The Eyeshadow Primer You Pick Matters Way More Than You Think

When eyeshadow primers were first released into the world many years ago, the straightforward product became an instant makeup bag necessity. Who wouldn't want it? Just one swipe onto eyelids and your dope eye look would stay in place all day, without creasing or fading. Did it matter what the primer itself looked like? Heck no — they were all the same.

Well, that was then. The latest crop of primers range in colors and purposes so vast — we’re talking the inkiest of blacks, starkest of whites, bright yellows, and more — that we’re not quite sure where to turn when selecting the right eyeshadow base for our skin tone and desired look. To confuse us even more, matte, satin, and pearlescent finishes are also hitting stores, making a once no-brainer primer pick as complicated as selecting from the thousands of shadow colors themselves.

To master the new rules behind eyeshadow primers, we talked to celebrity makeup artists Misha Shahzada and Carissa Ferreri, who work with stars like Hailey Baldwin and Gina Rodriguez, respectively. See which primer punches up the intensity of your eyeshadow, makes child's play out of #smokeyeyegoals, and brings new depth to your lidded looks, ahead.