In The Spotlight: Etude House Proof 10 Eye Primer

In a country like ours, primers are a must. These serve as a base for our makeup, enhance the vibrancy of the colors, and prevent makeup meltdown. These are just some of the many reasons why I always itch to try primers from different brands even if I already have more than enough primers for my personal use and occasional invites to do other people's makeups.

At the moment, I have about five (5) eyeshadow primers in my stash: UDPP, ELF Mineral Eyeshadow Primer, Smashbox Photofinish Lid Primer, TFSI and Etude House Proof 10 Eye Primer. While I've never bothered myself to review UDPP, TFSI, ELF and Smashbox, I feel that Etude House's eyeshadow primer needs a bit of an introduction.

Etude House Proof 10 Eye Primer

What the label says
Proof 10 Eye primer supplies coverage to eyelids and around the eyes to enhance eye shadow color and integrity for a longer lasting Perfect 10 look.

The applicator

How the primer looks like

EH Proof 10 Eye Primer is almost identical to UDPP, except that EH is a bit more liquid compared to UDPP and even TFSI. For a fraction of the price, I'll most certainly pick up EH Proof 10 Eye Primer over UDPP. On the other hand, the mineral eye primer from ELF remains to be my top eye primer of all time (unless I find an eye primer that can beat ELF). I mean, honestly, do I have to shell out $17 for a "[semi] high end" primer when a $3 drugstore eye primer can do the same job just as good as the expensive ones? I think not.

Yay!

• Price. It's pretty cheap at Php298 (around $6).
• It evens out the discolorations on our lids.
  
• It makes eye shadows appear more vibrant and last longer on the lids.
  

Nay!

• It dries a little too fast. You have to spread and blend the primer as soon as it touches your lids. This isn't a biggie, though.
  

In Betweens...

• Packaging. While the packaging appears to be cute, it's somehow reminiscent of Urban Decay's annoyingly packaged genie-in-a-bottle. I wonder how I'll be able to get the last drop of this primer. Break it perhaps? And what's with the handle? It gets dirty so easily! I guess the only good thing I can say about the packaging is that it allows you to see how much product you have left. Other than that, I have no other qualms about the it.

To show how well Etude House's Proof 10 Eye Primer delivers, I decided to take eye shots of my eye makeup for two consecutive days (NOTE: I've been road-testing this primer for two weeks).

My daily routine is: When my beloved doesn't take me to work, I walk a distance of about a kilometer or so, under the sun, carrying about 5lbs of weight; therefore, I sweat.

EDIT: For all the eye shots, I used UDPP on my left eye (your right), and EH Proof 10 Eye Primer on my right eye (your left). See any difference?

After application. Taken by the window around noon.

After 13hours. Taken in the bathroom, with flash, under yellow lighting.

After application. Taken by the window around noon.

After 13hours. Taken in the bathroom, with flash, under yellow lighting.

As you can see, my eye makeup did not crease nor fade even after 13hours of wear. What you are mistaking as proof of fading is the flash of the camera. Also, I think the difference in the lighting somehow affects the colors' appearance/vibrancy in the photos.

What do you think about Etude House's eye shadow primer? For me, it's at par with UDPP, Smashbox and ELF (why not TFSI? Because TFSI makes my eye shadows crease and fade). But since ELF's mineral eye primer is just half the price of EH, I'll probably stock up more on ELF. Sorry EH.

Others have sold/given away their UDPPs and TFSIs because of EH's Proof 10 Eye Primer. Will you ditch your beloved UDPP, too? I would, and I have!

Product Showdown: Smashbox Photofinish Primer VS Bare Naturals S5 Skin Perfecting Primer

How important are primers to you? For me, it is a must. When you live in a country like the Philippines, I would say a primer is one of the things you must certainly have in your stash. Why? First, it prevents your makeup from sliding off of your skin too quickly. Second, it keeps your face shine free for a few hours, and when you do start to oil up, your skin will look more dewy than greasy. Third, it makes your pores and fine lines look less visible. Fourth, it makes your skin smooth and silky. Fifth, applying your foundation will be fuss-free. Now ain't those enough reasons to use a primer?

There's a lot of primers available in our market today; however, a lot of them are quite too pricey for something that goes under your makeup. Sure, the benefits are something to consider; but if that means I have to pay more than $30 to get those benefits, I'd rather defer. Good thing we have a primer that, in my humble opinion, is at par with some pricey primers. What could it be? Read on to find out.

