I will admit that quite a few years ago I wouldn’t have thought of looking for the best under eye primers for wrinkles. What could have happened in the meantime that changed my mind, you might ask?
Well, time happened. I’m pretty much halfway through my 30s. Aging might not be all that kind to me. As if it weren’t enough that I have to handle breakouts, clogged pores, a hairier face, wearing glasses, and let’s not go into how my body is changing.
I sleep one hour less than I should and my wrinkles start creating grooves as if we’re preparing to create the Grand Canyon around my mouth, between my eyebrows, and under my eyes.
Okay, I complain a lot but I actually love the fact that I’m aging. My partner is definitely aging better without any effort. But I love the effort, I love to take on the challenge of seeing how my face is changing and what can I do to postpone the natural effects of time.
So, while I stick to the fact that we must use some amazing under-eye creams every night to keep the skin hydrated and to prevent under eye fine lines and wrinkles, I also evolved to talking about looking for the best under eye primers for wrinkles and adding an amazing concealer on top. That’s evolution for you.
An under-eye primer is specifically designed for the area under our eyes.
Its purpose is manifold: to blur imperfection, smooth fine lines and wrinkles, reduce the appearance of dark circles, and to increase the lifespan of our makeup look.
Moreover, we all know that the area around our eyes is thinner. It needs intense hydration both in the mornings and evenings. That’s why this type of primer is often hydrating.
Contents
Best Under Eye Primers for Wrinkles Reviews
The TULA Skin Care Filter Primer Blurring & Moisturizing Primer is my top pick as one of the best under eye primers for wrinkles. Even if it’s designed for use on the entire face, it’s an excellent product. It’s so good that some people wear just this primer on top of their skincare products without feeling the need to use concealer or foundation on top.
My second recommendation is the Colorescience Total Eye 3-in-1 Anti-Aging Renewal Therapy SPF 35. It’s not designed as a primer but as a fantastic eye cream for the day with SPF protection. The amazing thing about it is that it works as a great primer for our eye makeup both for the area under our eyes and for the eyelids. It’s not a cheap product but it’s quite impressive.
Another favorite of mine is the Elizabeth Mott Thank Me Later Eye Primer. It works just as well as higher end products. It’s designed as an eyeshadow primer but it works very well for the under-eye area, too. Add a concealer on top of the Elizabeth Mott Thank Me Later Eye Primer and you’ll immediately notice your dark circles looking lighter and your wrinkles hidden well.
If you’re looking for a pretty decent, quite cheap option, I recommend the L’Oreal Paris Makeup Visible Lift Radiance Booster.
The Benefit Cosmetics Stay Don’t Stray Eye Makeup Primer is an excellent primer that contains vitamins C and E and hyaluronic acid. It’s a bit expensive but the quality is top-notch for sure.
Check out my reviews for the best Korean eye creams.
1. TULA Skin Care Filter Primer Blurring & Moisturizing Primer: Overall the Best Under Eye Primer for Wrinkles
There are a few important things that I want to mention about this primer from TULA.
First of all, it’s a product that can be used on the entire face and that’s what people who buy it do. They apply it on the whole face.
However, if you only want to apply it under the eye or on your eyelids, you can absolutely do that, too.
Another thing that I want to mention is that this is probably the least popular primer from my recommendations for the best under eye primers for wrinkles.
If you’re looking for products that are much more popular, those would be the Elizabeth Mott Thank Me Later Eye Primer or the L’Oreal Paris Makeup Visible Lift Radiance Booster.
Even if it seems to be not as well-known as so many other products, I still love it and I think that it’s pretty incredible.
While the TULA Skin Care Filter Primer Blurring & Moisturizing Primer is not exactly cheap, I would also like to mention that the quantity we get it in is surprising.
It comes in a 1 oz (30mL) bottle, just like our usual moisturizer. That’s surprising because primers usually come in very small quantities. For example, we have the Benefit Cosmetics Stay Don’t Stray Eye Makeup Primer in about the same price range but it comes in a 10 mL (0.33 oz) quantity.
Features
The TULA Skin Care Filter Primer Blurring & Moisturizing Primer comes in 4 shades: fair/light, medium, medium/deep, and deep.
