Catrice Prime and Fine Eyeshadow Base

New in Catrice’s spring/ summer 2015 make up range is an eyeshadow base. I just recently ran out of my Too Faced Shadow Insurance and figured I would try out this out. This is the first drugstore eyeshadow primer I have ever used so with trying this out, I’m not only trying a new product by Catrice, but I am also exploring completely new territory.

Catrice Prime and Fine Eyeshadow Base

When I saw that Catrice would be doing this product I immediately was excited and I think I wasn’t the only one. Eyeshadow primer was a life changer for me when I found it. Nothing is more agonizing to make up lovers than to create a make up look but to have it end up disappearing and creasing within minutes. This product should prevent that. At only €3.59 it’s an absolute bargain so if this can beat the 5x more expensive Too Faced Shadow Insurance I love so much, it would be a true drugstore steal.

The first thing that is well done by Catrice is the packaging. That is something I am noticing more about Catrice lately: their packaging is looking increasingly high end and this product is no exception. The packaging is sleek and modern. The tube comes with a nude colored bottom and a black lid with black letters that simply state the brand and product names. It’s no fuss, straightforward packaging: me likes!

The cap is a twist cap and when you open up the product, it reveals a doe foot applicator with a sponge tip. This reminds me of the Urban Decay Primer Potion that I used to use and dried out quickly. Since I only just got this product I have no clue how long this will last before it dries out. The Too Faced Shadow Insurance never dried out on me though, but that also has a different type of packaging. Let’s hope this product stays nice and creamy until it is absolutely gone.

There is not too much product on the applicator when you remove it from the tube. Again, a plus, because when you apply too much primer, it will completely defy the use of it and your make up will still crease.

What Catrice says:

This base optimally prepares the eyelids for eye make-up. The light texture in a light nude shade is easy to apply and spread evenly with the flock applicator. Perfectly priming your lids enhances the colour-intensity and luminosity of the eyeshadow, makes the colour pigments last longer and prevents them from settling in the crease of the eyelid.

Catrice promises this product will not only make your make up last, but it should also enhance the colors of your eyeshadows and have a luminous effect. Let’s have a look, shall we?

The product look flesh colored indeed. It is a thin formula that feels quite powdery and sets quickly. I advise you work quickly or prime each eye individually if need be, because this product sets in place so fast that you need to work fast. Once it’s dried it feels a bit tacky but that is barely noticeable. On the lid, the nude color vanishes: this primer will not block out any veins or redness you may have in your eye area.

To test out the product I used it every day for a week straight. I put it through teaching days which run from 6 AM till 7 PM for me. But I also decided to see how this would fare during work outs. Because of course the ultimate test would be whether this would stay on throughout back-to-back spinning and Body Balance classes. The pictures above show what my eye make up looked like after a full day of work where I applied my make up at 6.30 AM and did two hours of working out. It was well after 10 PM by the time I took these photos and the make up had been on my eyes for 15 hours.

As you can see in the pictures, after 15 hours and 2 work outs (one of which is quite a sweaty one), there is some creasing on both eyes. I find that with this primer, my eyeshadow creases more quickly on my left eye than on my right. I have no clue why that is, but I think it is because I apply not enough or too much onto my left eye lid. Compared to Too Faced Shadow Insurance this primer doesn’t live up to it. With Too Faced Shadow Insurance my eye make up would survive almost anything. Two hours of working out, where my mascara had dissolved from sweating, but my eyeshadow was still on solid as a rock was not uncommon. And where the Catrice one does a good job, it does not do that and thus I feel it’s not as good at the Too Faced Shadow Insurance.

All in all, I think this is an okay primer. It gets the job done, but the claims where this primer should be making your eyeshadows more vibrant isn’t something I’ve experienced. It mainly makes eyelooks last longer and I think that 12 hours is a fair amount of time. But it will not make your eye make up bulletproof. This primer does not last through a work out and so if you’re doing anything too strenuous I don’t think this primer will be able to ward off any creasing in those very specific cases. In short, I am still looking for the ultimate drugstore replacement of the Too Faced Shadow Insurance.

What is your favorite eyeshadow primer?