For years I used my foundation as eyeshadow primer. Actually, I didn't even know that there is specific primers for eyelids. Maybe they didn't exist then? Anyway. Now I never use foundation as primer. I do use some concealers but 9/10 I use eye primer for multiple reasons.
1) I'm over 40 and my eyelids are not as smooth as they were back then. They are still pretty smooth, so the problem with wrinkles is not that major yet, but the first sings are definitely there. I need something that wont make my eyelids anymore dry or doesn't enhance the fine lines.
2) I usually have a little bit of eczema on my eyelid, specifically on inner corner. That causes multiple problems. My skin is red, flakey, irritated and quite often has that burning feeling. You might ask, that why I put makeup on top of that to possibly cause even more problems. Well. Makeup is my job and love. And with good care and right primer I haven't noticed that makeup would make that worse. But, foundations do irritate that area, so I can't use them anymore as primer.
3) Although I have dry skin, my eyelids are hooded so there is some moisture and oiliness in my crease. Without primer, my eyeshadow doesn't have any chance.
4) Yes, there is more. I have watery eyes, which is caused by my dry eyes. When I do use eyedrops or -creams there is no problem unless there is cold wind. And living in Finland, there's cold wind 10 months in a year.
Because of these reasons I've tested multiple eye primers past few years. Luckily, I have found really great ones. Great news are, that none of these aren't that pricey.
Milani: Eyeshadow primer and Essence: You better work!
These two primers are very similar. The shade and formula look and feel pretty same. These are my two most used ones. What I love in these, is that they both smooth my skin but don't dry it. These are kind of mousse-cream that have beige tone. These are not concealers, so they won't take all the redness or blue tones away, but they will even them a little bit. They dry to a slightly sticky feeling so if you want to apply eyeshadow without setting with powder to make colors more opaque, you can do that. Or you can use a little bit of powder or skin toned eyeshadow to set them before eyeshadow. I have used both of these 10+ hours with different eyeshadows and both perform really well. When I have eczema, these also protect it from eyeshadow. I can see in the evening, that that area is at least the same if not less irritated. They also last really well with watery days.
Catrice: Eye foundation
This primer is very similar with Urban Decay Primer potion. This is thinner formula than Milani and Essence and it will dry a bit quicker. It leaves kind of film on your eyelid that smooths any texture really well. There is little bit of beige color but on skin you can't say it to do much. If you wear your makeup for 6-8 hours, this one will do the work beautifully. With longer days, it might not be the best one, especially if you have watery eyes. On days, when I do cut crease, I use this one as this is so thin in consistency. If I would use thicker primer and then concealer to cut the crease there would just be too much product. If I was younger, I could make it but with a bit older skin it will just turn into hot mess.
Wet'n wild: Photofocus eyeshadow primer
When I first tried this primer it was summer and hot weather. I fell in love instantly. We don't usually have that hot weather so I did have some problems with my eyeshadow. This is for sure for anyone with oily skin and/or who lives in hot and humid environment. When the weather got cooler I noticed, that this is too drying on me. It is beautiful with smoothing and making my makeup last all day, but with my dry skin I can't use this during winter.
Makeup Revolution: Conceal and define concealer
Yes, this one is a concealer but I've noticed that it works very well as eyeshadow primer. Especially when I want to conceal all the redness I pick this one. Usually, when I do a makeup look to my Insta I use this one as it gives a little bit of that tackiness which helps eyeshadow to look more opaque and vivid. It does make my eyeshadow last pretty much all day, but is not as long lasting as the ones from Milani and Essence. There's also the fact, that if I have eczema, this will irritate it a bit. But when creating looks, this is perfect!