I’d known about the Urban Decay Primer Potion for years now. In beauty circles its also affectionately known as UDPP. Believe me, when you are new to makeup forums and people throw around acronyms like UDPP, you learn fast or be left out!
What it is is a primer for the eyelid area, to be applied before putting on eyeshadow. Its supposed to help eyeshadow last on your lids longer, and make the colour more intense. I resisted the lure of UDPP for years.
Until last year when Sephora went on sale and I had a kind offer from an online friend in the USA who offered to shop for me. Uhoh – big mistake! I blew a ton and one item I got for myself was the Urban Decay Hall of Fame set (US$29) ostensibly because it had the Primer Potion in a 60% more than normal size – I like getting my value for money 😛
The Primer Potion in the set is a larger than normal size and the packaging just wants to make you rub it and hope a genie appears where you can wish for great skin all the time …. or a million dollars LOL… But since that’s far fetched, the next best option was to see what the hype was about the Primer Potion.
Want the truth? I dislike it. I don’t hate it – that’s too strong an emotion. I just dislike it because it doesn’t serve any purpose for me! I walked around for days with UDPP on one lid and just eyeshadow with no base on the other. At the end of the day, I noticed no difference.
The reason I don’t “hate” it is because it works well when I’m using loose powder shadows or loose pigments. It forms a good base for loose powder to grip onto and colour is intensified. BUT I get the same result with cream shadows as a base which is what I’ve been using in my UDPP-less days.
The reason its not pure magic in a bottle for me might be because I don’t have oily lids. So, eyeshadow colours don’t usually crease or fade on me. Having UDPP on makes no difference for me hence my ambivalent attitude to it. I know of many people with oily lids who swear by it. I guess I should count myself lucky for being able to cut out one step in eye makeup 🙂
At this time, Urban Decay is not yet available in Malaysia but I hear its available in Singapore. So if you want to get the Urban Decay Primer Potion, make a trip down to Singapore or you’d have to get it online or get a friend to help you. I’m not sure what I should do with mine 😛 May 2010 Urban Decay is now available at Sephora Malaysia and the UDPP retails at RM75 (old packaging) new packaging comes in a tube and should be in store later.
The regular 10ml Primer Potion is US$18 – will last you ages and ages.
Pros: Helps powder shadows and pigment colours stay on lids better, Intensifies colour of eyeshadows
Cons: Did nothing for me as I do not have oily lids
I was quite intrigued by the rest of the items in the Hall of Fame set though. Other than the Primer Potion which was supersized the rest of the items were miniatures. I’m not fussy about the difference between a “miniature” and a “sample” – for me its both sides of the same coin. But these little mini goodies were fun to play with and easy to tote around.
Urban Decay 24-7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Zero
I’d used this before a long time ago. Unlike many who love it, I find that it smudges something awful on me. The colour is an awesome black though. I use it mainly for smokey looks when I want a smudged line. Otherwise I just think its not worth the money.
Urban Decay Midnight Cowboy lipstick
This is the most adorable mini lipstick ever! The colour isn’t quite me being a little pale but it’ll work for when I’m feeling like rocking strong eye looks. Being a little mini wonder, I’d probably finish it up in no time. Yes the close up shot shows you all there is!
Urban Decay Pocket Rocket lipgloss – Timothy
You might have seen the “naked man” lipgloss on Soloverly – well, meet Timothy my mini boy toy 😀 Unlike the full size version that does the “now you see me now you don’t” holographic peekaboo, the mini version I own is straight out erm… undressed! Not the full monty – get your mind out of the gutter! 😀 Timothy is a gorgeous red on the lips too. Hmm… at least its a colour I’d wear often. Oh dear I can forsee myself wearing Timothy out 😛
Urban Decay Skyscraper Mascara
The final mini item is the Skyscraper mascara which I haven’t tried because I have a ton of unopened mascara and I don’t want to add to it. I’ll report when I do try it, if anyone’s interested.
If you want indepth reviews on either of the above mini products, please let me know in a comment and I’ll try to oblige. 🙂
Now you tell me. Have you tried the iconic Urban Decay Primer Potion and did you like it/hate it/ find it does nothing for you?
On another note, I know many people are only starting work today! Personally, I started work on Friday. Officially that is. Unofficially, we had a long long lunch and then bunked off after half a day 😀 Today though, work starts in earnest and there is so much backlog to take care of! Eeps! How about you?
Paris B
OOOO… The infamous UDPP, eh? Well, since its not available here, and I cannot afford it, even online, I have followed the advice of the Youtube gurus and mixed my own primer, MUAHAHAHA!! With equal parts of liquid foundation (Maybelline Angelfit, the Liquid one) and my daily moisturizer, I now have my own primer that works as well as UDPP… Hehhehheh… But its good to hear that you adore the other stuff.
Yeah the other stuff are fun. As for eyelid primers, for me its a matter of what works to keep eyeshadow on your lids – no need for something new fangled if mixing your own works 🙂 Your mixture sounds a little thin though. Great if it works for you anyway 🙂
Can’t. Stop. Laughing. Silently. At. All. The. Clever. Wordplay. In. This. Post. 😛
Teehee 🙂
Love the innuendos. Ahem. Mind is in gutter alright. Think we spend too much time talking to each other. I’m known to corrupt the minds of the young and innocent.
Oh wait, I’m supposed to comment on the PRODUCTS you blogged. Oh. That. 😛
UDPP. Love it because I’ve got oily lids.
Love the innuendos. HAHAHAHHAHA 😛
Maybe I’ll give mine to you when i see you 🙂
Could you do a detailed review for the UD Glide on Pencils? Been hearing too much about it and but the lemming died down when I was looking at the prices of it! I didn’t have UDPP but I have TFSI. Sometimes I think these two are a little overrated though.. 🙂 Btw, I started working last Wednesday. haha. 😛
I’ll do that! 🙂 And to start working on Wednesday – that’s early!