On the red corner, we have one cult favorite, the Smashbox Photofinish Primer. On the blue corner, we have Bare Naturals S5 Skin Perfecting Primer.

Let the battle begin!!!

Smashbox Photofinish Primer

Sorry for the blurred photo. I didn't notice that my camera didn't focus well until I uploaded it on my laptop.

From the Smashbox Website
Create a perfect canvas for foundation application with this silky, lightweight blend of vitamins A & E, grape seed extract and green tea. Worn alone or under foundation to increase its longevity, our best-selling primer helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and pores for flawless skin with a velvety-smooth finish. In a new square airless pump for freshness to the last drop.

Oil-free!

Winner of Best of Sephora Award for Best Primer, one of Marie Claire's "25 Products That Will Change Your Life", & an InStyle Best Beauty Buy.

Ingredients
Cyclomethicone, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Isopropylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Butylparaben, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Propylene Glycol, Water, Grape Seed Extract, Kolanut Seed Extract, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract

Yay!

• Makes makeup application so much easier. My foundation glides so effortlessly on my skin.
• Keeps my face shine-free for a good 5-6hours.
• Locally available at Beauty Bar
• Gives my skin a smooth and silky feel
• Fills in pores and fine lines, especially around the eyes
• Dries up in 1-2minutes
  

Nay!

• Price. Too expensive for a face primer. Retails at $36. Other variants retail at a whopping $42!
  
• Scent. Has an awfully strange scent that kinda bothers me
• Comedogenic. Despite the wonders it does to make my makeup last and look pretty, it has caused my skin to breakout
• Makes skin feel greasy after application

Bare Naturals S5 Skin Perfecting Face Primer

I've been using this 30ml bottle of Bare Naturals' S5 Skin Perfecting Primer for 11months and I still have a lot left in the bottle.

From the Bare Naturals Website
If you love our S5 primer, you will definitely fall in love with our SKIN PERFECTING PRIMER: WHY? 1. better formulation, with added ingredients for added skin benefits 2. made by another formulator.. now more affordable! 3. The same non-pore clogging skin primer you love! Squalane is still the way to go ;) 4. Better primer which mattifies the face, can keep the oil at bay and can help make your foundi last. Silk, smooth, satiny feel each time you use it.... 5. more things to discover with this new primer ;)

Ingredients

SQUALANE Olive Squalane is a light and stable version of olive oil squalene with a long shelf life. Often referred to as “mother nature’s face lift”. Comparing it to jojoba oil, unlike jojoba oil, there were report of skin break-outs related to teh use of jojoba oil in cosmetic because jojoba can also block the pores.

VITAMIN E The most natural skin care preservative that has great skin benefits. Moisturizes, soothes and protects for softer, younger looking skin

Coenzyme CoQ10 is essential to good health, and plays a particularly important role in vibrant, youthful-looking skin.

REAL PEARL POWDER Pearl powder contains about 18 amino acids and over a dozen minerals. Including 10 essential amino acids necessary for the human body to heal and maintain cell nutrition. These essential building blocks of collagen and protein each has a specific function. Deficiency of any one of the key amino acids causes the skin to look coarse, depleted, old, and wrinkled. Traditionally recognized benefits of using pearl powder products include: Healing, skin brightening, anti-wrinkle, and sun protection. Other anti-aging benefits: Helps to promote cell renewal, enhance elasticity, improve circulation, calming and detoxification, protects from environmental radicals, regulates skin discoloration, and smooths skin texture.

TEA TREE good for pimple problems. Used for its healing attributes as well as its properties of being antiseptic, antibiotic, antibacterial, etc...

contains: silicone and silica microsphere for light diffusing properties

Yay!

• Price. It's fairly inexpensive for something that lasts a long time.
• Availability. Locally available via the Bare Naturals website and resellers.
  
• Good for the skin. It's made up of good stuff.
  
• Non-comedogenic. Has never broken me out in my more than one year of using it.
  
• Makes my skin feel smooth and silky after application
  
• Dries in 1-2minutes
• Keeps my face shine-free for a good 5-6hours
  

Nay!

• Zero. Nothing. Nada.
  

Let's see how these two primers appear on the skin.

Can you tell just how thick is the consistency of Smashbox Photofinish Primer? Bare Naturals S5 Skin Perfecting on the other hand is a bit runny, don't you think?

