Have you ever loved a product so much you felt like you were in a committed relationship with it? When Benefit discontinued the Lemon Aid primer, it felt a lot like the end of a love affair. Luckily, there are more fish in the sea and we’ve found several alternatives, including a clean beauty option. Some of these options are marketed as concealers but we found them incredibly similar to the Benefit primer. In fact, many makeup artists suggest using a concealer as an eye primer. Upgrade to your next perfect product.
Top to bottom: Mac, NYX, Benefit, Jane Iredale, elf, Lily and Lolo
Benefit lemon aid color correcting eyelid primer vs. NYX Concealer Jar, Yellow
*According to Ethical Elephant, NYX is cruelty-free, but Benefit is NOT. Beauty Guru, Kayla, says: Benefit Cosmetics Lemon Aid eye primer is *DISCONTINUED*. NYX Full Coverage Concealer jar in ‘Yellow’ is $5 for 7 grams. Despite Benefit being an eye primer & NYX being a concealer, I think these products work the exact same.
Benefit in a snap case with a mirror while NYX is in a jar. Both are yellow in color. Lemonaid by Benefit claims to help hide redness & discoloration of your lids with just a dab which in turn makes you look refreshed. Due to both products being yellow in color both products correct any redness on the eyelids and make you look more awake. Both products feel a bit tacky to the touch but get creamy as you blend the product in. After applying both products they both have a slight tackiness to it which makes for a great eye primer. I have hooded eyes and both brands kept my eyeshadow from creasing as well as helped the process have a smooth application.
I didn’t notice much difference between these products. If you’re a Lemonaid lover & are bummed that it is now discontinued definitely give NYX concealer in ‘Yellow’ a try. Buy NYX
Benefit lemon aid color correcting eyelid primer vs. elf Everything Concealer in Corrective Yellow
*According to Cruelty-Free Kitty, elf is cruelty-free but Benefit is NOT. Makeup Maven, Kayla, says: Benefit Cosmetics lemon aid eye primer is DISCONTINUED. ELF Cover Everything Concealer in 'Yellow' is $3 for 3.9 grams.
Despite Benefit being an eye primer and ELF being a concealer, these products work the exact same. Both products come in very similar snap cases. Benefit has a mirror while ELF does not. Both are yellow in color.
Lemon aid by Benefit claims it helps to hide redness & discoloration of your lids with just a dab which in turn makes you look refreshed. I found that both products correct any redness on the eyelids and make you look more awake.
Both products feel a bit tacky to the touch but get creamy as you blend the product in so both products blend easily. After applying both products they both have a slight tackiness to it which makes for a great eye primer.
If you’re a lemon aid lover and are bummed that it is now discontinued definitely purchase the ELF Correct Everything concealer in 'Yellow.' I don’t think you’d be able to tell much of a difference. Buy Elf
Benefit lemon aid color correcting eyelid primer vs. Lily and Lolo Eyelid Primer
*According to Cruelty-Free Kitty, Lily and Lolo is cruelty-free but Benefit is NOT. Makeup Maven, Kayla, says: Benefit Cosmetics Lemonaid eye primer is DISCONTINUED. Lily & Lolo’s eye primer is $15 for 4 grams.
Both brands come in a snap case with mirrors. Benefit is a very bright yellow while Lily & Lolo has a split pan with two different shades. The 'Buff' shade neutralizes discoloration while the 'Lemon' shade will correct and dark areas. Lemonaid by Benefit claims it helps to hide redness and discoloration of your lids with just a dab which in turn makes you look refreshed. Both brands did well to conceal any type of discoloration such as redness or veins on my eyelids.
Lemon Aid on the left, Lily and Lolo comes with two shades, pictured on the right
Lemonaid is much more opaque & thicker in consistency than Lily & Lolo. So if you were a fan of Lemonaid due to the thickness Lily & Lolo may not be a good alternative for you. However, both brands blended out well & had a bit of tackiness once blended onto the lid. I have hooded eyes and both brands helped my eyeshadow from creasing as well as the longevity of my makeup.
Despite the small differences of these products, I think Lily & Lolo is a solid eye primer and would be a good alternative for Lemonaid by Benefit. Buy Lily and Lolo
Benefit lemon aid color correcting eyelid primer vs. MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Soft Ochre
*Neither brand is cruelty-free according to Cruelty-Free Kitty. Makeup Maven, Kayla, says: Benefit Cosmetics lemon aid eye primer is DISCONTINUED. MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in 'Soft Ochre' is $22 for 5 grams.
Benefit comes in a snap case with a mirror while MAC comes in a screw-top jar. Benefit is a very bright yellow while MAC is yellow-beige in color. Lemon aid by Benefit claims it helps hide redness and discoloration of your lids with just a dab which in turn makes you look refreshed. MAC isn’t marketed for covering redness but it is quite opaque in color and it did conceal most of the veins on my eyelid.
MAC Paint Pot on the left, Benefit Lemon Aid on the right
Both products feel a bit tacky to the touch but get creamy as you blend the product in so both products blend easily. Benefit is creamier than MAC. After application, they both have some tack to them.
Despite the small differences, I think MAC would be a great alternative for someone who once was a big lemon aid lover. Buy MAC
According to Cruelty-Free Kitty, Jane Iredale is cruelty-free, but Benefit is NOT. Benefit Cosmetics Lemonaid eye primer is DISCONTINUED. Jane Iredale Smooth Affair for the eyes is $32 for 3.75 grams. Lemonaid comes in a snap case with a mirror while Jane Iredale is in a jar. Jane Iredale is a talked-about product online that is an alleged dupe for Lemonaid however after testing it - do not waste your money.
While Smooth Affair is a great eye primer this is not a dupe for Lemonaid and would hate to see anyone spend $32 thinking it is. Both are yellow in color and that is about the only similarity they have. Jane Iredale actually has shimmer in its formula and it peeks through your eyeshadow no matter what color you use over it. Despite the yellow color it doesn’t color correct. It’s extremely thin in consistency with not much tack to it. Smooth Affair is a good primer, it really smoothed out my eyelid for application of shadow. I have hooded eyes and I didn’t get any creasing throughout the day and it helped with the longevity of my makeup. But this is NOT a dupe for Lemonaid.
