Review: Maybelline EyeStudio Color Tattoo Eyeshadows

In the past few months, the new Maybelline EyeStudio Color Tattoo Eyeshadows have received plenty of attention, and with good reason. They are said to be great dupes for MAC Paint Pots (although I cannot confirm or deny that claim, as I have never tried a Paint Pot), which are $17.50 in the US for 5 grams of product. The Color Tattoo is $6.99 at Ulta for 4 grams of product (of course, prices will differ depending on which store you visit, but Ulta actually seems to have similar pricing to drugstores). Below are some pictures:

Top to bottom: Tough as Taupe, Audacious Asphalt, and Bad to the Bronze

Left to Right: Touch as Taupe, Audacious Asphalt, and Bad to the Bronze

I would definitely call myself a fan of Maybelline products; I always buy their mascara and rarely come across one I dislike, Dream Matte Powder was the first face powder I ever truly loved, and their SuperStay concealer actually comes in a shade that is light enough (perhaps it is even too light now that summer is coming up) for my extremely fair skin (even though most of their foundations are an insult to anyone with truly fair skin). But, I digress. The point is, I enjoy Maybelline products, so I'm almost always willing to try something new from them.

When I first saw the ten shades of the Color Tattoo in stores, the shade that really stood out to me was Tough as Taupe, which is a matte taupe. If you've seen my Christmas Haul video, then you know that I received it as a gift from my dad for Christmas. If you've seen my New Years Resolution video, then you know that one of my goals is to purchase less makeup. Well, the opposite has definitely happened because I adored the Color Tattoo so much that I felt like I needed to try out at least one more. One more turned into two more (in addition to Tough as Taupe, I now own Audacious Asphalt and Bad to the Bronze). I'm definitely a fan of neutral colors, so although it's tempting to try the more vibrant colors from the line, I think for now I will be sticking with the shades I own.

As I said before, Tough as Taupe is a matte taupe. Audacious Asphalt is a gunmetal gray and it has glitter in it. Bad to the Bronze is, of course, bronze with glitter. Perhaps it's the fact that I have had Tough as Taupe longer than the others, but the formula for it feels slightly drier compared to the others. It isn't completely dry and it still blends nicely, so I really can't complain.

The Color Tattoo can be applied alone for a simple look or function as a base under shadows. I'm going to also mention that although the product claims to last for 24 hours, I've never actually worn these for 24 hours because that would honestly be ridiculous, but they look nice all day (creasing has never been a problem for me with these, and I have always been the person who needs a base or primer to have my shadow last all day without creasing). I do want to try these when it is warmer out to see how they fare in hot weather.

Now, is this the only eye base I will ever use? No, I have plenty of things I still want to try (like an actual MAC Paint Pot). But I will repurchase these when I run out, and I will definitely purchase new colors as they are released (I think a shimmery champagne color would be lovely, since Bold Gold looks a bit strange on me). I'm still not brave enough to try some of the brighter colors, but those colors seem perfect for summer.

I would say that the Maybelline EyeStudio Color Tattoo Eyeshadows deserve a score of 95/100.

Swatches! (Tough as Taupe, Audacious Asphalt, Bad to the Bronze)