Well since I discussed some eye primers yesterday, I thought it would be nice to talk about some cream eyeshadows.The difference between the 2 is that whereas primers are not pigmented, cream eyeshadows are meant to function as color for the lids. Primers prevent or minimize creasing but some cream shadows do crease, some sooner than others....so in fact primers can be used underneath to reduce the creasing and improve longevity. By design creams are quite pigmented to there is no issue there, although layering powder eyeshadow on top can give multidimensional effects as well improve the overall eye look duration. These come in the tubs/pots or in pencil form. Today I'm talking about the Essence ones which come in these small tubs.
Many companies make them. MAC make paint pots, Chanel and Estee Lauder have some good ones and Maybelline have the all famous Color Tattoos. I intend to do a clash of the cream shadows (drugstore edition) some time in the future.
So onwards:
I have 6 of these:
Top row L to R: For Fairies 09, Raise the Curtain for... (limited edition) 02,Stars and Stories 04
Bottom row L to R: Coppy Right 01, Glammy Goes To 02, The Magic Must Go On 08
Price: Around 15-20 dhs and easily available at major supermarkets.
Packaging: Plastic tubs, twist open lids and a cute 3d design on the lid. There is 5.5 grams of product which is not bad.
Product: Looking from the picture above you can tell they are highly metallic, but of course some might like this some may not so to tone it down, matte eyeshadow can be layered on top, whether it be of the same color or something different to give it an edge. The texture is on the drier side therefore application is tricky. The product gets a bit chunky when applied so blending takes time and endurance, and if you're not careful you can end up wiping the product away. So essentially, they are difficult to apply but not impossible. Also brushes are not the way to go, you need the warmth of your fingers and the pressure as well to get these cleanly onto the lids. After much blending and reapplying you can get a nice shimmery effect.
The tubs and...
the corresponding swatches.
Note the flaky bit in the first swatch. The purple is the only one that is softer to the touch, the rest don't feel creamy at all.
The pink one and the one next to that are pretty, but they took a good deal of work to pull off.
Now here's the important thing to bear in mind:
Notice how the product is separating from the sides of the tub. This doesn't necessarily dry out the already dryish texture, in fact the purple one is still soft (as you can see I actually dented it a bit). But the other one took quite some digging to get the desired result. Its commonly believed storing the pots upside down prevents this from happening. I tried to microwave the brown one for 5 seconds and though the texture did not change, it did make the blending process easier. Its worth mentioning that separating from the sides is seen in other brands as well, its a common occurrence with the MAC ones.
Bottom line is, they are dry, tend to separate possible drying out further (and these are not even that old, maybe 6 months or so), flaky and difficult to blend out...but they are cheap, long lasting and highly pigmented. If you're willing to do some hard labor (by makeup application standards) then these are not that bad, provided you go through the pot in a few months.
Marks: 6/10
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