Doesn’t work much for me either. I reckon my lids are too oily even for this to work!
Only primer that works for me is Too Faced’s Shadow Insurance, ‘cos it has a thicker consistency. Bought two tubes of this when I was in the US because of the hype, and exchanged it with Geekchic for the TFSI instead 😛
Haha at least you found someone who can use it and who has something that works for you! 🙂
good on ya that your lids don’t crease! Did you notice that certain eyeshadows (matte mostly) gets difficult to blend over the UDPP? that’s my main problem with the UDPP. and did you try showering with eyeshadow? :p
Paragraph 9, line 3. you had to say it!
ooh that lipstick looks like my kinda pale. I see a lot of shimmer though…
I’m going to do the shower test! Let you know how it goes 😀
I feel the same for you, it doesn’t do much for me because I don’t have oily lids to start with, for UDPP user, you need to have MEGA OILY lids to really appreciate this 🙂 Glad to hear your thoughts on this! I carry this around on gigs! 🙂
Ooh really? Mega oily lids? I don’t even have oil on my lids 😛 Glad it works for your clients though. I’m sure it helps the colours pop!
Isn’t it sooo frustrating when you’re all giddy at trying out someone’s HG, then it just fails on you? :p thanks for the review!
Yep! I was like “UDPP! UDPP!” and then *splat* It fell flat. Sigh.
How does it compare with the Vichy LiftActiv Cxp eyelid lifting cream which u reviewed on Feb 4, 2010? You wrote that it could double up as an eye primer or base too…
The Liftactiv CxP Eyelid lifting cream is an eye treatment so its primary function is as an eye cream. The side benefit for me was that it worked as primer. UDPP however has as its primary function an eyelid primer for eye makeup. I guess I should just stick with the former 🙂
Oh looks like I am a minority here – I looove my UDPP but then I do have oily eyelids. I usually use UDPP for special occasions or when I need my eyeshadow to last for hours. On regular days its TFSI works for me.
Hi Connie – I dust translucent powder very lightly over my lids after UDPP. This really helps in blending the eyeshadows.
Hey, glad UDPP does work for you! I like it when the minority tells us why it works for them 😀 Thanks for your tips!
UDPP is available in Singapore? Anyone knows where to get it ? I have TFSI, which i bought from Sephora Singapore but they don’t seems carrying UDPP.
I had that impression. I believe Urban Decay is now available at Sephora Singapore (its a recent thing). Perhaps someone from Singapore can confirm this.
Yup it is definitely in Sephora Singapore now!
Gah thanks for the review on UDPP, since I’m gonna to try it soon. I shan’t get my hopes high on it.
You’re lucky your lids are not oily… mine are and every single eyeshadow will crease badly. Nowadays, I mainly use P&J’s primer and Benefit’s cream shadows as a base and they have both helped tremendously. Would love to try UDPP someday.
Aww… but you know what? You found a combination that works for you! And that’s a good thing 🙂
UDPP was the first eyeshadow primer I have ever tried and fell in love with it straight away because it made my eyeshadow last all day without creasing. Unfortunately that’s hard to find here so I’ve been trying other primers like the Art Deco eyeshadow base that’s more easily available and they all work pretty much the same for me so I doubt I’ll go back to UDPP. I’m sorry it didn’t work for you, it must have been very disappointing.
Glad it works for you Gio! Honestly, its not that it did not work for me. It just was nothing special to me because I don’t have oily lids 🙂 Still, its great that you found an alternative that works for you locally.
Hi PB!!!
I too got back to work today and I woke up late! Eeeps!!
I love the UDPP coz I have oily lids and this baby is good in keeping em last for a longer time.
I was very suprised that u tried UDPP out coz u’ve always mentioned that you have dry skin and lids. For dry skin/lids, it’s better to try Too Faced Shadow Insurance. I’ve had experience trying both and I find that UDPP suits me better because the fact that it’s creamier than Too Faced’s, thus making it easier to pat it onto my lids. 🙂
I’m sure Timothy will look sexy on you…*purrr*
Hey Jessica! I keep feeling sleepy in the middle of the day too! So bad for productivity 😛 I tried UDPP because of hype. I should know better eh? 😛 And yes Timothy does 😉
I found UDPP made my shadows last, HOWEVER, it was impossible for me to blend with it on! It’s bad enough I’m awful at applying eyeshadow, I’m supposed to have hard lined colours on my eyes?? LOL!
Actually you are right. UDPP does make it harder to blend colours. Which is why I prefer to use it with pigments or loose powder shadows that are easier to blend in. Like you I’m not a fan of the hard lined look!
I too was late to the UDPP party, but I love it! Unfortunately my lids are overly oily(could be worse though not gonna complain too much) and this stuff helps heaps. I got it in a smaller size that was featured in the Urban decay “Show Pony” collection. Your set looks good too, I had’nt seen it at Sephora…mine was the same price too. Anyway, thanks for the
laugh…”wearing Timothy out”…hehehe, had me lol!
I would have to agree with you regarding this one. I have oily skin and oily lids. Although, this product is a hit and miss for me. Sometimes it works great sometimes it doesn’t. I still prefer MAC Paint pots as primer since they are more consistent for me. There are times that UDPP clumps and sometimes they don’t, even though I use the same amount making sure I don’t put too much.
where can i get urban decay in malaysia?
Its unavailable in Malaysia as of now (March 2011) but it might come in soon.
it’s available in Malaysia now~ selling in Sephora Starhill RM75.. coming soon also in KLCC =)