Staying Power with Urban Decay

Does any of this seem familiar to you? You wake up and get ready, have a coffee or a tea while you go and put your makeup on using great care, and sometimes you're actually quite pleased with how it turned out. So you go about your business, doing what you do and when you look in the mirror a few hrs later, you barely recognise the face looking back at you - Where did all the make up disappear to???

Warm or rainy weather, sitting in front of a computer screen, having a phone squeezed to the side of your face - this can all mysteriously zap your make up little by little throughout the day, even if you use so called long lasting products. Luckily there are products that offer a little extra help to keep the war paint from disappearing all too quickly - Primers and Makeup Setting Spray.

There are so many types of primers; for your face, eyes, eyelashes and lips but personally I mainly use something for my eyes and sometimes Clarins Beauty Flash Balm (which I'll do a separate review of very soon) for the rest of my face for special occasions. I've never tried primers that are specifically for lips, and I usually prep just using a lip balm, although of course that won't have the same effect as a primer. Primers are great to prevent your eyeshadow from creasing or smudging - particularly if you're wearing stronger colours or heavier makeup. Several brands offer cream shadows that you can use in a similar way, but I like to use the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion.

 

Urban Decay is very famous for it's makeup primers and their range includes primers with a hint of colour. The primer goes on before any other eye makeup and I like to wait a minute or two before I continue with the rest of my eye makeup, since I like to feel that the primer has set properly on my eyelid. The consistency of this product is very delicate and light, and it's easy to blend in so you only need the tiniest amount possible. I use a tinted eyeshadow primer in Eden - a faint vanilla with slight yellow undertones, and on days when I go for a "barely there" makeup look I use the primer as an eyeshadow blended all over the lid, to just give the area a more even colour and a very matte and natural look. I realise that the shade looks very white in the photo below, but when I don't have a tan, Eden blends beautifully and seamlessly with my skin. 

Spending the extra little time it takes to apply the eyeshadow primer is definitely worth it. Not only will you find that the products stay on longer, but the pigmentation of your eyeshadow is highlighted in a way that makes them look radiant and very flattering

 

Eden

So now I've got my eye makeup staying put, what about the rest of the face? I don't have oily skin, but a couple of hrs into the day I still find that some areas of my face will be a bit shiny, and as much as I like a radiant look - shine is not what I'm going for. To help combat that, I've started to use the Urban Decay De-Slick Makeup Setting Spray which is supposed to help you keep that newly made up look throughout the day, by absorbing excess oil on your skin.

When I'm done with my makeup I use the spray, trying to cover my face as evenly as I can. The instructions recommend that you use 2 - 4 sprays, and maybe this is just me but that's not enough for me to get coverage. I'll probably use 3-5 instead, but of course you don't want too much - after all the point is to make the makeup last, not run. Hold the spray at a fair distance from your face, since that will also help to get a fine mist, and you don't get too much in just one area. It feels very fresh to finish off your makeup with this spray and it has a pleasant subtle crisp smell as well, but don't worry - it disappears very quickly and you won't notice it. The product claims to keep your skin matte for up to 16 hrs, and although I can't say that it has that effect on my skin, it does really help to set your makeup and it keeps the shine at bay for at least a few more hrs.

If I was to recommend only one out of these product, it would definitely be the primer for eyes since I find that it really does work without having to use any special tricks. With the Setting Spray I find that it works better if you use it not only after you've finished your makeup, but also if you spray it on either straight at the start, or after you've finished your foundation - but I would recommend that you experiment and see what works for you. 

What do you think - do primers and setting sprays work for you, or do you have any other tips to make your makeup last?