A Primo Primer — New Benefit They’re Real! Tinted Primer Sets The Foundation For Eyelash Glory

For years, I’ve written about my deep-seated disdain for faux lashes, a sentiment fueled primarily by my belief that full-on falsies look incredibly unnatural and are often so over-the-top in their length, color intensity and volume, that they make otherwise acceptable lash lines resemble fuzzy caterpillars created using brown and black pipe cleaners. Spend 10 minutes watching most reality TV shows — whether it’s one of The Real Housewives franchises, Love & Hip-Hop, or Keeping Up With The Kardashians, and you’ll notice those faux lashes often plopped clumsily atop cast members’ natural hairs. I don’t have the same aversion towards individual lashes, those tiny single or double hair pieces that can be placed in between lashes to create the illusion of a fuller lash line but, truth be told, applying these is a tedious and time-consuming process, plus it requires stable hands that won’t shake as you lift the fibers up using tiny tweezers. It’s just entirely too laborious an ordeal. So how do I make my lashes look their best? Well, I’ve always been partial to using lash primers, then following with a top-notch lengthening, curling, and richly pigmented mascara. But here’s the rub: lash primers are typically a white hue which means that, if you don’t pay close attention when coating lashes with mascara, you might wind up with some exposed primer. And who wants white specks that make it look like they’re suffering from some weird strain of lash dandruff? No one. Absolutely no one.

Imagine my delight, then, when Benefit Cosmetics unveiled its They’re Real! Tinted Primer ($24 at Sephora.com and BenefitCosmetics.com), which comes in a mink-brown hue! Why didn’t anyone think of a tinted primer before? Now that I’ve been relying on a tinted lash primer, I don’t know how I ever functioned without one!

The primer has a water-resistant formula and also contains panthenol (otherwise known as Pro-vitamin B5), which conditions lashes. The applicator, meanwhile, features a bendy brush that can move with lashes, making the application process more fluid than when using rigid brushes that can’t quite adapt to your eye shape (and, in turn, to the natural curl of your lashes) and that require you to tip the wand at weird and uncomfortable angles to reach those tiny hairs along the lash line. The brush features the same staggered, spiky bristles found in the They’re Real! Mascara, which are designed to grab lashes at the root and coat them in color while curling them and ensuring they’re separated and fanned-out for a clump-free look.

Obviously, the primer’s main function is to create a buildable base for your mascara, therefore enhancing the lifting, volumizing, lengthening, and curling benefits of your favorite mascara. When paired with the Benefit They’re Real! Mascara, the results are uncanny — the best I’ve seen since the Urban Decay Subversion Primer and Perversion Mascara match-up. And, again, the fact that this primer has that dark brown tint just makes it all the more desirable an option when paired with any mascara.

The primer can also be worn by itself, simply adding a bit of “oomph” to lashes on days when you can’t be bothered with a full face of makeup and just want a few enhancements like, perhaps, a touch of lip gloss, a creamy blush color, or some mascara.  I know many women who, on a strictly rational level, know it’s impractical to wear makeup to the gym but still can’t resist applying some mascara and a lip crayon. Well, with this primer, they can go work out, and it won’t really look like they’re wearing anything at all on their lashes. Plus the formula is sweat-resistant so they can burn those calories without worrying about smudging, smeary, or runny mascara. I actually wore the primer to the gym on several occasions to see if it really stayed in place, and it didn’t disappoint (and, for the record, I’m not one of those folks who gently perspire — I sweat rather profusely!).

To show you how the primer can enhance eyes, I’ll share a few photos — first of my bare lashes, then once coated with the primer, and last when coated with both the primer and mascara.

First, here are my sad lashes with no primer or mascara (and  my scary face with no tinted moisturizer, BB cream, concealer, foundation, or coverage of any type!):

Next, check out my lashes with just two coats of the Benefit They’re Real! Tinted Primer:

If you pay close attention, you’ll see that my lashes appear more defined and, also, that they have more of a curl to them compared to the prior photo. You can also notice how lashes are lengthened and how they remain separated for a more appealing fanned-out look.

Next, here are a few photos in which I’m wearing the Benefit They’re Real! Tinted Primer and They’re Real! Mascara. I wore both during my last two TV appearances and was really satisfied with my on-camera beauty look since my lashes had that fluttery feel I so love but the effect was still believable.

Check out the photos below:

If, like me, you can’t stomach falsies, then give the primer-and-mascara alternative a whirl! The Benefit Cosmetics They’re Real! Tinted Lash Primer and They’re Real! Mascara will make lashes happy and turn up the drama on any makeup look you create.