Hop on a unicycle, hitch a ride with a team of sled dogs, or lace up those rollerblades — use any means necessary to get thee to a drugstore to see these new Maybelline Color Tattoo 24HR Eyeshadows ($7 each) up close.
The potent pigments span an eclectic range of 10 colors from neutrals to brights, and either worn by themselves or as bases for powder shadows, these budget beauties can swagger all night long.
Maybe not the 24 hours advertised, but 10-12, nevertheless.
Of course, there is a catch (isn’t there always?)…
To coax out that kind of wear time, I have to wear them with something else — something like a primer applied beneath them or a powder shadow on top — and really pack them on my lids with a finger or a firm synthetic brush (like the MAC 249).
Even when I don’t, though, these shadows still hang tough for 5-6 hours before succumbing to creases and fading.
Not bad for seven bucks.
Their fluffy, smooth texture reminds me of the pricier Make Up For Ever Aqua Creams, but I think the Aqua Creams do have them beat in terms of drying time, which could be good or bad, depending on your point of view (or in my case, how far I’m running behind, haha), and longevity. MUFE’s versions last me 14-16 hours, versus 10-12 for these.
If you like neutrals, don’t miss Bad to the Bronze (my fave!). I’ve been wearing it with bronzy colors like NARS Star Sailor Duo, and with neutrals like the ones in Urban Decay Naked and Naked2.
If you prefer brights, check out Tenacious Teal and Edgy Emerald. Both should look great by themselves or as bases for teal/green eye looks.
Wearing Bad to the Bronze
Top row: Fierce & Tangy, Pomegranate Punk and Painted Purple; Bottom row: Tenacious Teal and Edgy Emerald
Top row: Bold Gold, Tough as Taupe and Bad to the Bronze; Bottom row: Too Cool and Audacious Asphalt
Swatches from the left: Fierce & Tangy, Pomegranate Punk, Painted Purple, Tenacious Teal and Edgy Emerald
Swatches from the left: Bold Gold, Tough as Taupe, Bad to the Bronze, Too Cool and Audacious Asphalt
Oh, and do you remember the MAC Fafi Collection from way back in the spring of 2008? It featured some of my favorite limited edition Paint Pots of all time (hello, Perky!), and I see a few similarly fun, punchy colors here. Pomegranate Punk reminds me of a slightly redder version of Nice Vice; Edgy Emerald, like a greener version of Rollickin’; and Bold Gold turns up the warmth on Cash Flow.
I wish these lasted longer without primer, but for $7, I think they’re still a steal.
PRICE: $7 each
AVAILABILITY: Available now at drugstores everywhere
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
i’ve been wanting to try these! i’ll pick some up sometime
I think you’ll like them, Hazel. What colors do do you have your eye on?
Hello, Bad to the Bronze. I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of meeting before now… 😉
I’m really tempted to give these a try! They sound great, especially for the price, but their similarity to the Aqua Creams is a bit worrying. MUFE’s version is lovely for the first few hours, but the formula didn’t hold up very well to creasing on my lids :/
You still might want to give them a go since they’re so affordable. You never know!
That’s the plan! I’ve my fingers crossed in hopes that (a) I’ll be able to find them in shops here, and (b) they’ll work for my lids ;o)
definitely fierce & tangy, painted purple, tenacious teal, emerald, and bold gold!
Omg, I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited to go to CVS!!
You’re suggesting they take a little longer to dry, right? So does that mean blending time?!? I love the longevity of cream shadows and always wish they were easier to use as crease colors, to keep my crease from, uh, creasing lol. I like my edges to be blended and my transitions to be smooth, and always wind up fighting with creams like the Paint Pota when I use them in the crease or for anything but a base color.
Hi Adrienne,
Yes, you get more leeway here in terms of blending. 🙂
I bought this in Edgy Emerald to try it out because of the raves I’ve been reading on-line. Wow! Gorgeous color that lasted 14 hours without primer – I didn’t have any problems with creasing or fading but after a long day I was more than ready to take even this lovely color off! The next day I bought 4 other colors, had to go to 3 different drugstores to get them because they were sold out pretty much every where. I’ve been wearing Tough As Taupe almost every day! For neutral and smoky looks alike, it’s amazing!
I want almost all of them, except: the purple, as reviews across the board panned it and I already have 2 purple-ish Paint Pots from a recent MAC collection and the Pomegranate Punk because it’s nearly identical to Idyllic from the same MAC release.
Oh, that’s cool that they lasted that long on you without primer! 🙂
What have you been pairing Tough as Taupe with?
I know! And my lids are oil slick city, lol.
I wore it blended up to my creases with UD Blackdog pushed into my upper lashlines for definition, 2 coats of mascara, and Ev Rev for a quick everyday look. Tough As Taupe on lids and lower lashlines, UD Darkhorse in creases and blended with TAT on the lower lashlines, UD Zero liner on upper lash- and waterlines, and L’Oreal HIP creme liner in Midnight Blue on the lower waterline for a brownish smoky eye with a pop of color and MAC Japanese Spring on my lips 🙂
Gah, I want all of them. Well, maybe not Fierce & Tangy, because I can’t think of when I’ll need an orange base, haha! But you never know… 😉
Thank you for finally posting a review! I’ve been waiting for one. 🙂
Do you have a bronzy gold? Bianca (in the comments) says she wears it with UD Half Baked. I haven’t tried it yet, but I plan on giving it a go today…
Ooh, I have Half Baked. And did I read somewhere in the comments that Walgreens is having a BOGO? Ugh!
