Marcelle Eyeshadow + Primer [review]

Finding a good eyeshadow primer at the drugstore is like finding a needle in a haystack. The drugstore has really been pulling out all the stops lately. They've come out with high-end dupes for lipsticks, concealers, foundations, etc. But they are still lacking in the eyeshadow primer department. Most brands haven't even attempted to come out with an eyeshadow primer to rival giants like the Urban Decay Primer Potion and the Too Faced Shadow Insurance.  The only thing that has come close is the Maybelline 24HR Colour Tattoo, which comes in a multitude of shades. With only one neutral shade in the bunch, I still long for a drugstore primer that can be used under any eyeshadow and stay on my unruly easily-creased eyelids like the aforementioned giants (actually, I personally hate the UDPP. I know, it's basically a sin!).

A couple months ago I was sent the Marcelle Velvety Eyeshadow + Primer ($15.95CA) in the colour Velvety Beige. I am a sucker for a good cream eyeshadow, so I figured I'd also love a liquid one. This Eyeshadow + Primer combo comes in six frosty, mostly neutral, shades. It is encased in a lipgloss-style package with a doe-foot applicator, which makes for easily application. As an eyeshadow this baby fails for me. I find that it is a very sticky and sheer base. This means that it is very hard to build up and creases on me completely. I have tried to use this as an all-over-the-lid wash of colour and it just does not work. It's too glittery for my personal taste and isn't opaque enough to cover my veiny eyelids. But as an eyeshadow primer, this baby knocks it out of the park.

The very sticky base that this creates is perfect for keeping eyeshadows in place all day. Its wear claim is 12HR and I can testify to this. The other day I wore this shadow for 15HR and had little to no fading and absolutely no creasing. My eyelids love to crease eyeshadow. It is a feat if any primer can prevent creasing for 8 hours on me, but 15 is spectacular! This shade is the most neutral of the bunch. It is a very shimmery, almost glittery, base. Because of this shimmery eyeshadows look phenomenal on top of it. It makes the shimmer in some of my favourite Urban Decay eyeshadows look better than they ever have before.

I am someone who also loves a good matte eyeshadow. This primer works well with those shadows as well. I wore this primer under a completely matte look and you could not tell that there was a shimmery base underneath it. As someone who wears a matte highlight (hello, Mac Blanc Type!) every single day, I am very thankful for this. This eyeshadow primer may look too shimmery to play well with matte's, but that isn't the case. You just have to make sure you don't blend the primer too far up, because no one wants a shimmery eyebrow.

Overall: This eyeshadow primer is the best I have tried at the drugstore. My eyelids are unbelievably crease-prone. The Marcelle Eyeshadow + Primer may not work well alone, but it works with both matte and shimmery eyeshadows, keeping them in place all day and forbidding them from creasing at all. Marcelle is a Canadian brand but they offer shipping to the US on their website. And for only $15.95CA I think this primer is more than worth the try.