Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Under Eye Primer ($29) is another great solution for dry under eye areas. It’s supposed to brighten and hydrate the under eye area while reducing the look of fine lines, puffiness and dark circles. This product is a little on the pricier side but a little bit goes a very long way.
The main reason why I purchased this was to make my under eye area a smoother and more hydrated base for my concealer. It does nicely hydrate the dry areas and fills out very fine lines to give them a smoother, more blurred appearance. One of the ingredients is dimethicone, a type of silicone, but it doesn’t give the area a heavy silicone feeling. It’s actually nice and light feeling.
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Stila Smudge Crayons ($22) come in your choice of 8 different shades. I decided to go with something outside of my comfort zone and chose the shimmery light pink shade called Rose. These crayons are a 3 in 1 product; primer, shadow and liner.
Stila lists the benefits as:
- primer, eye color and eye liner all-in-one
- creamy, creaseless formula glides on with ease
- long-wearing and water-resistant
- bold, color-rich shades
- vitamin e to soothe and protect
- pointed tip for easy application, plus sharpener (included)
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The first Birchbox of the new year is here! But it’s not that impressive. 
I’m just going to start by saying that I’m tired of getting Juicy Couture fragrances in these boxes. I’ve gotten three in the last year. Yes, they have been different Juicy Couture scents but I don’t like any of them. If they’re gonna keep sending us fragrance samples at least mix it up more.
I don’t know why but the latest Birchboxes have just felt stale to me. I find myself getting less and less excited to receive it each month which is a bad sign. I’m thinking that maybe I need to just step away from Birchbox for a few months and see what happens.
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I spotted this new Buxom Stick Around Eye Primer ($20) at Sephora a few weeks ago. I hadn’t heard anything about it yet, so I decided I needed to try it. What I found intriguing about this eye primer is that it came in a shadow stick like form instead of a liquid. To reveal more primer you simply need to twist the bottom for more, no sharpening required.
The primer itself is a flesh colored solid with a pretty stiff consistency. To apply it to the lids you need to use a good amount of pressure which can cause some tugging. It’s very sheer, almost clear, and blends in so easily with my skintone that I really can’t tell where I’m applying it. (Hence no swatch pictures.) I just swipe a few times and hope I’m getting enough on. I then blend it around with my finger to make sure I’m getting an even coverage.
Aside from the application issues, I do consider this a good eyeshadow primer. I have very oily eyelids so it’s difficult to find a good eye primer. Too Faced Shadow Insurance and Urban Decay Primer Potion still crease on me after about 5 hours.
Nars eyeshadow base is the only one so far that I’ve had great luck with. Until now! This Buxom Stick Around eye primer ranks right up there in performance with the Nars shadow base. It gets me a good 8 hours of crease free wear just like the Nars one does.
I’d still rank Nars shadow base as #1 for oily eyelids but this Buxom one squeezes into 2nd place. For that reason alone I’ll continue to use it and deal with the application issues. I really like the convenient stick form too, which is a very generous size by the way. If you really didn’t want to get your fingers dirty, you could easily swipe in on and blend it out with a shadow brush without ever touching it.
Available at Sephora and BareEscentuals.
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog! I'm lucky enough to work from home with the help of my two cats and recently adopted puppy. I'm addicted to all things beauty so in my spare time, I enjoy shopping for new products and sharing them with you. I'm obsessed with Pinterest so every once in a while I'll throw in my favorite new recipes that my husband and I try and like. Hope you enjoy your time here!
