Beauty: Vanity fare

Beautifully scented but it left skin feeling sticky for about five minutes after application, which meant our tester had to wait to apply her powder/foundation. Once the stickiness eventually subsided the coverage did assist a smoother application, and over the course of the week skin was noticeably firmer.

2 Smooth and simple Certified Organic Pure Primer **** 25, Inika (www.inikacosmetics.co.uk). You only need a tiny amount of this organic primer, which absorbs into the skin easily and dries quickly to allow make-up to be applied soon after. It leaves the skin feeling slightly tighter but silky smooth and gives foundation extra staying power.

3 Protect and survive Protective Foundation Primer with SPF 40 **** 16, Paul & Joe (www.asos.com). Surprisingly the only primer here with an SPF, our tester was also impressed with the long-lasting results. Make-up application was easier and smoother. Skin felt in better condition throughout the day.

4 Excess all areas Face Primer Plus *** 19.50, Estee Lauder, at counters nationwide. Described as a gel primer, it comes in a tube that unfortunately makes it too easy to squeeze out more product than you need. Our tester didn't like the texture after application, even though it did help her make-up last longer through the day than usual.

5 The real deal Stay, Don't Stray Dual Action Eye Primer *** 19.50, Benefit (www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk). This is extremely thick and you get much more from one pump of the dispenser than you need but the results far out weigh the little niggles. Thanks to this wee beauty our tester's eye shadow and concealer didn't budge all day (and lasted into the evening).

6 Top performance Sin Primer Potion **** 11.50, Urban Decay, at selected Boots. Thanks to a shaped wand, this product is easy to apply. It's just as good on its own – a nice champagne shimmery colour – as worn under an eye shadow. It doesn't crease, and the shadow stays put all day. Because you only use a little at a time, the bottle will last for ages.

7 Let there be light Prep & Prime Eye ** 11.50, MAC (www.mac cosmetics.co.uk). It didn't bode well that the light-textured cream creased on the eyelids even before the shadow was on, so as expected the shadow followed suit. Doing a much better job is MAC's Prep & Prime Skin Base Visage. Once the fluid lotion is applied and dries, it keeps eye shadow in its place all day and crease-free. Save some pennies and make this dual use for face and eyes.

This article was first published in Scotland on Sunday, March 14, 2010