I have to say, essence is probably one of my absolute favorite brands in the drugstore for some things, so I'm always willing to try out their new products looking for the golden gems - and I find them fairly often. For quite a while now, the brand has had their I ❤ Stage Eyeshadow Base, but they've more recently been adding to the collection, first with the I ❤ Colour Intensifying Eyeshadow Base and most recently with the I ❤ Strobing Eyeshadow Base. I decided that I wanted to go through all three of them and talk about the differences I've found between the three and let you guys know my personal favorite!

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As you can see, there is a difference in tone between each of the three bases. Initially when testing these I thought that might be the only difference, but I actually think each of them performs quite differently as well. Each of the different products are packaged the same, in a simple plastic tube with pretty cute branding and a doe foot applicator that applies the product really easily to the lid. With all three of these, I like to apply them with the wand and then use the pointed end of a blending sponge to press them into the skin.

Starting with the essence I ❤ Stage Eyeshadow Base*, this is probably my least favorite of the three. I do think that it works to help hold my eyeshadow in place all day, I don't necessarily think it works as well as some other primers in my collection. I also don't think it does as much to pop the colour of my eyeshadows as I'd like, at least on me. The tone is a little bit too deep and too orangey for my fair, pink-undertoned skin. That being said, I think that for deeper skin tones, this could work well to neutralize discoloration on the lids and help to pop colours a little bit more.

Next we have the essence I ❤ Colour Intensifying Eyeshadow Base*, which is my favorite of the three primers and one I actually reach for really consistently in my collection. Because it's so light and has that pink tone to it, it works well to even out my eyelids and really does help to make colours used on the lids appear more bold. I would say that as far as improving the wear time of my eyeshadows, this one works a little bit better for me than the original but not quite as well as some others in my collection. Still, it's definitely the one that really pops the colour more for me, which is clearly what it was intended to do, and I really, really love it. 

Finally, the newest edition to the line, the essence I ❤ Strobing Eyeshadow Base*.  Tonewise, this one is still quite light, but it is more of a neutral champagne undertone, which I think would make it a little bit more universal than either of the other two. This primer also has a glowy sheen to it that remains once it's applied and blended out on the eye. Unfortunately, I find that once I apply shadow over this one, I don't really see any of the sheen anymore, so as an eyeshadow base I don't think this really does anything different than the Colour Intensifying one for me. HOWEVER, when I apply this all over the lid and set it down with a translucent powder, it gives the most beautiful, no-makeup makeup look that I could ask for and that's how I've mostly been using it. 

I feel like the swatches do the best job of really showing the differences in these three products. On the left is I ❤ Stage, which you can see is just not the right shade for my skintone. I can make it work, but it isn't quite ideal. In the middle is I ❤ Colour Intensifying - again, my personal favorite - and you can really see the coolness of the undertones and the fair shade. Finally, the sheen and glow on the I ❤ Strobing base is really visible in this photo as is the difference in undertones.

Overall, I think these are a really good option for the price in the drugstore. While these aren't necessarily my favorite primers in my collection, I definitely still reach for them and would recommend trying them out. When it comes to eyeshadow primer, I've found that it's one of the most subjective makeup items out there since we all have different needs and different textures and behaviors of our eye lids. For me, the price point really makes this a product that's worth a shot to see if it works for you.

All three of these are available now wherever essence is sold as well as on their website! 

Thanks for reading!