Review: L.A. Girl Pro Primer Eyeshadow Stick in Nude

When I found this primer at my local Asian market (click here if you're in San Diego and would like more info), I couldn't say no. Retailing for just $1.98 (it's $4 on the LA Girl website and it's currently on sale for $2.50 at Cherry Culture), I had to pick it up and give it a whirl. 

This new primer from LA Girl comes in three shades: Nude, White and Black. And even though I was intrigued by the idea of a matte black primer, I had to go with Nude because I felt like it would work better with the eyeshadows I tend to wear on a daily basis.

For more information about all three shades, click here.

LA Girl Pro Primer Eyeshadow Stick in Nude

(Retail: around $4, 0.07 oz)

The official name of this product, per the LA Girl website, is Pro Primer Eyeshadow Stick (even though the name is a bit different--and a bit longer--on the packaging).

There's virtually no reviews of this product on the internet (as of the time of this post, I spotted one video review but that was about it), so I HOPE that if you've been wanting to try this primer, this review might give you a little bit better of an idea of what it's like.

Paraben-free.

The finish of this primer is matte, but the texture is not dry or crumbly. In fact, it glides across the lids very smoothly and it's creamy enough to be able to blend across the lid and up into the brow-bone area quite effortlessly. It's thick enough to actually feel like it's doing something, but not so thick that it interferes with eyeshadow application. There is no stickiness or tackiness to this primer and the color works nicely to even out skin discoloration on the lid.

Here are some swatches of an LA Colors eyeshadow taken on bare skin, over the LA Girl Primer and then over Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden (I wanted to show you what the eyeshadow looked like over another nude-colored primer so that's why I chose Eden):

Looking closely at the swatches above, you'll notice that the LA Girl primer doesn't do much to intensify the color of the LA Colors shadow (especially when compared to the UDPP swatch). Also, if you look closely, you'll see that the base color of LA Girl Nude actually alters the color of the eyeshadow and makes it look warmer. Can you see that?

If you can't see it (it's subtle and sometimes monitors don't show subtly), I hope you can see it in this set of swatches:

These swatches were done with a charcoal gray matte eyeshadow from NYX. Do you see how the original color is intensified when swatched over UDPP? But when swatched over LA Girl Primer in Nude, the color is not only intensified, but is actually transformed into a warmer color?

Finish, texture and consistency: as mentioned above, the finish of this primer is matte, but the texture is not dry or crumbly. It glides across the lids very smoothly and it's creamy enough to be able to blend across the lid and up into the brow-bone area effortlessly. It's thick enough to actually feel like it's doing something, but not so thick that it interferes with eyeshadow application. There is no stickiness or tackiness to this primer and the color works nicely to even out skin discoloration on the lid.

Performance and staying power: As illustrated above, the shade Nude can alter your eyeshadow and make it look warmer. This could be a concern if you generally use cooler-toned shadows, but since the majority of shadows I wear are in the brown family, it hasn't been a sticking point for me personally. This primer does nothing to intensify the color of most of my shimmery eyeshadows, but it DOES intensify my matte shadows quite a bit (see photo above). As for how long it makes my shadows last, I'd say that depends on the shadows themselves. It really helps keep my shimmery shadows in place and crease free for at least 7-8 hours, but I find that it only keeps my matte shadows in place and crease-free for about 5-6 hours.

Fragrance: this primer has virtually no scent. The only time I could really detect a scent was when I swatched a good amount of it on my hand and brought my hand right up to my nose. Even then, it has a very, very faint "plastic" scent that I really have a hard time even detecting.

FINAL VERDICT: I'd say this one's a bit of a mixed bag. Would I recommend it to everyone? No. But I would recommend it if you're in the market for an affordable and easy-to-apply primer? Yes, but only if you tend to wear warm-toned shimmery shadows or warm-toned matte shadows. You'll get the most mileage from this one if you often wear warm-toned shimmers because you won't notice the slight alteration of your shadow color (most visible with cooler tones) and it really helps keep shimmers in place all day (it's a little less impressive with mattes but still decent). If you're looking for a primer that can intensify your shadows, you'll get that with this product, but mostly with your mattes. It doesn't really intensify the color of my shimmery shadows, but it does work well to keep shimmers in place. If you can get this on sale, I think it's worth a shot, especially if you enjoy creamy, non-sticky primers in a twist-up pen delivery system. Just go into it knowing that it's not going to be one of those universal primers that works great with every single shadow in your stash.

Have you tried the new LA Girl Pro Primer Eyeshadow Stick? Thoughts? I must had admit that I'm now considering trying the version in black, just to see how it looks over my darker shadows. For more info, click here.