Benefit’s Lemon Aid is a “color correcting eyelid primer” meant to correct discoloration and hide unsightly veins or bumps on eyelids. It can be worn under makeup or alone.

I’d been looking for an eyelid primer I could use as an alternative for Etude House Proof 10 Eye Primer, which I had been using. It tends to dry and set pretty permanently if I don’t spread it around quickly. Plus, the bottle is an annoying curvy shape—like Genie’s bottle, or Genie himself, for that matter—with a lot of places the doe-tip applicator can’t really get to. I feel that wastes a lot of product.

I have read up on Lemon Aid, and it seems that a lot of people are not fans of this product. However, these reviews by Musings of a Muse and The Makeup Snob have convinced me to pick it up and try it for myself.

Lemon Aid comes in a cute, slim and compact case that includes a mirror as big as its snap on lid.

L: Lemon Aid, unblended, R: Lemon Aid, blended out

The formulation is a cross between the chalky and creamy. It’s not exactly buttery, but it’s not a chore to put on. It goes on smoothly, and is much more blendable than Proof 10, which I find sets prematurely. Lemon Aid can look scarily and unnaturally white when you first put it on your skin, so I appreciate the extra blending time I seem to have with it.

I didn’t really bother with foundation or powder before, much less primers, but these really make a difference in getting the most mileage out of your color makeup. I mean, just look at these swatches:

L-R: Lemon Aid (unblended), Lemon Aid (blended out), Etude House Proof 10 (unblended), Etude House Proof 10 (blended out)

I used the third color on e.l.f.’s 91574 palette, which is a super-cheap brand that delivers when you use it alongside other things (i.e. water) or products (MAGIC! eye primers). As you can see, the primer-less parts of my arm have no product at all, whereas Lemon Aid’s unblended swatch delivers the most color.

Now I realize why the instructions say to pat down the product. I think it’s also meant to be a base to kind of brighten up your eyeshadow, so I don’t think it’s supposed to go on sheer.

I tried it on alone though, and yeah, you can wear it just like that. It’s almost like reverse-concealer to counter the effects of those nights you stayed up late crying over Downton Abbey.

VERDICT: I love Benefit Lemon Aid, and I’m happy I tried it out for myself. I tearfully welcome it as part of my own personal HG.

Would purchase this again? Absolutely.

How much? Php 1,100 in Rustan’s for 0.09 oz. Each use requires just a few swipes.

Where to buy in Manila? Rustan’s Shangri-La, Benefit Greenbelt 5.