cream eyeshadow

Makeup Wars brings you our favorite cream eyeshadows

April 15, 2013

Welcome back to Makeup Wars. We promise no more tricks. It’s hard to look that foolish on a public beauty blog. This time we’ve chosen to share our favorite creamy eyeshadows. They can be eyeshadow crayons or cream eyeshadows. With my collection I had a lot to choose from. I adore cream products and I adore anything for eyes. Put them all together and I could do 10 Makeup Wars about this. But when I really looked at my collection what jumped out at me and still made my heart go atwitter were the hybrid shadows that are semi-creamy, semi-powdery and all beautiful.

My two choices for favorites are both still available to buy which is one of the reasons I picked them. But I found two surprises when I went to write about them. I chose both Armani ‘Eyes to Kill’ Intense Silk Eyeshadow in #6 ($33) and L’Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Bronzed Taupe (about $8). I wear these two more than any others in my stash. Surprise 1 is that they look almost identical on my eyes. I even wore them one day with Armani #6 on my left eye and L’Oreal Bronzed Taupe on my right eye and no one noticed even when I mentioned it. Surprise 2 is that Armani’s #6 is called Khaki Pulse. I think of the color khaki as that army green sort of shade but on my eyes this looks like a brown with gold shot through. L’Oreal’s Bronzed Taupe looks a little browner and a little less gold. I obviously don’t care that I have two similar shadows but for the price I’d probably advise you to get the L’Oreal.

Armani Eyes to Kill Intense in #6 Khaki Pulse (nordstrom.com)

L’Oreal Infallible eyeshadow in Bronzed Taupe (loreal.com)

As some of you know, Armani is owned by L’Oreal as is Lancome. All three brands have this texture of eyeshadow although for some reason I’m not crazy about the Lancome ones I bought as much as these two brands. So why do I like these shadows?

Armani Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadow #6 and L’Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow Bronzed Taupe

1) They wear fabulously on me. I always use an eyeshadow primer and I apply them with either a MAC 217 or 239 brush.

2) They go on like a dream without fallout. Yes they are shimmery but unlike pigments they don’t land on my face.

3) The complexity of the colors draws my eye to them. They aren’t flat. You can play with the intensity by the amount of blending you do. I tend to wear them on the dark side.

4) They don’t fade on me. They look as good at the end of the day as when I started.

5) Because of the consistency there’s no tugging or pulling on my eyelids. I have enough age lines there so I don’t need to add anymore.

Armani Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadow #6 and L’Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow Bronzed Taupe

Top Armani, bottom L’Oreal

I was going to go out and buy something new for this Makeup Wars but when I have what I consider to be perfection then there just isn’t any need to do that. Of course as soon as I click through the links below to see what my fellow Makeup Wars bloggers pick it might just be a moot point as I might just go shopping. Do you have any favorites among this genre of eyeshadow? — Marcia

Please join me in reading what my fellow Makeup Wars friends have chosen.

Nothing to disclose. To see previous Makeup Wars click here.

Filed Under: cream eyeshadow, Makeup Wars

My Maybelline shopping adventure at CVS for Color Whisper lipstick and Color Tattoo Metal eyeshadow

March 1, 2013

I think I’m in love with CVS bucks. I’ve decided to pretty much stick with CVS for my random drugstore binges since I can’t keep track of more than one store. Here’s my latest mini binge starring Maybelline. CVS had $3 in Reward Dollars back if you spent $15 on Maybelline. I had $4 in Reward coupons that were just expired but only one of the CVS stores near me will take them if they are close (the other will yell at you for trying). After deciding to buy Maybelline I then used the machine in the store and it gave me a coupon for $4 off cosmetics. Plus I had a 20% off coupon that had come in my email. The two items I wanted equaled $15.90, now subtract the $8 above which made it $7.90. The cashier took 20% off my full order so that was another $3.10 off. Now we’re at $5.80 for two products and I have $3 to spend another time from the CVS bucks I got back. That’s a score! That’s why I like CVS.

My two buys were a Color Whisper Lipstick in #25 and an Eyestudio Color Tattoo Metal 24 Hour Cream Gel Shadow in Barely Branded.

Maybelline Color Whisper lipstick and Color Tattoo Metal cream shadow

I’ve reviewed several other Maybelline Color Tattoo eyeshadows and I was especially thrilled when I found Barely Beige. Turns out that Barely Branded is so similar to Barely Beige that I didn’t need two of them but since the texture does change in time, I’m not unhappy with this buy. It’s a wonderful base shade that gives a slight metallic look and livens up just about anything I wear over it. And it lasts and lasts! I did swatches on my hand and they were still there after half a dozen hand washings and only came off with makeup remover when I finally took my eye makeup off that night.

Barely Branded

Barely Beige on the left, Barely Branded on the right

The new Metal Tattoo eyeshadows come in 5 shades: Barely Branded, Inked in Pink, Silver Strike, Gold Rush and Electric Blue. The names are indicative of the colors. If you didn’t get Barely Beige when I reviewed it before then check out Barely Branded as a great substitute. It’s a beautiful cream shade with some extra dimension to it due to the metallic finish.

