The quick and simple makeup step to keep your eye makeup looking fresh all night for party season

A close up of a woman's left eye, with a brush applying a shimmery eyeshadow to her lid/ in a pink and yellow gradient template with a gold glitter overlay.

Even if you’re usually a keep-it-simple, nice-and-neutral taupe or nude eyeshadow person for 11 months of the year, December is the time to trade it in for something significantly more statement.

The only drawback is that as it’s a once-a-year treat, our eyeshadow application skills are as rusty as our sparkly palettes and best eyeshadow sticks are dusty, so whipping up a statement or smoky eye can be quite time-consuming. It’s worth it though – but only if it stays put past the starters.

If you find that your eyeshadow look fades too fast, migrates down your cheeks or creases like the silky skirt you’ve just spent 10 minutes steaming, then you’ll want to know how to increase its staying power. Enter: the super quick and easy makeup step that most of us probably miss out...

How to keep your eye makeup looking fresh

While it's a step that most of us actually miss out, using an eyeshadow primer can, not only prolong your carefully-applied eye makeup look, but can actually help to bring out the pigment and make it look bolder and brighter - especially for those with darker skin tones. The premise of the best eyeshadow primers is the same as a primer for your face, except they’ve been specially formulated to be compatible with both powder and cream eyeshadows and to suit the delicate and oily skin on our lids. 

Depending on the formula you choose, different eyeshadow primers bring different things to the (Christmas) party. Most put all their efforts into maxing out staying power, gripping tight to eyeshadows and preventing them from moving and fading. Others will go above and beyond that though – evening out skin tone (great if you have hyperpigmentation, redness or prominent veins on your lids), hydrating dehydrated eyelids or mattifying oily ones.

If you’re sceptical about adding another step to your routine (no one has an extra five minutes to spare in December) then don’t stress – eyeshadow primer takes literally seconds to apply. Here’s how:

• Start with clean eyelids free from skincare and makeup (having excess moisturiser or foundation in the mix will stop it from working properly). 
• Using the applicator if it has one, or your fingers if not, smooth onto your lids and blend until you have a nice even layer of coverage.
• And that’s it! Depending on the formula, you might just need to wait a minute or two for it to dry before moving on to your eyeshadow.

A few of our top eyeshadow primer picks:

Hourglass Veil Eye Primer

RRP: £29

Hate the feeling of anything too heavy on your eyelids? You'll love this lightweight balm. Instead of fully drying down, it stays silky smooth, meaning any shadows you apply over the top blend beautifully. 

Laura Mercier Eye Basics Primer

RRP: £24

Available in six different shades including a peach to brighten dark lids and blue to banish purple tones, this eyeshadow primer works harder than most. 

Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base

RRP: £23

Lives up to its smudge-proof name by ensuring your eyeshadow will stay exactly where you left it for a full 12 hours. The white shade means any eyeshadow you layer over the top really pops too.