Review : Benefit Stay Don't Stray Primer

Benefit recently discontinued their F.Y...Eye primer and brought out their Stay Don't Stray primer instead - the difference being this one not only primes your lid for eyeshadows, but primes underneath your eyes for concealer. I suffer from really bad dark undereye circles, and concealer has often worn off by the end of the day, so any product that claims to keep me looking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed all day long was bound to be something I tried out. I have been using this primer in a variety of ways for just over a week. I've really been putting this bad-boy to the test!

What do Benefit say?

This dual-action power primer works 360° around the eyes to make concealers AND eyeshadows STAY PUT. Concealers don't crease, eyeshadows stay vibrant and true...you'll wonder how you ever lived without it! Neutral nude shade is universally flattering; custom airless pump is sooo easy to use...just a dab'll do ya!

What do I say?

The primer is pale-flesh-toned like Urban Decay's Primer Potion. It's a nice consistency, really smooth and creamy, and although it seems a little on the thin side, it has a lot of substance and covers well. Because it is relatively thin and really creamy, you only need a little bit to cover both lids and undereyes, and because it is so pale, I'm not sure how people with darker/lighter skin than me (NC15-20) would feel about using this type of colour on their undereyes. Instead of concealing their dark circles, they'd end up trying to cover this product - so there could be issues with caking? I'm not totally sure as this was a great colour match for me. I'd be interested to hear how you gals with a different skintone would feel about it though!

Benefit packaging is always pretty retro and cute, but this looks really naff and cheap. It does have a pump so it's not all bad. Also, I was disappointed by the size of the bottle when I pulled it out of the box. It's only slightly bigger than a lipgloss tube, so you get 10ml of product which doesnt seem a lot for the price. You do only need to use a little bit though so it has the potential to last a long time, but the pump won't allow it.

The pump is really hard to control. It seems really stiff so I end up with the primer splattered all over my hand. One pump dispenses far too much product - you could easily use less than half a pump to cover both eyelids and both undereyes, but because it always gives me a whole pump's worth I end up with a lot of wasted product. To demonstrate how far this product goes, a whole pump covers the back of my hand thickly and it looks really cakey - I hope you can tell from the picture!

So... the packaging for this doesn't fill me with joy. Bad design, poor execution, but the product itself seemed pretty good (providing a little bit was used!) so I was excited to put it to the test.

On the first day I used it as an eyeshadow primer only. Mainly because I had applied my concealer before I remembered this primes that area too! So I applied a moderate layer and by the time I had decided on an eyeshadow to wear, it had started gathering in the crease. A primer that creases doesn't exactly bode well, wouldn't you agree? I haven't got particularly oily eyelids either! I spread it out a little further and applied my eyeshadow as normal. By lunchtime, I had creasing. Day one, not impressed.

For the next test I used it as both an eyeshadow primer and a concealer primer. I applied it a little thinner this time, and I didn't notice any creasing by the time I went to apply my eyeshadow. By about 6pm my eyeshadow hadn't creased, but it had worn off a lot so it would only have been a matter of hours before it creased. My undereye concealer had worn off too, though not to the extent it would have if I hadn't have worn the primer. I used it like this for a few days and had the same results. No creasing but everything had worn off a lot. Not exactly good staying power.

The last test was how well it's last with a cream base on top. I didn't want to use my normal cream base (Benefit's Creaseless Cream Eyeshadows) because they really do not crease, so I used my NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk. This pencil creases like hell unless a good primer is used underneath (I normally use UDPP), so this was the ultimate test. Lo and behold, it had creased by lunchtime.

So, to round-up - as an eyeshadow primer it creased before I had even put any product on top. With a cream product on top it creases early into the day, and with a powder product on top it lasts until the evening without creasing, but my eyeshadow does wear off significantly. It doesn't keep my eye make up looking fresh all day, and I feel like I get the same results from not using any primer as I do when I use this. As an undereye concealer primer it is just okay. I mean, it keeps my concealer looking brighter and fresher for longer, but it certainly doesn't make it last all day. I get similar results if I set my concealer with powder, which is what I prefer to do with Benefit's Powderflage.

Price?

The RRP of this is £19.50 and is available online at benefitcosmetics, or your local Benefit counter.

Would I repurchase?

Nope, not on your nelly! Urban Decay's Primer Potion and even the Benefit Creaseless Cream Eyeshadows are cheaper, easier to work with and give me much, much better results. Even UDPP's dodgy packaging can't make me choose Stay Don't Stray above it! Awful product.

Does this primer work for you? Am I doing it wrong or do you have any tips? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo