What do you do when you wake up with tired and dull looking eyes? You reach for your eyeshadow palette, of course. But before any pop of pigment can be applied, you must use a primer, right? Wrong! While traditional primer can be helpful in preventing creasing and increasing the longevity of your eyeshadow, there are many affordable and easy alternatives to the beige paste we all rely on.

One of our favorite options is aloe vera. You don’t need sunburned lids for this natural succulent product to work wonders, just a couple dollars and a trip to the drugstore. The compounds in aloe provide a natural base to your eyelids without adding oil and sketchy ingredients like silicone, making it the perfect pick to go under eyeshadow (via Up On Beauty). Not a fan of aloe? You can use concealer as a base. Concealer is one of those products that everyone has. It’s arguably the most crucial piece to any makeup routine’s success and as such, you likely have it on hand.

You can get away with using nothing as primer

The good news is when used as a primer, concealer maintains its imperfection-blurring power leaving your eyeshadow looking flawless. It’s ubiquitous across brands so if affordability is your jam, concealer should be your go-to primer alternative (via Shape).

Are you a minimalist who doesn’t want to use any additional products beyond your eyeshadow? Well, despite what many primer purists might say, you have options. Many cream based eyeshadows can act as a kind of two-in-one product. Revlon makes a super creamy and affordable shadow for under 10 bucks. But if you are saving by not purchasing an expensive primer, you might be able to afford a more pricey pigment. Laura Mercier has a great cream shadow (that’s still cheaper than buying a something else plus a primer) in stick form for under $30 (via Cosmopolitan).

Next time you want poppin’ eyeshadow without being constrained by traditional primer, look to one of these alternatives for help.

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