Maybelline Colour Tattoos : The Good and Bad

You may have gathered by now, that I love cream eye shadows.

They're so easy to work with, look like you tried harder than you have and they tend to have good longevity.

However, not all formulas are created equal.

It seems pretty obvious that across different brands, there will be different formulas, but I have also found that even within brands and within the exact same range, there can be vast difference.

Enter the Maybelline Colour Tattoos. 

Some of these are fantastic, some, not so much.

Before I get into the nitty gritty, I feel it's a good idea to give a brief overview.

One of the great things about these little pots is that they are incredibly affordable ; about £4.99 depending on where you buy them and they are often on offer- so it's very easy to end up taking a few home. 

They are (in the UK anyway) very easy to find on the high street, in Boots, Superdrug, Asda etc.

It started off with the original formula that was predominately metallic and in the last year or so they have introduced the 'Leather Effect' which tends to be more matte.

There is a great shade selection from turquoise to navy and garnet red to matte grey.

The creams are quite dense but when you put your finger on it, it becomes almost liquid and very easy to work with. 

Onto the swatches: 

From L-R we have:

Metallic Pomegranate: This is a true cranberry shade with silver glitter.

I don't wear this shade that much as I don't really think it suits me, but I have seen it look gorgeous on others and especially if you have blue/green eyes it will look lovely on you.

Even though I don't often reach for it, I cannot fault this formula, it is smooth, creamy, opaque and even.

A brilliant cream eye shadow.

On and on Bronze : This is hands down my favorite shade and as you can probably see from above, I have made quite the dent in this.

Regardless of this being affordable, you need this in your stash as it performs just as well as creams that are 5 times the price.

It is a lovely light golden bronze colour.

I especially enjoy using this when I am tired as it catches the light so nicely that it really perks up my face.

This performs just as well as Metallic Pomegranate, if not better.

I will always have this in my collection. 

Chocolate Suede : This is part of the leather collection, however there is a it of shimmer to it.

This is, as the name would suggest a chocolate brown, but I don't love it. I don't reach for this as often as the formula (although not bad) isn't as creamy as the ones above and when applied I just find it a little underwhelming,..the interesting shimmers don't really stand out and it just ends up looking a bit...bla.

Creamy Beige : This is also part of the leather collection but I adore this one and I use it almost as much as On and on bronze.

It is very natural on the lid and I enjoy using it when I am wearing a bold lip and I want some definition on the eye but nothing that is going to distract.

The formula of this is smooth and fairly opaque but it does need a bit of building up but as the colour is quite similar to my skin tone, it never looks super obvious on me, and I love that about it. 

I didn't even realize until removing the swatches that there is teeny tiny shimmer particles in it- this doesn't translate to the eye.

I guess you could call it a Satin finish. 

Vintage Plum : This is also part of the leather range, and I was drawn to it as I don't own anything quite like it...in the pot it's an interesting lilac/grey that's quite subdued and matte.

Alas, this is the bad one of the bunch. 

It is hard to get a proper opaque swatch, it took a couple of dips to achieve this:

And the moment you start blending, this happens:

It literally disappears into the skin as you blend in, it's so odd.

I don't mean sheers out a little, no, it literally blends into nothing. Like it somehow rubs itself off.

This a total dud and I have tried with and without primer and I just can't get this to work for me. 

Bottom Line : I really rate Metallic Pomegranate, On and on bronze and Creamy beige and I think they will be a welcome addition to any ones stash.

The formulas of those three are fantastic, and it is an added bonus that they wont break the bank.

It is very hard to find pigmented, long lasting cream eye shadows on the high street, so these are well worth a look into.

Chocolate Suede is nice but just not my cup of tea, and I would definitely advise walking past Vintage Plum.