This product is so great that there are some people who wear just the primer and have given up on wearing foundation. That’s amazing.
One buyer mentions that this TULA works really well when you don’t want to put makeup on. It’s great for conferring a healthy glow without looking like we have makeup on.
Another user mentions that it has the perfect amount of coverage to even out skin tones and the skin feels buttery smooth. The feeling of a nicely hydrated skin will last throughout the day.
TULA combines powerful probiotic extracts and skin superfoods. I love the ingredients they use. They will confer healthy, balanced and glowing skin.
While it’s not precisely advertised as an anti-wrinkle skincare product, the TULA Skin Care Filter Primer Blurring & Moisturizing Primer will help us achieve smooth skin, with an even skin tone, with a hydrated, glowy, filter like finish.
It creates a blurring effect through its golden, light-infused pigments.
It also works for all skin types: normal, dry, mature, combination, oily, sensitive, and blemish-prone skin. It’s non-comedogenic, it won’t clog pores.
How to use
I would recommend using it as a full-face primer, making sure to pay extra attention to the eye area.
Apply 1-3 pumps and blend thoroughly to release its special skin-blurring glow particles.
Of course, we’ll use it as the last step in our skincare routine before makeup.
But, as I’ve mentioned, there are women who only apply this primer and skip on using any other concealer or foundation.
2. Colorescience Total Eye 3-in-1 Anti-Aging Renewal Therapy SPF 35 for Wrinkles & Dark Circles
The Colorescience Total Eye 3-in-1 Anti-Aging Renewal Therapy is not sold as a primer but it can be used as one and there are a few buyers who do exactly that.
They use the Colorescience Total Eye 3-in-1 Anti-Aging Renewal Therapy as an eye makeup primer.
It absolutely creates a smooth base like a primer.
However, at its core, the Colorescience Total Eye 3-in-1 Anti-Aging Renewal Therapy is an eye cream. It can be a great product for those who just want to apply this eye cream and then skip the primer step because it can act as an eye makeup primer so they can move right on to concealer, foundation, and eyeshadow.
It’s also amazing because it’s an eye cream with SPF so it also acts as a wonderful sunscreen for our eye area.
However, I will not recommend the Colorescience Total Eye 3-in-1 Anti-Aging Renewal Therapy as my top recommendation for the best under eye primers for wrinkles because its cost slightly under $100 is really expensive. And because it’s an eye cream that can totally be used as an under-eye primer but some people might already have an amazing cream and they’re just looking for a primer to add on top.
Even so, I think that this cream from Colorescience can be an amazing product for people who love anti-aging skincare products and can afford some pretty pricey ones.
Features
First of all, I love that we get to select a color.
The options are: fair, medium, tan, and deep.
We get 4 shades for all skin tones.
The benefits for the Colorescience Total Eye 3-in-1 Anti-Aging Renewal Therapy SPF 35 are many:
- brightens and corrects dark circles
- smooths fine lines and wrinkles
- it acts as a cooling applicator that can reduce puffiness
- the SPF 35 is a clear indicator that it will protect our delicate eye area against future sun damage
- it primes skin for smooth application of eye makeup – even the manufacturer recommends it as an under-eye primer
The active ingredients are titanium oxide and zinc oxide. This is the sunscreen part. As you can see, it’s a mineral sunscreen.
The other ingredients that convey all the other anti aging anti dark circles benefits are: mica for brightening a shadowy under-eye area, julibrissin bark extract skin benefits (anit-oxidant, anti-aging), sea water, jojoba, palmitoyl tripeptide-5 (protect and boost collagen, improve skin texture), hydrolyzed algin (hydrating, soothing, and anti-aging), vitamin E, and a bunch of many other extracts that all do wonderful things for our skin.
How to use
We can use the Colorescience Total Eye 3-in-1 Anti-Aging Renewal Therapy SPF 35 during the day because it also offers skin protection and then use a retinol eye cream at night for even more anti-aging benefits.
Of course, always apply any cream on cleansed and dry skin.
Dispense half a pump to the applicator tip.
Dot around both eyes. Don’t forget to use it on your eyelids, too.
Use your fingertip to gently pat into skin.
