I have been using Urban Decay Primer Potion for years.
I love the stuff.
It is awesome.
The problem is when I go to Sephora to get it, I get lost in a sea of sparkling new glosses and shadows and treasures I NEED to try, suddenly eyeshadow primer doesn’t seem very exciting. I start trying to rationalize. “I don’t REALLY need primer right? It doesn’t help that much….20 dollars!? Is it that important?”
I am here to tell you that voice in my head has kept me from buying primer potion for months.
My sister can’t use it because it gives her a rash on her eyelids and she doesn’t like parabens so…
Together we set out to make our own!
After much trial and error we finally found a potion that WORKS!
Get a load of the proof pudding below:
Admittedly, Urban Decay is still the best, but as you can see, the difference is minimal.
So if yer ballin’ getcha some UD Primer Potion.
If yer budgetin’ make yourself some of this stuff.
Get a clean container. I used a sample jar but you could also use an old eyeshadow pot, contacts case or even a tiny zip lock bag.
Recipe/Formula (you can double or triple this based on the size of your container)
1/2 Teaspoon All Natural Chapstick
1 Teaspoon Cornstarch
1 1/2 Teaspoon Liquid Foundation (whatever you have on hand)
Run the chapstick under warm water for a minute before you add it so it mixes easier.
Put all the ingredients in container and MIX WELL.
It should look like this:
and you should look like this:
Hallelujah!
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All hail caralyn brook!
I agree with Randi! You keep saving me money and I love you for it!
quick question(s), why is the chapstick necessary and why all natural? Can’t wait to make this!
OK so the chapstick really helps to make the eyeshadow go on vibrant and helps adhere the shadow to the lid. It also created a better texture and helps with absorption. I recommended natural just because it’s the best choice for any kind of skin but mine is not sensitive so I also used regular chapstick and I liked it just fine.
LOVE this!!! Your sister doesn’t like parabens, so what make up does she use. Please spill!:)
Just wondering if Petroleum Jelly may have the same power as the chapstick does? I’m thinking it’s all about the wax, no? Since you have experimented with it I was just wondering if you tried vaseline or anything (I don’t have chapstick and don’t want to go to the store!)
I think petroleum jelly will work, just not as good. The wax is really important for the consistency and staying power. The petroleum jelly will help make the color vibrant still but won’t be AS good at the other. Let me know how it goes!
Love this primer great idea!
I’m just wondering to myself how I ever got along without your amazing info! Just made this and I’m so stoked to do my make up tomorrow morning:) I did a little test run with your latest video (date night). I tried to use my finger to wipe it off and almost nothing came off. Yay!
I was just wondering where you purchased the all natural chapstick and would a liquid foundation that is lighter like Garnier BB cream work do you think? thank you for all the wicked tips!
I got it at Walgreens and yes I tried a bunch of different foundations/bb creams/ tinted moisture all of it worked!
This is so awesome! I use urban decay and love it but I cant wait to give this a try!
I have a free beauty giveaway at my site, you should check it out. I is worth $200 in beauty products… and your a beauty site! Thought you might like it, http://borntobeblonde.com/beauty-giveaway/
just discovered another budget friendly idea- instead of eye makeup remover, just mix baby shampoo with water and save yourself some dough!
Also, vasaline/petroleum jelly works wonders to take makeup off.
Those who have oily or combination skin, do not use vaseline or petroleum jelly. It will clog pores and we have issues eventually.
Alcohol-free baby wipes help too.
I wonder if I can use Vaseline (petroleum jelly) instead of the chapstick because we don’t get chapstick here….? What do you think?
Vaseline likely wont be as effective as it get’s melty at a lower temperature than chapstick does; thus you have a higher chance of it melting away. (PS vaseline is a petroleum product, you don’t want that on your face!)
Also to remove waterproof eye-makeup, use Olive Oil. It’s natural, safe and moisturizes!
OMG. I really wasn’t a big believer in eyeshadow primer as most of it is really expensive and it just didn’t seem worth it to me. When I stumbledupon this I thought “hey, why not?”. I was not disappointed. I spent $3 making this project as I already had everything except the chapstick and it turned out wonderfully!! I tried some on my arm and the difference is amazing and it is lasting a really long time without fading. This has defiantly earned a permanent spot in my beauty routine!!
It works great! How should I store it?
Nice, I will have a try later:)
http://www.ccchinachic.com/
LOVE this idea!I’m going to try it right away. Just a question, though. Is there anyway this can be used (Or altered) to be used as an all over facial primer?
Can I use powder instead of the foundation? Will it work the same?
thanks for nice tips…
This looks amazing! I was just wondering where you found the All Natural Chapstick? I can’t seem to find the Chapstick brand version of All Natural. Thanks.
Can you use any type of chapstick while making this?
You really can, it just kind of depends how much you about having all natural stuff in your makeup…I don’t worry much so I have used different kinds of chapstick and had no problem.
I am sorry if this is a stupid question, but could you also use this as a lip primer? Do you recommend using lip primers?
Great minds think alike! I am totally working on one now! Not a stupid question at all!
This is awesome. I always feel like all the primers I buy never have a good amount of product! Time to make my own! Glad I stumbled on this!!
Janelle
How long will this store?
a couple of months I have had mine and it’s in great shape still…
Hey, that recipie for the primer is awesome! I also tried the beach Hair recipie and i totally agree it works sooo well! Thanks for all the great tips
I am so excited to try this! I actually have UD potion on my to-do list for my next sephora trip, but I know I would pass on it for something more fun and sparkly! One question: does your formula prevent creasing? That’s my biggest problem. I used to use Benefit’s FYEye. But I think they stopped making it.
