MAC Cosmetics Prep + Prime 24-Hour Extend Eye Base

I've avoided MAC primers in the past because back in the day they weren't very good. Well, I'm sure glad I gave this one a try. It's my new HG eye primer. And I've already used up two tubes within the past two years, so I'm not saying that lightly. My previous favourite was NARS Pro Prime. I still like that one too, but it's so expensive considering how fast I go through it. This MAC one has better packaging (but be careful, because it has a large opening and it's easy to squeeze out too much), and it's much better value for money. For reference, my lids aren't particularly oily or dry, and I really just need my shadow to last all day. This certainly works for that.

the value for money is bad. But anyway it's good for an oily eyelid. buy other eyeprimers like wetnwild or milani

Not a bad primer at all. As far as holding the shadow goes, it does a great job. It is a bit pastier and harder to apply than UD primer. But I don't think this is the end all and be all eye lid primer. It is perfectly adequate. And that is not an insult. But it is a very nice average eye primer. The one con for me is that sometimes this can cause the eye shadows to "catch" on the wrinkles in my eye. I can't drag the first layer of color over my lid with a flat brush. You must tap on the color after putting this one. Once the first layer is down then you can do sweeping motions.

Nearing the end of a tube of this stuff. On the plus side, it doesn't cause eye irritation for me, contain heavy fragrance, or make my eyelids feel dry. But, it doesn't do anything positive in terms of eye makeup application, color vibrancy, or longevity. Those are the reasons I wear eye primer.
I wanted to finish this and not waste the rest of the tube, but I'm feeling so "over it" I may just toss the rest.

This primer feels like thick silicone, almost a putty. I really dislike this texture. It goes on smooth and it works ok, but not great. Some brands of shadows smear on this and do not hold up. Also, this gave me milia on my eyelids. I'm sticking to my HG TFSI.

An amazing base,I used it with Blue brown pigment from Mac,it stayed on the whole night of clubbing,half night of sleep and whole morning till the afternoon the next day.It does what it says for sure.The only problem with it is that eyeshadows need much more blending,because it is a sticky type of base so that is a bit challanging.But all in all my favourite base ever,.I have oily eyelids as well.

Very disappointed! This never properly dried and my shadow creased by 3pm. It was the same with different shadows and on ordinary office days.
Contrast that with the absolutely excellent primers from Milani and Wet N Wild that cost under $10 CDN and crush this.
I used the Wet N Wild one today and my shadow and liner looks immaculate at 10pm and I applied it at 5am!
This one just didn't measure up. When there is a much superior product for a fraction of the price, there is no excuse.

Eyeshadow primers are a "must-have" item for me. In addition to great primers from NARS, Lorac, UD, etc., I've also relied on MAC's own Paint Pots (especially Painterly) as reliable bases/ primers. What's funny is that MAC's original Prep+Prime Eye was dreadful...really, really dreadful and so much less effective than the Paint Pots (which really are cream shadows, not dedicated primers). When MAC came out with this new, obviously very much improved eyeshadow primer, I was happy to read the positive reviews but had so many primers on the go that I didn't buy it. Then MAC has a 25% off sale so I figured "Why not?" - that was enough to lure me. I've only used this for 3 days but already I can say that I LOVE it. It seems to have a smoother, softer finish than UDPP (which I have always relied on to hold my shadows in the hottest, steamiest, most muggy and humid conditions and it's never let me down) - eyeshadows apply much more smoothly over the MAC primer and don't seem to "catch" or go patchy so I've no need to use a translucent face powder to help shadows apply more smoothly and evenly. It keeps my shadows looking fresh from early morning til late at night, and even after several rounds of intense snow shovelling in a pretty heavy snow storm. You get a heck of a lot more product than with NARS and at a much lower price (with the NARS primer, it often looks like there's nothing on the doe foot and I am left wondering if there is any product left in the tube, though that's all more an optical illusion, since you need so little and there's always plenty on the doe foot to do the job). The product does feel sort of thick when you first take it from the tube but as I apply it to my lids or work it between my fingers, it seems almost to "liquefy" so it applies smoothly and silkily. I think once I finish up my current tube of the original UDPP, I won't bother replacing it and if MAC eventually comes out with flesh toned and glowing champagne versions, I won't bother replacing Eden or Sin UDPPs either. I do wish the tube itself had a thin, pointy nozzle opening because a lot of product does come out of the opening and sort of smears over the top. I have taken to using a Starbucks plastic stir stick to remove product and then transfer to my finger-tip. That's my only "complaint" about this product. This new base from MAC is excellence in a tiny black tube.

This is an excellent primer. I have tried this and its counterpart (explanations will come) and it's very good! I have oily eyelids and this keeps my shadow from creasing. I also enjoy the Urban Decay Primer Potion (all of them) and as much as they have been a tradition in my makeup routines, I would say that I almost prefer this one over the UD. The texture looks the same as the UD but definitely less watery and waxier & smoother. It is easy to apply as well. However, Prep+Prime is less dry than the paint pots which is great. Paint pots are very multi-purpose but they tend to be dry and definitely not a good option for people with drier eye contour... so by using this eye primer you are definitely avoiding dry patches. I feel that it would be good a lot of people's eyelids.
However, here's the reason why I would not purchase it:
I tried this primer as a sample and the first thing I noticed is the fact the consistency and feeling was very similar to another primer I already had: Smashbox 24 Hour Photo Finish Shadow Primer (which I absolutely like!) I also noticed that they perform the same. So of course, I looked up the ingredients and compared both. They are the same exact product! I noticed that the order was slightly different (like one or two ingredients) but you wouldn't even notice.
Smashbox 24 Hour Photo Finish Shadow Primer is less expensive than the MAC Prep+Prime 24-Hour Extend Eye Base. Smashbox (21$) VS. MAC (23$)
They contain about the same amount of product. Smashbox (0.41 oz) VS. MAC (0.40 oz)
Of course, I'm not here to tell you which brand you should get, but if I can help you to save 2$ I am glad to do so. I am not disappointed or surprised about this. Remember that MAC and Smashbox are both owned by Estee Lauder and they do play a lot with their products. It is not the first time it has been done and it will certainly not be the last. You are basically paying for the name. For example Smashbox Camera Ready BB Water SPF 30 is the same as the MAC Studio Waterweight Foundation SPF 30.

I will leave the ingredient list on this page so you can compare it to the Smashbox one. Interestingly, I wasn't able to find a list I could copy/paste for the MAC primer so I basically had to write all of them just by looking at the packaging.

Best eye shadow primer ever made! I used to be all about the paint pots until something changed and they began creasing mid day on me. My eyeshadow looks as perfect as they did since first applied in the morning. It allows the shadows to blend seamlessly together without grabbing and causing patchiness with UD's. I also rub alittle under my eyes to keep my eyeliner and concealer in place all day.