All in all, the Colorescience Total Eye 3-in-1 Anti-Aging Renewal Therapy SPF 35 makes for a great under-eye primer or we can use it as a primer on our eyelids. Both work.
It’s certainly one of the best under eye primers for wrinkles that doubles as a fantastic AM eye cream. But it’s a very expensive product and that’s why I decided to feature it as a second recommendation only.
3. Elizabeth Mott Thank Me Later Eye Primer
This is neither created as an under-eye primer nor as a primer for wrinkles. But I still like it a lot and I’ll soon tell you why.
The truth is that primers are not exactly created to reduce wrinkles. They’re mostly used to blur imperfection, smooth fine lines and wrinkles, reduce the appearance of dark circles, and to increase the lifespan of our makeup look.
That’s why, if you want a product that reduces fine lines and wrinkles and fights against dark circles, while also working as a primer for our eye makeup, I recommended the Colorescience Total Eye 3-in-1 Anti-Aging Renewal Therapy SPF 35 above.
On the other hand, if you want a good product that will act as a good base for your concealer to prevent creasing, then the Elizabeth Mott Thank Me Later Eye Primer can be a wonderful choice.
It’s a product with a price around $20 or a bit under that but it works really well. I’m really satisfied with the top quality we get for the price.
The Elizabeth Mott Thank Me Later Eye Primer is also immensely popular.
So, even if it’s a primer for wrinkles and even if it’s primarily created as a waterproof eyeshadow base to control oil, prevent creasing, and shine, it’s also an amazing base for our under-eye concealer. And it’s the concealer together with the primer that will smooth out wrinkles and fine lines.
Features
As I’ve already mentioned, it’s an eyelid primer that works perfectly as an under-eye primer, as well.
It is crafted with high-quality ingredients such as pearl powder.
It is also designed to enhance the pigment of our eyeshadow to make it appear more bold and vibrant.
Plus, it helps control oil to prolong the life of our makeup. It combats oily lids and creasing.
The Elizabeth Mott Thank Me Later Eye Primer can enrich the appearance of our skin, conceal discoloration, and balance our complexion.
People love using it as an under-eye primer.
It lasts a few good hours before creasing. Even when it does crease, it’s minimal. I’m totally impressed with its performance.
I would say that it works the same as much more expensive, higher end products.
It’s a good product to use if you want to avoid getting racoon eyes from makeup transferring to the lower part of the eyes.
Together with some good concealer, the Elizabeth Mott Thank Me Later Eye Primer will succeed in helping you hide dark circles, fine lines, wrinkles, discoloration, etc. And that’s why I like it so much as one of the best under eye primers for wrinkles even if it wasn’t specifically created for those things.
How to use it
Just apply a pea-sized drop on your eyelids or on the under-eye area, depending where you want to use it.
And then proceed with applying your concealer, foundation or eyeshadow.
4. Benefit Cosmetics Stay Don’t Stray Eye Makeup Primer
Frankly, I could say that I love the Benefit Cosmetics Stay Don’t Stray Eye Makeup Primer. It’s really good.
However, the price around $35 might be a bit too much for some people.
Especially when we consider that most primers come in pretty small bottles.
For example, the Benefit Cosmetics Stay Don’t Stray Eye Makeup Primer comes in a 10 mL (0.33 oz) quantity. Thankfully, if we only use it on our under-are and even on our eyelids it will last a good while because we really don’t need to apply much at all.
I love the descriptions written on the bottle, which looks like a mascara tube with a lip gloss applicator. So it’s also very easy to use.
The descriptions we come across are: shadows stay put and concealers stay don’t stray. That’s great and that’s exactly what we’re looking for when we’re searching for the best under eye primers for wrinkles.
However, as I’ve mentioned, while I believe that the Benefit Cosmetics Stay Don’t Stray Eye Makeup Primer is a truly excellent product, the price might be a bit too much for some. That’s how it ended up a bit down the list among my recommendations. Otherwise, it’s an excellent product, top-quality, and does exactly what it promises.
Features
It can be used both on the area under our eyes and on the eyelids.
Obviously, it makes concealers and eyeshadows stay put.
It’s also a nice choice for the no-makeup look.