Can’t wait for these to arrive in the UK!
I hope you guys get them soon!
Wow! An A rating! Must be really good then! Bold Gold, Bad to the Bronze, Tenacious Teal and Edgy Emerald look like my kind of colors! Hope our shelves get to carry them soon. Nice earrings, btw! =D
Thanks! 🙂 Those are my current fave pair.
I’ll be picking these up!
Sweet! 🙂 I hope you love ’em.
i hate to confess this but i havent worn my aqua creams and my benefit creaseless creams and my paintpots since i picked up these maybelline color tattoos! they are awesome. they last me a good 12 hours (with primer) and remain vibrant at the end of those 12 hours. and for 7 bucks (its BOGO 1/2 off this week @ Wags) … what more can I ask for???
Haha, me too! What colors are your faves? I love Bad to the Bronze and Tenacious Teal.
my faves are pomegranate punk, audacious asphalt and tough as taupe! they are so so so pretty!
i used edgy emerald today (love it!) with some pastorale pigment … so pretty!
I always use a primer so I hope it’ll be persuaded to stay on my lids for longer!
Bad to Bronze is definitely just my kind of color!
It’s super pretty! If you like wearing neutrals you could easily get a ton of use out of it as a base. 🙂
I purchased fierce & tangy & I absolutely love it! Pics don’t do it justice… It looks orange but when its blended its gorgeous! It has a pretty gold sheen to it! UD half baked looks awesome on top of it. Lasts all day with out primer! I prefer these to paint pots!!!
Hi Bianca,
I’ll have to try Half Baked on top of Fierce & Tangy. Thanks for the idea!
You will love it Karen! I used soft brown in the crease UD deeper to darken the outer V. I lined my bottom lash line with UD flipside blended out with UD deep end & I highlighted my inner eye with UD lit cream eyeshadow liner. Hope you have an awesome day!
I have Pomegranate Punk (my favorite), Audacious Asphalt, and Bold Gold. W/o a primer, they crease fairly quickly, but if I use my $1 elf eyeshadow primer before putting these on, they last as long as I need them to, without creasing or fading. I love them! Audacious asphalt is great for a one-step smokey eye, although I like to blend a little purple eyeshadow on top to warm up the color.
Thanks for posting!! I really want to get a couple of these guys. Do you have MAC Stray Grey paint pot to compare with Tough as Taupe?
These are defintely amazing… bought taupe and the orangey one. They are tough and totally last for a long time!!
Question **What do you think is the best way to remove these suckers?****
-coco
Im not karen, but I am a hoarder of long wearing products, and i find that when it comes to super long wearing creams/shadow pencils, I always have to bring out the big guns, which means bi-phase eye makeup removers that are part oil, the kind you have to shake… I’ve found that both the Lancome Bifacils and the Clarins eye makeup remover will remove aaaanything. Soak a cotton ball and hold it to your lid for a few full seconds to let it dissolve the makeup, then wipe clean. 🙂
I got pomegranate punk but I’ve noticed they don’t go on as prettily… they’re a little streaky and not as pigmented as paint pots or aqua creams. They did last really well under shadow but I wish they were easier to work with to begin with.
Hi Aimee,
What are you using to apply the product? I’ve found that a firm, synthetic brush works best for me (seems to reduce any streakiness and really packs on the pigment).
Hey Karen! I’ve had the best results on the Aqua Creams and the Paint Pots with my fingers so I did that.. maybe it warms up too much on my fingers? I’ll definitely try using a firm concealer brush next. Thanks!
I have all of them with the exception of the tangerine color. My fav is tough as taupe. It’s perfect to just swipe all over the lid when you’re in a hurry. I’m in LOVE with these things!!!!
Love, love, love my Pomegranate! I just swiped that sucker on my lids over my NYX primer and it. did. not. move.
So am debating which fun color I should go for – the teal, the orange or the emerald? Already have all the neutrals so am ready to go wild. I hear (and see from other online swatch gurus) that the purple – which would’ve been my first choice for “fun” color – gets muddy with time so that’s out. I have yet to meet a green I like/can work with but am always game to try. Blue scares me?
What say you, Karen? We have the same coloring and I trust your wisdom, o great poobah! ;p
I’ve bought these andbam in love! I almost didn’t buy them because your swatches looked a little ashy and matte, almost lifeless. But they’re totally opposite of these swatches. They’re bright, highly pigmented, shimmer, and are creamy looking! I am in love!
I just picked up a couple of these bad boys. I’m wearing Bad to the bronze and the Tenacious Teal as a liner. Bad to the Bronze is my favorite for every day wear! I’ve worn with and without primer and this stuff stays on for a while, even though I haven’t tested it out past 8 hours…
Are they waterproof? Nobody seems to be able to answer that question for me. My favorite thing about MUFE aqua creams is that they are waterproof. are these?
Ahhh I want Edgy Emerald and Bad to the Bronze, hehe. Thanks for the swatches and review!
I agree! These are good, but I got creasing after about 6 hrs.
seems like an awesome product with great colors. Unfortunately, we don’t have it in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia although we do have the brand Maybelline. Hopefully it will be in store soon! Just can’t wait to try it out..!