Once upon a time, there was a lovely young maiden young-ish matron who sought a solution to her troubles.
She didn't seek a handsome prince (she has one, thank you).
She wasn't saddled with a horrid stepmother and jealous stepsisters (she has a sweet mom and two lovely brothers, though she is a stepmother herself -ask her son if she's evil or not).
In fact, she had everything she ever needed except one thing... Flawless eye makeup.
She sought high and low for the solution to her troubles. She simply wanted to know how to keep eyeshadow from fading, prevent any shadow from creasing, stop eyeshadow smears, hide lid discolorations, brighten the eye area, and make eyeshadow more appear vibrant and intense!
Unless you didn't read the headline, you're not going to be surprised that the answer is right here in this post. The secret is EYE SHADOW PRIMERS, people!
An extra, but not time-consuming or costly, step that quite simply changes everything. It may take a slight bit of trial and error to find the right product for your specific needs, but once you get it, you get it!
My best recc: a crease-proof cream shadow in a shade slightly lighter and brighter than your skin. This will help brighten the eye area and give it lift, even before you've put on your shadow.
I suggest finding the right matte/flat shade first, though adding darker shades, neutrals/invisibles, and shimmers are fun latter purchases.
Try: MAC Paints (shown), MAC Paint Pots, Make Up For Ever Aqua Creams, Bobbi Brown Cream Shadows, or the old standby, Urban Decay Primer Potion. Other makeup junkies seem to swear by T0o Faced Shadow Insurance and NARS Smudge Proof Shadow Base, but I haven't tried them yet, so can't personally vouch for 'em.
Extra Bonus Tip: to really increase color pay-off and vibrancy, use a coordinating cream base + powder shadow combo!
Coming soon: THE PRODUCT YOU NEED IF YOU'RE A SHIMMER OR GLITTER SHADOW JUNKIE!
Do you use shadow primers? Why or why not? Which ones work for you? Any that are giant "FAILs"?