Color Whisper by Maybelline

Maybelline has two new lipstick formulas out now – Color Whisper by Color Sensational and Color Sensational Vivids. Color Whisper has a weightless gel formula that is without a fragrance (thank you Maybelline!!!). It’s truly as light as a whisper. There are 20 shades that have names and numbers but for some reason they only have the number on the tube, not the name. I wanted a light pink that wasn’t Barbie Doll and wasn’t going to conceal my lips. #25 is Lust for Blush and it’s really close to what I wanted which is great considering there are no testers. This shade is just a bit darker than my natural lip color. It doesn’t last very long and it’s not the most moisturizing formula but I’m finding that if I moisturize my lips during the day with a lip balm and then apply Color Whisper before going out that I have a good combination. #25 Lust for Blush is a great “purse” shade for me since I can put it on with just about anything I’m wearing and don’t really need a mirror.

Maybelline Color Whisper in Lust for Blush

Lust for Blush

I love a bargain when it works and this one did. Now I still have $3 left to buy either more Maybelline or maybe some Butterfingers. Did I just say that?? — Marcia

Filed Under: cream eyeshadow, CVS, Eyeshadow, Lipstick, Maybelline

Make Up For Ever Black Tango Palette

October 30, 2012

Do you watch Dancing With the Stars? Do you live for episodes with Gilles Marini dancing the Tango?

Boy what I wouldn’t give to be Cheryl Burke in this photo…

Well, Gilles may not be showing up in my bedroom any time soon – oops, I meant to say on my dance floor…but I can create a super sexy, dramatic eye with my Make Up For Ever Black Tango Palette ($45) just in case he does!

Make Up For Ever Black Tango Palette

Pictures don’t seem to do this palette justice. The outside is really beautiful, it’s a black lace fan opened against a red background. It’s stunning, it looks much more dramatic in person than it does in the picture. This palette is exclusively at Sephora and Sephora.com.

Inside are four limited editions of Make Up For Ever’s waterproof Aqua Cream eyeshadows. Three of them have a black base, the fourth is a highlighter color. They are super pigmented, and once they are on they aren’t going anywhere until you wash them off.

inside Black Tango

The jars of cream eyeshadow have flip-top lids, you will want to seal them carefully after use to make sure they don’t dry out.

Black Tango – note the flip-top lids

The four shades include black with red highlights, black with green highlights, black with blue highlights, and ivory. Also included is an extremely nice dual sided flat nylon bristle brush.

double ended flat bristle brush

The colors are so pigmented, having two sides to the brush is a terrific idea - one side to apply the darker color, and the other side for the ivory shade.

brush close up

Three of the four colors are dark, jewel-tone shades mixed with black for very striking, dark smoky looks. Make Up For Ever recommends using the brush to blend one of the dark colors from the lash line up to the crease. Then, use the tip of the brush to apply the same color as an eyeliner along the lower lash line. Then, use the other side of the brush to apply the ivory shade onto the brow bone, finish the look with loads of mascara and you are ready to tango!

left to right: ivory, black/blue, black/red, black/green

I love the Aqua Cream eyeshadows so I was excited for this palette. The colors are very dramatic, and actually apply darker than they look in the pan.

black/red

Pictured above is the black with red shade. This goes on me as reddish-blackish-brown. I don’t normally wear dark shades on my lid, but I tried the look Make Up For Ever suggests and it’s very pretty with all three shades. I also liked using the ivory shade on the lid and brow, with a darker shade in the crease and to line the upper and lower lids. I think that is a better way to go if you have deep-set or hooded eyes.

Eye look using the black/red shade with ivory as a brow shade

The cream eyeshadow seems to dry more quickly than the previous Aqua Creams I’ve tried, so you have to work fast to blend out the colors.

black/green

The black/green shade is a very deep green on, in fact on me it looks almost black – there is just the slightest hint of green to it. Sheered out the green shows up more.

black/blue

I think my favorite shade is the black/blue one, I love how the jewel-toned blue really makes brown eyes pop.

black/blue with a little bit missing…

Here’s what it looks like after I’ve been dipping in. I love this as an eyeliner, it just doesn’t budge.

ivory

ivory after I used it a few times

The ivory shade is very pretty. I found that too much of this looks a bit frosty, so use it sparingly and build it up to the intensity you desire.

Overall, I really like this palette and think the colors are very interesting. I am finding myself using the dark colors mostly for lining. They look nice on the lid, but for my eye shape the ivory is a better lid choice. The brush is fabulous, and the cream eyeshadows are must haves if you have problems with eyeshadow smudging or wearing off quickly.

Every time I use this palette, I look ready to tango. Gilles, are you listening? Come on over, I’ve got the look so now I need the partner!!! – Lisa

*pr sample

Ingredients:

Isododecane, Synthetic Wax, Mica, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Zinc Stearate, Kaolin, Trioctyldodecyl Citrate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Acrylates Copolymer, Isononyl Isononanoate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Silica, Propylene Carbonate, Parfum (Fragrance), Tin Oxide, [+/- CI 77499 (Iron Oxides), CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), CI 77491 (Iron Oxides), CI 77510 (Ferric Ferrocyanide), CI 77492 (Iron Oxides), CI 77288 (Chromium Oxide Greens), CI 19140 (Yellow 5 Lake)].

Filed Under: cream eyeshadow, Eyeshadow, Gilles Marini, Make Up For Ever, Palettes