Quick Hitter of the Day – Love This, Try That

Cream Eyeshadow Switch Out

I love cream eyeshadows. They really work well on my dry skin. And, for some reason I seem to be able to create prettier looks and to blend and smooth the colors better when using my fingertips. Guess my brush application techniques need some work. The current crop of cream/gel shadows offers some tremendous choices in all price ranges.

One of my all-time favorite cream shadows is MAKE UP FOREVER’s Aqua Cream. This is the first such shadow I ever tried. The Taupe color is among the most gorgeous neutral shades I’ve ever encountered. It works create for a single, all-over look and is flattering on most if not all skin tones.

Taupe

Taupe

MUF’s Taupe Aqua Cream

Alas, this favorite is fairly pricey at $23 for 0.21oz. And, surprisingly, it’s kinda hard to find – often sold out online and in Sephora stores. (I say surprisingly because Sephora owns MUF’s line and should, to my mind, be able to keep their products in stock. But I digress….).

Enter today’s standout duplicate – Maybelline EYESTUDIO Color Tattoo 24HR Cream Gel Shadow in “Bad to the Bronze.” What an awesome drugstore product! Nearly identical cushy, squishy texture as the MUF product and the same sheer-out capabilities. Neither product tends to migrate under eyes or to crease, especially when applied over a standard shadow primer. And neither the Maybelline nor the MUF offerings include too much glitter, trending more toward a flattering shimmer versus disco sparkle.

Color = Bad to the Bronze

Color = Bad to the Bronze

Maybelline Color Tattoo 24HR Cream Gel Shadow

Incidentally, the Color Tattoo comes with 0.14oz. of product (roughly 2/3 the amount you get from the MUF product) and retails for $5.29 at both Target and Wal-Mart. CVS, Walgreens and ULTA currently list product prices at $6.99 each. And all of the retailers often offer buy one, get one 50% off Maybelline products (basically resulting in a 25% discount on each if you buy two products at once for a cost of roughly $5.24 each). That means, if you purchase two Color Tattoo shadows at once, you’d get about 1 & 1/3 the amount of product at a savings of $12.50. Keep in mind too that buying in this way may actually result in better product performance because these types of shadows tend to dry up with usage and exposure to air. So having a new and unopened pot of shadow can actually mean longer product life than if you had a larger pot of 0.28oz. I’ve actually experienced that drying with the MUF product but never with Maybelline’s version. I believe that’s why.

Hope you find this helpful. Happy finger painting!

KarenHD

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