Review: Urban Decay Primer Potion (Original)

UrbanDecay.com: $20 (full sized, 11 oz), $9 (travel sized, 0.13 oz)

http://www.urbandecay.com/eyeshadow-primer-potion/296,default,pd.html?start=1&cgid=1_503

Contains parabens.

courtesy of Urban Decay

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Urban Decay Primer Potion is advertised as an eyeshadow primer that prevents creasing in eye makeup for up to 24 hours and makes colors more vibrant. It comes in the Original formula (which I will be reviewing), which dries to be invisible, as well as Greed, Sin, and Eden which are all tinted.

Ingredients:

Isododecane, Talc, Cyclopentasiloxane, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Trihydroxystearin, Triethylhexanoin, Isopropyl Lanolate, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, VP/Eicosene Copolymer, Dimethicone, PEG-40 Stearate, Propylene Carbonate, Phenoxyethanol, Cera Alba (Synthetic 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)

I’m sure nearly everyone in the beauty community has heard of the Urban Decay Primer Potion. And everyone seems to love it. Which was why I was very disappointed when it didn’t work for me.

I have quite oily eyelids, and UDPP didn’t really stand a chance. Maybe it extended the wear of my shadows a bit, but they certainly never lasted a full 8-hour day. And this is coming from a product that claims to last 24 hours. I don’t really expect any product to do that, but for that claim, not lasting 8 hours just doesn’t cut it. In addition, I find that the product doesn’t deliver in terms of vibrancy claims either; my shadows don’t look any different applied with or without primer. I must say though, the primer does have a really nice consistency and makes the texture of my eyelid more even.

I have the travel-sized version (which has lasted me about a year, with pretty consistent use at certain times), and I really like the packaging of it. It looks really cool for starters, and I think the bent doe-foot applicator is a very good way to apply the product. I hate the new packaging of the full-sized product; I always squeeze out too much. For the clear version it’s not that much of an issue, but for the versions with shimmer squeezing out too much is guaranteed to make a huge, shimmery mess, which is a pain in the ass.

The Verdict:

While this product may work for people with less oily eyelids, it just does not work for me. The product fell way short of its claims; it claimed to make eyeshadow last 24 hours and then didn’t even last 8. This is very disappointing coming from such a hyped-up product.

Rating: D-

So Urban Decay Won’t Be in China After All…

According to a recent press release that I found on Temptalia.com (see press release here), Urban Decay has decided not to sell to the Chinese market and therefore open themselves up to the possibility that they’re products may at some point be tested on animals by the Chinese government before release onto the market. The reason Urban Decay gave for its sudden change of heart was that they felt that they really could not honor their “core principles” if they were to sell to a Chinese market. I’m sure this will be fantastic news to those of you who did not feel they could support the brand whilst they sold in China!

To see my earlier post on the deal with China, click here.