goes on nude and dries invisibly; you’ll know it’s working by the professional and smooth look of your eyeshadow. Eyeshadow Primer is the perfect base for your flawless style.

INGREDIENTS:
Isododecane, Talc, Cyclopentasiloxane, Mica, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Trihydroxystearin, Polyethylene, Triethylhexanoin, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, VP/Eicosene Copolymer, Dimethicone, Dipalmitoyl Hydroxyproline, Phenoxyethanol, Water (Aqua), PEG-40 Stearate, Synthetic Beeswax, Propylene Carbonate, Lauryl Methacrylate/Glycol Dimethacrylate Crosspolymer, Propylene Glycol, Dicaprylyl Ether, Panthenol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Algae Extract, Ammonium Glycyrrhizate, Ruscus Aculeatus Root Extract, Methylparaben, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Xanthan Gum, Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163).

PROS:
shadows don't crease
lasts all day and into the night
does not dry out lids
excellent price at 6.00

CONS:
Some tubes will separate when the product gets low in the tube

This product unfortunately did nothing for me, when it's not making things even worse. I have very oily, hooded monolids, which are like the unholy trinity of eye makeup. If not primed and set (with a very strong oil-absorbent powder - I use the CoverGirl Professional Loose Powder, which is so drying that I can't even use it on the oily parts of my face. Which is to demonstrate just how oily my eyelids are); nothing stays on my eyes. Applied to my bare lids, it's a thick but very evenly spreadable, very smoothing silicone-y primer. But that's about it. It does nothing, even when I set it with my CoverGirl powder on top. I've even tried to powder my lids first, then apply the primer, then powder my lids again; still does nothing. I don't experience any of the "drying down" sensation that some other reviewers have described. My eyeshadows fade and crease on me within less than 2 hours after application. Some of the more finicky shadows even fade within 15 minutes. I'm not trying to be mean but there's nothing good I can say about this product. The packaging is just okay, considering the thick texture and the tiny amount of primer that I need, it takes me a bit of effort to squeeze out just enough but not too much product on my finger; the maneuvering is a bit tricky.
I don't think I got a damaged or separated product, the way it performs on the eyes seem to match what other people describe it to be. My tube was not separated, it still has a very thoroughly mousse-y texture. This product really just isn't for me. I tried using it on my mother who has very crepe-y eyelids that are not so oily, it's very smoothing and the shadows do go on a bit smoother on her, but it doesn't intensify the colours or extend the wear by much. If you have eyelids fitting mine own description, I recommend the Wet n WIld photofocus eyeshadow primer. It IS very drying and I don't recommend it if you have any other skin type. Even with the WnW primer, for some creamy shimmer/metallic eyeshadows, I still have to use literal glitter glue for them to stick. If you're hopelessly trying to find ways to make your eyeshadows stay worth the effort you spent putting them on, I hope these help.