What I also like is that it also contains vitamins C (Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate) and E (Tocopheryl Acetate). Both are amazing anti-aging ingredients, both powerful antioxidants that offer protection throughout the day.
It also contains hyaluronic acid.
How to use it
The dip and dab wand is fantastic for the easiest application ever.
5. Sheer Cover Base Perfector Primer
While the Sheer Cover Base Perfector Primer is not a very cheap primer, I must also note that it comes in a 1.25 oz (36.9 mL) quantity. That’s a big quantity and I love it.
It is also described as a primer that smoothes imperfections, minimizes the appearance of pores and fine lines, and it’s dermatologist tested.
That sounds amazingly promising.
Features
Let’s talk about ingredients to see what makes it so nice.
It contains: dimethicone (a very common moisturizing ingredient), silica (necessary for collagen production to improve skin elasticity), vitamin E, retinyl palmitate (retinol + palmitic acid), cucumber extract, camellia oleifera leaf extract (green tea extract, an antioxidant).
I am highly pleased to see that the Sheer Cover Base Perfector Primer actually contains an ester form of vitamin A that belongs to the retinoid family. Now we can see why it claims to smooth imperfections and to minimize the appearance of pores and fine lines.
All in all, it’s a great anti-aging primer that can be used on the entire face or only on the under-eye primer.
Don’t expect miracles.
But if you pair it with a good concealer or a nice foundation, it can greatly improve the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, enlarged pores, and dark circles.
6. e.l.f. Puff Puff Primer
This is a highly affordable primer that is designed for the whole face and not created exclusively for the under-eye area.
However, while we’re here to look for the best under-eye primers for wrinkles, I also love recommending primers that are created to be used on the entire face because they come in a much bigger quantity.
As you saw, my top recommendation was the TULA Skin Care Filter Primer Blurring & Moisturizing Primer, which is amazing but it’s definitely not cheap.
On the other hand, the e.l.f. Puff Puff Primer comes in a 1.01 oz (30 mL) quantity, it has a price around $15 and it’s pretty nice overall.
I won’t recommend it as a miracle worker because, most of the time, in order to make a primer work we really need to use concealer or foundation, but the e.l.f. Puff Puff Primer is highly rater and an overall nice skincare product.
Features
It nourishes and hydrates the skin. While that doesn’t address wrinkles and fine lines directly, a hydrated skin is a goal for everyone because it makes our skin look more plump, healthier, and glowy.
The e.l.f. Puff Puff Primer is infused with hemp seed oil to help nourish, hydrate, and condition the skin.
It also preps the skin for flawless makeup application, which is wonderful because that’s the main reason for using a primer on the under-eye area, on our lids and on the whole face.
The e.l.f. Puff Puff Primer is ultra-creamy. It absorbs quickly into the skin to soothe and hydrate.
It conditions our skin to create the perfect canvas for makeup.
Of course, it features a non-greasy formula. And it works with all skin types.
Besides the hemp seed oil, the other notable ingredients are vitamin A (beta-carotene) and C (ascorbyl palmitate). These are antioxidants that can help brighten the skin’s appearance.
It also contains glycerin, jojoba seed oil, sunflower seed oil, carrot seed oil, and hyaluronic acid.
Overall, the e.l.f. Puff Puff Primer has a bunch of hydrating ingredients and a few antioxidants that make it an amazing primer for the eye area as well as for the whole face.
Plus, the big quantity and the cheap price are top features that make me love it quite a bit.
7. L’Oreal Paris Makeup Visible Lift Radiance Booster
While the L’Oreal Paris Makeup Visible Lift Radiance Booster is a full-face primer, meaning that it’s not specifically designed for this small area under and around our eyes, it can definitely be used under eyes, as well as on the entire face.
There are a lot of people who use this primer on the under eye area and the reviews are positive.
A buyer who hates primers mentions that she loves this primer. She uses it for one specific thing: to achieve a crease free, long lasting under eye makeup. She dots a little of L’Oreal Paris Makeup Visible Lift Radiance Booster under the eyes along with a color corrector, tap it in. Dot it in again with a very small amount of concealer, tap it in and let it set. Next, she uses a very small amount of makeup setting spray. It’s an interesting makeup routine.
Someone else uses it under the eyes because they have dark circles.
