Lilac Lust 24/7 Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon by Maybelline

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

Lilac Lust is one of the two new purple hued Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayons by Maybelline, with Lavish Lavender being the second. Looking at online swatches prior to purchasing, one of them looked slightly warmer in tone and was the one I wanted, but I somehow picked the cooler toned Lilac Lust instead. Oh well, stuff happens. It's still pretty.

The formula of the pencils feels thinner than the pot Color Tattoos, but they are easy to apply color and smudge out. Lilac Lust looks a bit uneven to me but nothing to the point that it was problematic.

I like these for an easy one and done eye look, which is all I have the time for (or energy) on some mornings. Over primer I get a good 8 hours of wear and find them to be fairly smudge proof.

It seems like eye pencil formulas have just been getting better and better, and I'm thrilled to see drugstore versions right there in the midst when it comes to quality. At about $7, I'm liking these quite a bit!

Grey Crystal Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon by Maybelline

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

I was excited to see Maybelline's new Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayons ($6.99) and picked up the five out of ten shades that interested me a few weeks back. Today I have Grey Crystal to show you.

Grey Crystal is a medium gray shimmer with an ever so slight mossy green cast. The formula glides on easily and I found applying the first coat, smudging with my finger, and then applying a second coat sans smudging was the best way to get smooth but shimmery color.

This is the first of the five pencils I've tried, and I'm crossing my fingers that the formula is consistent across the spectrum. Grey Crystal did not crease on me over primer but did start to fade a bit after 7-8 hours.

Green cast is more evident here

I loved the original Color Tattoo pot shadows, but they do dry out and I just had to repurchaseone of my favorites, Bold Gold, for that reason.  So, while you are getting less product with the Concentrated Crayons, hopefully they will not dry out like the pots do. We shall see.

Grey Crystal is most obvious on the center of the lid and on the lower inner eye. Love the shimmer.

Here I'm wearing Grey Crystal all over the lid with several Estee Lauder shadows: Wild Sable (a matte taupe) in the outer crease, Amazing Grey above the liquid liner and on the lower lash line, and Polished Platinum on the inner corner into the crease.

Blush is Estee Lauder's Alluring Rose and on my lips I'm wearing Estee Lauder's Bois de Rose mattified with a layer of Smashbox's Photo Finish Foundation Primer on top. Learned that tip this weekend watching a YouTube tutorial, and it works pretty well!

I've got today off as a holiday for Martin Luther King day, hope everyone is having a happy Monday!

Deep Forest Color Tattoo 24/7 Cream Eyeshadow by Maybelline

I've made no secret of my love for the Maybelline 24/7 Color Tattoo cream eyeshadows, but some work better than others.  From the Leather series, Cream Beige is my absolute favorite (review here).  I'd rank Deep Forest as more of a mid to low tier performer. 

I've also got an issue with the name, as this does not evoke a dark green, which is what I think of with "Deep Forest".  This is more of a grunge green, which could have spawned a whole range of creative names.  Oh well, missed opportunities on a couple of levels here.

I actually like the grungy green color, but did find it a bit difficult to get smooth color with Deep Forest.  It worked best for me as a base color for powder shadows, as I could fill in any patchiness.  I apply it with my finger, and you can see even in the arm swatch that it's not smooth color :-/  You can build up color intensity with a flat synthetic brush, but I still don't find it as smooth as I'd like.

So, I go with a more sheer application as a base shade or as an eyeliner, and it's workable.  Here I'm using the Sephora + Pantone Universe Daybreak Full Spectrum eyeshadow palette (review here) with Deep Forest as an eyeliner.

Below, I'm using Deep Forest as a base shadow on the first third of my lid and on the lower lash line, topped lightly with Lancome's Electrifying Sparkle Color Design Infinite Shadow (review here). 

Chocolate Suede 24/7 Color Tattoo by Maybelline

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

My love affair with Maybelline's 24/7 Color Tattoo cream shadows continues, although the intensity of my affection for each of them varies.  Fortunately, Chocolate Suede from the Leather collection lands on the stronger side of the affection spectrum.

Chocolate Suede can create a deep smoky brown eye or it can go a bit more subtle as an eyeliner.  My biggest issue was blending, as the darkness of the color made it difficult to transition into softer colors.  While up close shots make it look patchy, it doesn't really appear that way from normal distances.

Chocolate Suede wore for a solid 8 hours before I started to notice fading/disintegration.  I've got extremely oily lids, so that's pretty decent for me. 

At about $6 each, I'll continue to buy these as long as Maybelline continues to release them :-)

Creamy Beige Leather Color Tattoo 24/7 by Maybelline: Love!

My love for Maybelline's Color Tattoo 24/7 cream eyeshadows is no secret, and Creamy Beige from the recent Leather collection is taking a place of honor.  Here's why:

It's a fantastic base shadow and all around work horse.  While it may look "blah" in the pot, neutrals like Creamy Beige are great building blocks for creating long wearing looks that vary from everyday work looks to complex stunners. 

An added plus, Creamy Beige features the formula that elevates the better Color Tattoo cream shadows.  Not all have had it, with a few that were noticeably more slippery and hard to achieve smooth color, but not this one.  Factor in Creamy Beige's subtle shimmer that keeps the color from falling flat, and I'm in love.

I'll go ahead and say it:  if I had to chose just one Color Tattoo shade to keep, Creamy Beige would be it.  I could wear this alone with mascara and face the day.  So glad they added this one to the permanent line of colors! 

Sleek & Spice Color Tattoo 24HR Cream Shadow by Maybelline

 Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

Sleek & Spice is the final Color Tattoo cream shadow that I have to show you from Maybelline's spring collection.  It's a medium mink brown, darker and slighter warmer in tone than the soft taupe Nude Compliment. 

I've been wearing these for a month now, and the formula on all 4 (Pure Nude, Nude Compliment, Caramel Cool) is great - smooth, easy to apply and blend, with a wear time of a solid 8-9 hours over primer (I've got oily lids).  I actually think the formula on this limited edition collection is better than the original. 

Sleek & Spice (top), Bad to the Bronze (bottom)

If you're curious as to how Sleek & Spice compares to Bad to the Bronze, here's a comparison swatch.  Bad to the Bronze is slightly darker and redder in tone, although they look close in this picture.  When I wear Sleek & Spice on my eyes, it looks more taupe to me.  Sleek & Spice is definitely cooler in tone than Bad to the Bronze, and it's more evident in the following pictures.

It's a shame these are limited edition, not sure what Maybelline was thinking there.  I purchased mine at Rite Aid and they run $6-$7 depending on where you find them.  My love affair with these cream shadows continues :-)