A Place For Things

Urban Decay Primer Potion

• Packaging and application: Hard curved bottle, sponge applicator wand.

• Ingredients: Isododecane, Talc, Cyclopentasiloxane, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Trihydroxystearin, Triethylhexanoin, Isopropyl Lanolate, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, VP/Eicosene Copolymer, Dimethicone, PEG-40 Stearate, Propylene Carbonate, Phenoxyethanol, Cera Alba (Beeswax), Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Propylparaben, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Butylparaben, Methicone, Isobutylparaben

• May contain: Mica, CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 (Iron Oxides), CI 77163 (Bismuth Oxychloride)

• Fill weight: 10ml e 0.34 US fl. oz.

• Price: £9.50 (Boots), US$16.00 (Urban Decay)

• Country of manufacture: USA

• Official site: http://www.urbandecay.com/categories/EyeshadowPrimerPotion.cfm

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

• Packaging and application: Squeezy tube, nozzle applicator.

• Ingredients: Isododecane, Talc, Cyclopentasiloxane, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Glyceryl, Triethylhexanoate, Polyethylene, Trihydroxystearin, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Isopropyl, Lanolate, VP/Eicosene Copolymer, Propylene Carbonate, Dimethicone, PEG-40 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopherol

• May contain: Mica, Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163), CI 77891, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499)

• Fill weight: 11g e 0.35 US fl. oz.

• Price: £11.00 (Boots), US$17.00 (Too Faced)

• Country of manufacture: USA

• Official site: http://www.toofaced.com/product.asp?cat_id=208&dept_id=3

General comments:

• Neither product had a discernible strong smell.
• Both light beige-peach colour – UDPP slightly peachier.
• Shadow Insurance has a oilier, more cream-like texture whereas UDPP is a slightly watery lotion;
• With MAC eyeshadows applied on top, effect is not as vibrant as MAC Bare Canvas Paint and MAC Beige-ing Shadestick, but both do decent primer duty for making shadows long-lasting, though Shadow Insurance might have the slight edge. Tested on wrist, wiped off with a facial tissue but left remainder on overnight. Still had some shadow left with Shadow Insurance. Suspect this is because of the slightly thicker texture of the Shadow Insurance.
• The down-side of UDPP is the oft-mentioned packaging and application method, a wand applicator is not very hygienic and the packaging design means that there is a lot of wasted product sitting in the curves of the bottle.