Another user mentions that it adds a smooth feeling around the eye area and a little illumination without glittery-ness.
It works nicely at lightening the appearance of dark circles. There are multiple women who use the L’Oreal Paris Makeup Visible Lift Radiance Booster to cover the dark circles under their eyes so that’s great.
On the other hand, there are also plenty of negative reviews that we should check out. The L’Oreal Paris Makeup Visible Lift Radiance Booster is certainly not perfect, like no other product is.
Features
The Visible Lift Radiance Booster is a skincare-based primer that boosts radiance while hydrating skin all day.
As you can see, it’s not specifically designed for targeting wrinkles.
But it’s great for hydrating the eye area and for reducing the appearance of dark circles.
L’Oreal mentions that this is their first primer designed to hydrate and protect skin.
It will create a smooth, clean canvas for flawless makeup application.
Among its ingredients we’ll find nourishing oils (apricot kernel oil, rice bran oil, shea butter, rosa canina fruit oil, vitamin E) and iridescent pearls.
It will ensure that we get the feeling of a softer skin. And a more luminous skin without glittery-ness. It’s supposed to confer a brightening effect.
It’s also lightweight, easy to apply, and non-greasy.
Of course, it doesn’t settle into lines and wrinkles. The whole point is to prevent the concealer from doing exactly that.
Overall, I would say that the L’Oreal Paris Makeup Visible Lift Radiance Booster can blur small wrinkles and spots but it’s not an extraordinary product.
To be 100% fair, L’Oreal doesn’t claim that it is specifically designed to smooth wrinkles and fine lines so we can’t hold that against it.
It’s also why it’s not higher up on my list of recommendations for the best under eye primers for wrinkles.
Unfortunately, the L’Oreal Paris Age Perfect Face Blurring Primer that is meant to smooth the look of lines and pores is not exactly my favorite.
So, I decided that the L’Oreal Paris Makeup Visible Lift Radiance Booster is a better choice from this famous skincare brand.
And the price is quite affordable. Overall, I’m pleased with the L’Oreal Paris Makeup Visible Lift Radiance Booster but not totally enamored.
8. COVERGIRL Simply Ageless Makeup Primer
Another very cheap choice is the COVERGIRL Simply Ageless Makeup Primer.
It’s actually an anti-aging foundation primer.
While it’s created for the whole face, I still love it as an awesome pick as one of the best under-eye primers for wrinkles.
And the advantage with buying a primer that is created for the whole face is that we get to buy a 1 oz (30 mL) tube for a cheap price, like it’s also the case with the COVERGIRL Simply Ageless Makeup Primer.
And I also like that it’s described as being anti-aging.
It’s another nourishing formula that has the purpose of keeping skin feeling fresh and hydrated.
It contains niacinamide, vitamin E, allantoin, camellia sinensis leaf extract (green tea extract, a good antioxidant).
9. Revlon PhotoReady Eye Primer Plus Brightener
With a price around $10, the Revlon PhotoReady Eye Primer Plus Brightener is definitely quite cheap.
However, the very small 0.08 oz quantity quickly explains why it’s so cheap.
Of course, if we use it only on the under-eye area, even this small quantity is going to last quite a while.
I like it quite a lot but I’m not exactly crazy about it.
I guess we could describe it as an average primer that does brighten the eye area.
So, it’s not exactly one of the best under-eye primers for wrinkles but it can help us achieve a more well-rested look.
We could say that it covers up circles under our eyes, especially if we follow it up with a concealer.
Just as many users mention, the Revlon PhotoReady Eye Primer Plus Brightener can help us look bright eyed and bushy tailed.
That’s definitely a nice effect and that’s primarily why I wanted to review the Revlon PhotoReady Eye Primer Plus Brightener.
It’s also a very good eyeshadow primer so we can use it on the entire eye area.
Overall, we could describe it as an anti-fatigue under eye primer that can achieve amazing results for a really cheap price. I always appreciate that.
Is there a primer that fills in wrinkles?
The role of an under-eye primer is manifold.
We use it to: hydrate the eye area, blur imperfections, reduce the appearance of dark circles, smooth fine lines and wrinkles, blur imperfections, conceal the appearance of rosacea, prevent an under-eye concealer from creasing, increase the lifespan of our makeup look.
