REVIEW: Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr Eyeshadow in 23 Bad to the Bronze

I finally picked up one of these much talked about Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr Eyeshadows. I went the totally boring route and picked a safe aka neutral colour - Bad to the Bronze.

It's been a long time since I've used a cream eyeshadow. I think my last one was one of those Revlon eyeshadow quads that came with a row of 4 round pans. Anyone remember those?

Anyway, while I liked the ease of application on those, they had horrible staying power. So since then I've stuck with pressed powder eyeshadows. I decided to give it another go after hearing all the hype surrounding these long lasting cream eyeshadows. Maybelline has Color Tattoo, Make Up Forever Aqua Creams, MAC Paint Pots, Stila Smudge Pots, Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liners, and well, you get the idea...

Although Maybelline is a drugstore line, it's been receiving great reviews on Makeupalley and various blogs. It's also been compared to its higher end counterparts, particularly MAC's Paint Pots, so I thought I'd start with it.

Bad to the Bronze is a metallic medium tan color. When I think Bronze, I think of something a little more golden. Temptalia has a swatch on her website where it seems very gold and shimmery, but I didn't find that to be the case. Reviewing my own swatch photo and those of other bloggers, it seems most see it as being more in the tan or taupe family. Also, while it is metallic, it's certainly nowhere near a chrome finish. The metallic is more of a satin with subtle shimmer. I would still categorize this in the "safe" - versatile, wear to work, everyday type of color.

I'm hesitant to make a blanket statement about the Color Tattoo in general as I've read reviews that the pigmentation/application is different depending on the shade. However, I can say that Bad to the Bronze in particular, has staying power. I was using Stila's Primer Pot in Taffy but this is just as good and unlike the primer pots, these can be used alone as eyeshadow. I would say this particular shade is similar to Stila's Smudge Pots in that they are long-lasting cream eyeshadows but the texture is closer to the Primer Pots - thicker, more opaque, budge proof.

I can also attest to its claim of lasting 24 hours. Yes, I applied it before work (around 9AM), went out after work, then prompty fell asleep when I got home until about 9AM the next day. I had what my husband calls "panda eyes" when I woke up, but my lids were still Bad to the Bronze'd up!

I'm currently using this eyeshadow as a base under Revlon's Luxurious Color eyeshadow single in Polished Bronze. The two colors are very similar (Polished Bronze is less metallic) but the Revlon has horrible staying power. Previously I used Stila's Primer Pot as the based but using a like-colored base means even longer staying power - as the powder shadow wears off, the color remains.

I am definitely purchasing more cream eyeshadows. I might pick up a couple more neutral shades from the Color Tattoo line. The rest of the colors are beautiful but not wearable for the office. I'm also going to venture out and try a few more, perhaps from MUFE, MAC, and Benefit.

Do you use cream eyeshadows? Any recommendations?