Now check the table to see the major differences between the two primers. (Click to enlarge)

So who do you think the winner is? For me, it's Bare Naturals at a drop of a hat. Look how cheap it is compared to Smashbox. Seriously, would you pay $36 for something that an $8 primer can do? I won't. I'd rather save my money for something else that's worthy enough to carry a $36 price tag.

That's my two cents worth. What's yours?

Product Showdown: L’Oreal Clean Definition Telescopic Mascara vs Maybelline Unstoppable Shiny Black Mascara

The eyes are the most expressive facial feature of any human being. They reflect a person’s sadness, agony, anger and joy and reveal one’s honesty and sincerity among many others; hence the label “the eyes are the windows to a person’s soul.” However, if I may rightfully add, a person’s eyes can likewise be an expression of beauty.

On a side note, the eyes and the smile are the first two that I notice in a person, be it the opposite sex or not. Why? Because the eyes light up a person’s face which creates a huge difference.

Big doe-eyes ala Audrey Hepburn and Kelly Rowland reflect youthfulness and naiveté while sharp eagle-eyes ala Megan Fox and Keira Knightley mirror seduction and ferocity. However your eyes look like, keep a good eyeliner and a volumizing mascara to do the trick in defining and making your eyes pop.

As much as I’d like to cover both eye make-up essentials in this post, only mascaras will be featured for two reasons: 1. I haven’t tried enough eyeliners to make a good judgment; 2. This post is going to run forever if I cover both products here. Now, since I’m still on the lookout for the best mascara, aka Holy Grail mascara, on this planet, I’ll only be able to make a comparison between the two mascaras I recently road tested. My recently purchased Max factor 2000 Calorie and Maybelline Volume Express mascaras have yet to be opened and tested.

On one corner we have the L’Oreal Clean Definition Telescopic Mascara. True to its name, this mascara comes in a sleek silver tube that resembles a telescope. (see photo below)

What it claims?

For clump-free, perfectly defined longer lashes. L’Oreal introduces new Telescopic Clean Definition Mascara for lashes with telescopic length, perfect definition and a clump-free, natural end result. The patented No Clump Brush cleanly defines and lengthens up to 60%.

Why I like it:

· While this doesn’t add any volume of some sort, I love how the awkward rubber brush cleanly lengthens (a bit) and separates my lashes.

· It doesn’t smudge nor flake even after having it on for 12hours.

· It holds a curl quite decently.

· It can easily be removed with water and any facial cleanser.

· It’s perfect for coating the lower lashes.

What disappoints me:

· It doesn’t do what it claims to do --- lengthens lashes up to 60%

· It makes lashes appear somewhat “spidery.”

· I can’t really dislike it for not adding volume because it never promised to do it anyway.

The final verdict?

It’s a pretty good mascara for its price of Php450.

Will I repurchase?

I haven’t decided yet. Maybe, maybe not.

On the other corner, we have Maybelline Unstoppable Shiny Black Mascara. This one comes in a simple black tube. (see photo below. photo taken from http://askmewhats.com)

What it claims?

100% smudge-proof full-length mascara lengthens up to 50%. Resists smudging and raccoon eyes for up to 12 hours.

Why I like it:

· It lengthens lashes! While it may be hard to believe, this mascara really lives up to what it claims to do --- lengthens lashes up to 50%. It made my lashes so long that they would touch my eyebrows!

· It separates lashes.

· It holds a curl really well. Believe me, this one keeps my lashes curled until I leave work at midnight.

· It can easily be removed with water, even without any soap or facial wash.

· It doesn’t smudge.

· It gives me an-almost-false-lashes –look without the annoying glues and whatnots.

· It doesn’t run even when you cry. Trust me, my eyes get so watery every time I yawn, which would be around every ten minutes.

· The price. For Php349, this baby is a steal.

What disappoints me:

· Same with L’Oreal Clean Definition Telescopic Mascara, I can’t really hate it for not giving me that volume I so want my lashes to have since that’s not what this mascara was made for.

· It doesn’t make lashes shiny/glossy.

The final verdict?

I would say that Maybelline Unstoppable Shiny Black Mascara has become an instant favourite after I compared it with L’Oreal Clean Definition Telescopic Mascara by wearing one type of mascara on one eye. Though both are lengthening mascaras, Maybelline Unstoppable Shiny Black Mascara does a better job at it.

Will I repurchase?

Definitely. Unless, I find a better one.

The Winner?

It’s Maybelline Unstoppable Shiny Black Mascara, hands down. You’ll definitely get your money’s worth with it.