Thus, I wouldn’t say that even the best under eye primers for wrinkles will exactly fill in wrinkles. The purpose of this kind of skincare products is to conceal the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, pores, etc.
A product like the Peter Thomas Roth Instant FIRMx Temporary Eye Tightener could be considered a wrinkle filler. The same goes for the ROC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Filler.
But these are eye creams and not under-eye primers. They’re two different things.
The cream repairs, fills in fine lines, hydrates, treats dark circles, puffiness, etc. The primer gives a helping hand to the cream to conceal all these things even better. And the concealer + foundation or just the concealer by itself are the pinnacle of looking refreshed, younger, well-rested, full of energy.
Is eye primer and concealer the same thing?
I think that if they were the same thing they wouldn’t be called by two totally different names.
The primer is basically what we apply under the concealer. This is the base for our makeup.
An under-eye primer will have many benefits: hydrate the eye area, blur imperfection, smooth fine lines and wrinkles, reduce the appearance of dark circles, and to increase the lifespan of our makeup look.
The concealer goes on top of the primer. It’s important to use a primer to also prevent creasing. That’s why a primer increases the lifespan of our makeup look.
An under eye concealer is used to cover up dark circles, to brighten the skin, to hide blemishes and discoloration.
We absolutely can’t use concealer to prime our eyes before eyeshadow. It will cause the shadow to crease. That’s why we need to use an eye primer first and then we can get on with the concealer, foundation, and eyeshadow.
Together, these two are the perfect team but they’re absolutely not the same thing.
Don’t forget. Even if we’re using a primer and a concealer to improve our look, the most important thing is still to make sure that we’re wearing SPF everyday. And that we’re using amazing eye creams that hydrate our skin and prevent fine lines and wrinkles.
Does eye primer help to stop creasing? How to stop under-eye concealer from creasing
The simple answer is yes.
Using under-eye primer is a fantastic step in our makeup routine with plenty of benefits, mostly focused on concealing the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, pores, dark circles, and even rosacea.
Besides offering the obvious benefits of concealing some of the effects that aging has on our under eye area or the effects of a few too many nights with poor sleep, using some of the best under eye primers for wrinkles and fine lines can have another advantage.
This one will be totally appreciated by people who use an under-eye concealer.
I love concealers. I don’t wear makeup daily so I’m not always into doing a full face routine when I feel like putting on some makeup. Sometimes I skip on using foundation and I just use concealer in place of foundation so I love it.
However, there can be a downside to using such wonderful skincare products. Let’s learn how to avoid such potential situations because I totally hate it when a product that is supposed to conceal our wrinkles only makes them more obvious by creasing.
The answer is our subject today: applying a primer before the concealer.
As I’ve mentioned before, a primer is not only used for smoothing lines and blurring imperfections.
It’s also highly beneficial because it increases the lifespan of our makeup look.
Because an under eye primer is often hydrating, it prevents the delicate, thin skin under our eyes from showing signs of dehydration. Dehydration deepens fine lines and wrinkles and that’s when an under-eye concealer will crease and make everything even worse.
A hydrating under eye primer will prevent our under eye makeup from settling into fine lines.
So, we’ll preserve that look of a smooth, even canvas for long hours into the day and night.
How to use eye primer
As we’ve already learned, a primer is the last step in our skincare routine before applying makeup.
So, our first step is to use a cleanser to prepare our skin for all the products that we apply for our day routine.
Then we apply:
- toner
- serum
- eye cream
- spot treatment
- moisturizer
- sunscreen
Or we can use a moisturizer with SPF if you don’t want to apply both a moisturizer and a sunscreen separately.
Of course you don’t have to use every one on this list, you don’t have to use a toner or a serum if you don’t want to. Not even an eye cream. But using a good cleaner, a nice moisturizer and always sunscreen protection is crucial.
After all these skincare products, now we can apply our eye primer, which can be used both under-eyes and on the eyelids.
And then we proceed with our makeup, concealer, foundation, eyeshadow.
All in all, using some of the best under eye primers for wrinkles is incredibly easy and I hope you’ll be able to find the right product for you.
