Beauty Notes: Too Faced Shadow Insurance

I have incredibly oily eyelids, enough so that I basically gave up on wearing shadow washes several months ago. I simply couldn't find any product that would keep shadow on all day, much less past a few hours. MAC Paint was alright, but unreliable. I found it bulletproof maybe 50% of the time, and the thick formalation made it difficult to disperse and spread an even layer on each lid. Urban Decay Primer Potion was even less reliable, creasing within 4-6 hours.

Trying Too Faced Shadow Insurance as a last resort, I was very, very surprised to find that it worked for me. It keeps shadow from creasing for twelve hours (probably even longer on normal-to-dry lids), and the formula is thin enough that it spreads easily and evenly without effort. It's a very easy, intuitive product to use, and I appreciate that, unless you really try to, it's impossible to glob too much on. I also like that this doesn't have much of a tint. If you're Caucasion or light-skinned Asian, this is nearly flesh-colored and, as you only need a small amount, won't provide enough coverage to correct or cover your lid color. Unfortunately, the color is light enough that it would stand out on deeper skin tones.

As good as this product is, I've found that I still have to be careful with which eye shadow formulation I use. I can really only wear very dry shadows. Shadows that have a finely milled texture (NARS) simply don't last on my lids, along with shadows with a creamy or satiny texture. Obviously, cream shadows are out. The most enduring shadows I've found have been Stila, hands down, whether in the old or new formulation (honestly, I think the new formulation lasts even better than the old one). Certain drier MAC formulations, such as their Vellux shadows, also work well.

A last note: when capping the product, do so firmly. Once Shadow Insurance starts to dry out, the product becomes much thicker and more difficult to use. It doesn't layer evenly without effort, it's difficult to get out of the tube, and the thickened formula doesn't prevent creasing as well.