YES! It’s my biggest problem too! It was my main concern while mixing the potion, my sister has a crease problem too so we tried everything until we came up with this and we were shocked at how well it worked!
good collections
http://www.ccchinachic.com/products/health-and-beauty/makeup-accessories/c-121/
For years I’ve just been using plain ol’ cornstarch –and nothing else– on top of my foundation, and it really does make a huge difference on how well my eyeshadow glides on and how long it lasts on my oily skin…
does it help agains oily lids?, because i use eye primer mostly because othrvise my mascara transfers to my lids, i have hooded eyes, the chopstick sound like it would make it wosre.
It does help guard against creasing but I am not sure it would cut the oil as much as your need, if it doesn’t just add more cornstarch
could the chopstick be replaced by bee wax?
or I dont know what i am talking about, just thought that chopstick have bee wax in them!!
there is a lot of wax in chapstick so it could, I have never tried it though:)
Pleaseeee figure out a way to dupe benefit porefessional, cannot justify 30 bucks for that :/
Am I correct in assuming that the liquid foundation should be in my tone? Don’t own any so I want to make sure I buy the right one.
Thanks for all your great tips!
in your tone or lighter, it isn’t crucial that it is exact:) Thanks!
Wonderful, that’ll make things much easier!
Thanks
i just made this last night and it didn’t cost me a penny. well, at some point it did, just not last night… even had the Sephora pot!
so i never use eye primer but tried it today and it is creasy. 
i think i need to add more liquid foundation to it bc it’s drier than your pic looks. And yes, pleasePLEASEplease dupe the Benefit Porefessional!!
Oh dang! I wander if you put too much chapstick in? Mine didn’t crease at all and I am REALLY picky about creasing so I think you may need to tweak your recipe a bit…let me know if that works!
Can’t wait to try this today. I also just went out and purchased your basic make-up starter kit suggestion. Thanks a bunch!
I just made this yesterday and it is AMAZING!!! My eye makeup was still looking great at 9:00 when my hubby got home. My one recommendation, though, is to NOT use the Burts Bees chapstick. I couldn’t find the natural stuff that you used, but I did have Burts Bees and I figured that was a pretty natural chapstick. Ummm, yeah, it has peppermint oil in it and it kind of burns, LOL. My eyes water so much that I had to go run and get a tissue. But I used it again today because it was so amazing. Plus the “tingle” really wakes me up. And I am going to keep using it until it is gone, because eventhough I didn’t spend $20 like a real primer, I still used quite a bit of my foundation and I don’t want to let it go to waste, LOL.
stumbleupon needs a “LOVE THIS” button, I am sooo trying this!!
OMG I ran out of my urban decay primer and was bummed I need to spend money to buy more, BUT I just found your site today Im so stoked to try this.
FYI ladies coconut oil works wonders. I agree with others olive oil is great for eye makeup remover you can also use coconut oil.
OMG!! THANK YOU!! I’ve been looking for a DIY primer forever!!! I’m going to have to try this out this weekend!!!
When i saw this DIY i asked my mom to buy me a chapstick.. She bought me one and it has Propolis & Shea Butter in it. Can i use it? It says natural formula though…
omg….God bless u for doing this…ive bought primers/bases and returned them cuz none of them worked on my oily lids. before i make this i want to ask you a few question:
1- does this need to be refrigerated ?
2- how long does it normally last when you make it?
3- would this work on oily lids ? i rly hope so
thnks
1 – no just keep it with the rest of your makeup
2 – it lasts forever! Like a few months
3 – I think it would but I would recommend using more cornstarch and less chapstick.
play with the recipe a bit until it fits the consistency for your skin:)
GOOD LUCK GIRL!
SO GOOD TO KNOW! I have been looking for a primer that won’t break the bank… Looks like I found it!
I don’t have any liquid foundation… can i do without it or with a powder foundation?
I just found UD primer at Nordstrom’s Rack for less than $10.
Thank you so much for sharing your tips Cara
I found your blog via Pinterest just today.
I’ll be sneaking around for the next couple of hours
Greetings from Denmark.
Hugs
Frida
Just made this after my 16 year old daughter told me she’d like some eye shadow primer. I remembered that I bookmarked this page, and we went right to making it. Didn’t even need to leave the house to get ingredients. She tested it out on her hand and she gives it two thumbs up!
Lots of positive comments here, sounds like this works fantastically. I do want to mention that corn starch, while a great absorbent ingredient, is a catalyst to bacterial and fungal growth. It’s possible there may be enough preservative in the Chapstick & foundation to control any icky buggers, but just to be safe, I’d highly suggest only making this in tiny batches (no more than a week’s worth) and refrigerating it until it’s gone. Never can be too careful, especially around the eyes!
ummm, get out. this is life.changing:-) xoxo
Can I use baby powder instead of the cornstarch? thanks for the tips!
Does concealer work as a primer? I have Estee Lauder Illuminating Concealer that I use under my eye then I tend to smear the remainder on my eyelid and then set it with a neutral eyeshadow as a base.
OMG! I read on pinterest I click it and immediately I make it. Its awesome! !
This is great! I’ve just made this as I’ve never used eyeshadow primer before because it’s so expensive; especially good brands like Urban Decay and Too Faced. I’ve also just bought MUA’s Heaven & Earth and Undress Me Too palettes as I can’t afford the Naked palettes (wish I could though!) so I’ve just tried the primer with these palettes and they make the colours so much more vivid! Thanks for saving me about £60 on UD palettes and making MUA palettes even better! <3
hello I had a question, can you use coconut butter or oil instead of chapstick ?.
because I also use it for my lips hihi thank uu
How do you mix it all together? I just made a huge mess… I tried mixing with a butter knife but it’s still a little chunky. My suggestions?
Also has anyone tried to use this on their whole face?
I am also wondering if it could be used on the entire face??? Thanks!