Too Faced Shadow Insurance vs. Urban Decay Primer Potion

Which one do you choose? This has been a debate in the beauty community for a while. What continually would be the crux was the packaging, since they used to be so different. Too Faced's is a typical squeeze tube applicator, while Urban Decay's used to be that genie style with a doe-foot applicator.

Too Faced's typically won out: The application was much easier; you could get all of the product out without doing a de-potting. For anyone who does makeup on others, it's also much more sanitary.

Then Urban Decay did the obvious and changed its packaging to a squeeze tube. This leveled the playing field. The products are very similar in amount and price; they vary by $1 and a .02 ounces. So weighing how much you get for the price is moot.

Since I own both, I used both - one on each eye - for a week to see if I could find something discernible about the product performance. I've done this before with products that often get compared, and something about a side-by-side comparison brings out things you never noticed before.

As for what a primer is supposed to do - prevent creasing, make shadow more vibrant and long-lasting - these stack up very comparably.

Here is what I noticed that makes Too Faced still the winner in my mind: It completely vanishes into the skin. There is no need to blend it out, nor does it leave a residue behind. Perhaps because my skin's olive toned, I noticed that Urban Decay's leaves a visible film that sometimes can't be covered by the shadow.

I tested this for a few days, making sure to use a comparably small amount on each eye and blend equally. Each day, I could see Urban Decay's film, while Too Faced just melded into the skin. Someone with light skin may not see this, but anyone with a darker or tanned complexion will see a slight filmy texture on the lid. Since primers are meant to make our lives easier, and products go on better, this is why Too Faced Shadow Insurance still wins out in my opinion.