Artdeco Eyeshadow Base Review, Swatches and Photos

Artdeco is a German cosmetics brand available at select Shoppers Drug Marts in Canada. I've been reading quite a bit about their Eyeshadow Base - a primer for eyeshadows, so I tracked down a Shoppers in Toronto that carries the line to check it, as well as their other products.

While I'm more than happy with my Urban Decay Primer Potion as an eye primer, I was intrigued by all the raving reviews of the Artdeco Eyeshadow Base. For the purpose of this review, I'll compare the two primers.

Here is some info about it:

The Eyeshadow Base with a soft, creamy consistency prevents the deposition of Eyeshadow in the eyelid crease and makes the powder eyeshadows highly long-lasting, intense and brilliant. The eyeshadow is being applied easier, distributed better and lasts longer. This way, little particles cannot become loose, making it ideal for contact lens wearers. 

The base calms reddened eyelids with Bisabolol* and neutralizes the color of the eyelid. Vitamin E nourishes and protects the sensitive skin of the eyes.

*Bisabolol is a component of the essential oil extracted from German chamomile.

The Artdeco Eyeshadow Base comes in a tiny black plastic 5 mL container and costs $24 CDN. Urban Decay Primer Potion comes in a small, squeezable 0.02 oz tube and costs $20 CDN. They're roughly the same size, thought Artdeco is a little bit more expensive.

This little pot is filled right to the top with product. The instructions are clear that the lid should not be off for very long at all, as it will dry the product out. So you might suspect that this is a creamy, moist product. It's interesting that it's packaged like this if they're concerned with the product drying out. A squeezable or pumpable package would be much better at keeping the product from drying out. Also, squeezable/pumpable packaging would prevent contamination cause by avoiding having to dip your finger into the product.

The texture of Artdeco Eyeshadow Base is creamy, wax-like and not as stiff as it might first appear when the pot is opened. You don't need as much as I've got on my finger in the photo above to apply to both eyelids. You need about half of that. The Urban Decay Primer Potion has a more liquid consistency and you need about the same amount as the Artdeco Eyeshadow Base to cover your lids. 

Artdeco Eyeshadow Base has a bit of glitter in it and I'm not sure why. It applies more or less sheer, apart from the glitter. In comparison, the Urban Decay Primer Potion has no shimmer or glitter to it - the original, that is. There are different versions of Primer Potion, and only the original is without colour/shimmer. The others have colour/shimmer and are designed to be worn as eyeshadow as well as eyeshadow primer. 

Performance-wise, the Artdeco Eyeshadow Base does indeed intensify eyeshadows applied on top of it. See below for comparison swatches of eyeshadows applied on bare skin and eyeshadows applied over the Eyeshadow Base. 

Applied on bare skin,

Applied over Artdeco Eyeshadow Base.

There's really no comparison between the two, is there? Wow. That's a fantastic change that the Artdeco Eyeshadow Base makes. The Urban Decay Primer Potion doesn't have that sort of dramatic effect on eyeshadows. 

What about performance in terms of longevity? Well, that's where I was ultimately disappointed with Artdeco Eyeshadow Base. Where Urban Decay Primer Potion keeps my eyeshadow intact and crease-free for 12+ hours, with the Artdeco Eyeshadow Base, my eyeshadow is creasing after four hours. I tried it over about a week, reducing the amount I applied in case I was applying too much and with different eyeshadow textures (cream and powder) to see if that made any difference. Nothing worked, I had the beginnings of creasing after four hours each time, starting with my right eye and by six hours, there were those yucky folds in my shadow at my eye crease. It's frustrating since I couldn't find any reviews online saying the same thing. My eyelids are on the oily side so I definitely need a primer. 

So the Artdeco Eyeshadow Base is great if you want more oomph out of your eyeshadow, but not if you have oily lids or are looking for a primer that'll keep your eyeshadow unfaded and uncreased all day. If your lids are normal or on the dry side, this primer would probably work well. I'll stick with my Urban Decay Primer Potion. 

Grade: D