Review: NYX Eyeshadow Base White

I honestly didn't set out to purchase this product when I was at my local beauty supply a few weeks ago, but something about it called out to me. I've been perfectly happy with my CoverGirl Intense Shadowblast primer and I don't really need another primer at this point, but the idea of a pure white primer mesmerized me. Also, I had not read ANY reviews about this one, and since it was only $5.99 at my local beauty supply (it retails for $7 on the NYX site), I couldn't resist:

 NYX Eyeshadow Base White

(retail: around $7, 0.25 oz)

Looking at the ingredients, and noticing that mineral oil is near the top, got me nervous. I don't usually think of mineral oil when I think of stay-put eyeshadow since I have super oily lids.

 Looking at product itself, it is definitely WHITE. Bright, true, white to be exact. The texture of this product has a greasier texture than other pot primers I have tried, but it is not super oily and it doesn't feel like I'm applying a heavy, oil-based product on my lids. It actually feels like a cream eyeshadow to me when I'm smoothing this onto my skin. And it's about as pigmented and some cream shadows I own:

If I apply too much of this stuff, it looks REALLY white on my lids, so less is more with this product. Also, the scent smells very much like Dove bar soap to me. I love the scent of Dove, so that was a nice surprise.

I find the texture of this product quite easy to apply with either my finger or a concealer brush, and it's easy to cover my entire lid with just a tiny tab on my brush. It spreads smoothly and evenly without feeling too oily, but since it does have a greasier consistency than other primers I own, I was still nervous to see how it would do to preserve my shadow in 90 degree weather (which we've had for about two weeks straight here in San Diego). But more on that in a bit.

The thing I want you to take away from this review is that this primer is downright magical when it comes to INTENSIFYING the color of your eyeshadow. 

I swatched a variety of different eyeshadows over this primer to give you an idea:

Here I swatched my Jesse's Girl Mineralized Baked Powder Eyeshadow in Kiwi Shine alone, and then over NYX Eyeshadow Base White. The funny thing is, this shadow is actually nicely pigmented without primer, but when photographed next to the swatch over NYX white, it pales in comparison. Seriously, I tried to wear Kiwi Shine in the daytime recently and when I wore it over this primer, it was so bright I couldn't walk out of the house. When Mr. G saw me he said, "Did you MEAN for your eyes to be THAT bright?" It was insane!

Here is NYX White undernearth an old Physicians Formula matte pink shadow that I don't wear too often because it's just a very pale shade on me. As you can see, it pumps up the color of mattes as well. 

For this next round of swatches, I thought it would be helpful to show you what each shadow looks like alone, and over:

• NYX Eyeshadow Base White
• Urban Decay Primer Potion
• CoverGirl Intense Shadowblast in Beige Blaze

 For the swatches above, I used the matte white shade in the Milani Paint Palette. This is a wonderful, very silky matte white on its own, but check it out over NYX White. Even over UDPP it's not that intense, and over my CG primer it becomes more of a cream-white.

For this next round of swatches, I used Wet n Wild Color Icon eyeshadow single in Lagoon. This is a nicely pigmented blue shadow to being with, but I wanted to show you how it can really intensify the shade. It's almost impossible to distinguish between UDPP and NYX White, huh?

And finally, I wanted to show you this primer underneath the crease shade in the Wet n Wild I'm Getting Sunburned Trio. For these swatches, I used a sponge-tip applicator to apply the shadow to the back of my hand. The color becomes more of a charcoal brown with a little bit of shimmer when swatched on bare skin. But over NYX White, the shimmer seems to come alive and the color looks much more like what you see in the actual pan. Even over UDPP, which usually really intensifies things for me, it didn't bring out as much intensity as the NYX White did.

As for staying power, this primer tends to crease a tiny bit after about four hours of wear if I'm not careful. If I apply too much, then I see creasing by mid-day, but if I'm careful and only use a very thin layer, I don't experience creasing until maybe 8 hours into the day, and by that point it's pretty minimal.

In terms of fading, that's where this primer REALLY shines. The shadows I have used with this primer stay rich and vibrant all day and night on my eyes. It's truly incredible in person--I sometimes can't believe my eyes (literally and figuratively!).

FINAL VERDICT: For whom would this primer work best? I'd say that if you have dry skin and are looking for a primer to REALLY pump up the color of your shadows, this would be an awesome choice. If you have oily lids like me, this could still be a great choice, but you'll just have to remember to use a very light hand during application and apply the thinnest layer possible. I still love my CoverGirl Intense Shadow Blast when staying power is more important to me than color intensity, but if I want my color to POP, then I'll reach for NYX Eyeshadow Base White, without a doubt. For around $7, this one's a winner in my book.

In addition to White, this primer also comes in White Pearl and Skintone shades (although I haven't tried those varieties). Have you tried any of the NYX Eyeshadow Bases? If so, how do you like them?

Some of the products featured in this post were given to Nouveau Cheap for previous reviews. NYX Eyeshadow Base White was purchased with personal funds.