Cream shadows have really taken off over the past year. With fuller, thicker coverage and an automatic foil look, cream shadows in my opinion have replaced loose pigments and are becoming more of a go-to choice for all over shadows. Of course that doesn’t mean that a good ol’ powdered shadow is not still best. But let’s take a closer look at 4 cream shadows I’ve tried.

First we look at the Covergirl Flamed Out Shadow Pencil in Melted Caramel while paired next to the Maybelline Color Tattoo cream shadow in Bad to the Bronze. Now both are very similar in shade, the perfect light brown all-over-colour kind of shades. Both have their pros and cons. The Covergirl shadow is in pencil form and is extremely easy to apply with simple sweeps of pencil across the lid. The Maybelline Color Tattoo is in a pot and can be easily applied with finger tips. But that means having shadow all over your fingers…which in my case means shadow everywhere. Covergirl’s Flamed Out Shadow Pencils win out in application and form, yet in order to get the same coverage and desired look as the Maybelline Color Tattoo I would have to spend quite awhile on each eye. The Color Tattoo has an intense depth of colour and makes it all much easier to manage. I’ll deal with a little shadow on my fingers. The Maybelline wins!

And then we check out the other cream shadow pencils. Two that are not actually available in Canada but have made it into my stash during some of my recent journeys. They are the Barry M Eyeshadow Pencil in purple and the Collection Work the Colour Eyeshadow Pencil in Vanilla Sky. These are both quite similar to the Covergirl in the fact that they are a little less coverage than the Maybelline Color Tattoo, but these have great pigments none-the-less. I use the purple Barry M shadow usually in the outer corners of my lids to spruce it up and add some darkness, and the Collection shadow in the inner corners for some brightness. Both compliment each other quite well and I’d have to say they glide on a little smoother than the Covergirl Flamed Out shadows. They do push the Covergirl pencil to the bottom of the list.

In the end, although I prefer to apply my cream shadow in pencil format, no cream shadows have managed to catch my attention as much as the Maybelline Color Tattoos. These are the best of the drugstore cream shadows! What do you think? Would you agree?

What is your favourite cream shadow?