Aqua Creams are supposed to be intensely pigmented, long-wearing, and waterproof. I’m a long-time fan of the formulation–since it was first introduced–because it’s as long-wearing as Make Up For Ever claims. This stuff just doesn’t budge. It dries down fairly quickly (enough that if you wanted to soften edges or blend more than one together, I’d recommend working one eye at a time), and once it dries down, it’s set into place all day (and night). I’ve worn these for as long as fourteen hours without creasing or fading. They work well as eyeshadow bases or on their lonesome. They also work as eyeliners. Each Aqua Cream comes in a small plastic pot with a black screw-top lid and a clear bottom. I haven’t had any dry out, and I’ve had several for two years now.
#23 can be applied with rich, opaque color or blended out for a sheerer, softer layer of color. When it’s applied opaquely, you get a much more intense green color out of it, whereas the yellowness of the underlying color comes through more when it’s blended out. I love green eyeshadows, and I’m all over chartreuse-y greens, but this is really lime green and doesn’t look much like other shades I’ve seen, which is always a good thing to discover!
I love green eyeshadows, and I'm all over chartreuse-y greens, but this is really lime green and doesn't look much like other shades I've seen, which is always a good thing to discover! This shade is true-to-form: long-wearing (ten hours), waterproof, and doesn't fade or crease.
Product
9/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
10/10
Longevity
10/10
Application
4.5/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
Make Up For Ever #10 Aqua Cream ($22.00 for 0.21 oz.) is described as a “golden tangerine sheen.” It’s a vibrant orange with golden shimmer-sheen. It’s borderline retina-burning, honestly! It’s approved for use on the lips and cheeks (so not eyes). Whether it’s used more opaque or sheer, it’s a rich color and applies opaque. You would use the teeniest, tiniest bit to get a wash of color for blush or a lip tint. It has a more molten, deeper hue when layered (like the heavier swatch). OCC Banjee is lighter but still bright–it’s the only shade I could think of that came close to being a dupe. A lot of the other orange lipsticks I thought off are darker. Maybelline Fierce & Tangy is much lighter.
Aqua Creams work well on the cheeks as far as wear goes, and lower shimmer shades like #10 add color easily that also sticks around for eight hours or longer. Because it has a softer finish, it doesn’t emphasize pores, so it sits well on the skin. What I really like is that these don’t remain sticky on the cheeks, which many cream blushes do. On the lips, I find this one stains a bit, and again, because the finish has less frost in it, it is not as drying as other Aqua Creams have been for me. It’s not my first choice in lip color, because it’s not hydrating and a bit drying, but it does wear for five to six hours and leaves behind a subtle tint.
Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream is a great formula, but while I love the performance for eyes, it's not quite as stellar when it comes to cheeks/lips--so if it's not eye-safe, then the overall score is a bit less. It's good on the cheeks when it has low shimmer, but on lips, it's long-wearing but somewhat drying.
Product
8.5/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
10/10
Application
4/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
Make Up For Ever Wild & Chic Aqua Cream Collection
Make Up For Ever Wild & Chic Aqua Cream Collection
Make Up For Ever Wild & Chic Aqua Cream Collection ($175 for 10×0.21 oz.) is a limited edition set housed in a snake print metal tin. It contains these ten Aqua Creams: #1 Anthracite (silvery charcoal shimmer), #2 Steel (silver gray shimmer), #4 Snow (white pearl shimmer), #11 Gold (yellow gold shimmer), #12 Golden Copper (soft copper shimmer), #13 Warm Beige (champagne shimmer), #14 Satin Brown (warm brown shimmer), #15 Taupe (taupe brown shimmer), #16 Pink Beige (pinky beige shimmer), and #17 Plum (burgundy plum shimmer). It also includes #5N Brush. All of these products are available individually; each Aqua Cream retails for $22 and the #5N Brush is also $22. The set may retail for $175, which is a chunk of change to lay down, but the products inside would cost you $242 if you purchased them separately. The shades include in the collection are safe for eyes and cheeks (but not lips).
#1 Anthracite is a dark, charcoal gray with a silverish sheen. It has more of a brown base, which is more apparent when you use it as a wash. It’s similar to Bobbi Brown Gunmetal, Estee Lauder Black Chrome (less frosted), and Urban Decay Gunmetal (slightly cooler toned).
#2 Steel is a gray-tinted taupe brown with hints of warmth. It’s similar to Giorgio Armani #4.
#4 Snow is a bright frosted white. It’s not really cool-toned, but it isn’t overly warm (no yellow in it). It’s whiter and brighter than MAC Forgery. It is similar to Inglot #453.
#11 Gold is a medium-dark molten gold with a metallic finish. When it’s sheered out, it looks more like your usual yellow gold, but if you build it up, the darkness in the base gives it that molten look. I couldn’t think of similar shades for this particular hue of gold.
#13 Warm Beige is a subtly warmed-over medium-dark beige. It’s frosted enough that it will add a fair amount of shimmer to any eyeshadows you apply over it, so it’s not my favorite neutral base color. It is really pretty as a wash of color, though. MAC Sweet Satisfaction is a bit browner.
#16 Pink Beige is a light-medium rosy pink with a hint of beige to neutralize it. It has a metallic-frost finish. It’s darker than shades like Urban Decay Sin. It’s pinker than Giorgio Armani #8.
#17 Plum is a reddened plum with red-brown undertones. It has a fairly metallic finish when it’s used more heavily. It reminded me of MAC Star Violet and Inglot #452.
I wish they had included a few of their brighter Aqua Creams in the kit; it’s a very neutral set overall, and it seems to align with their Wild & Chic theme, but I can’t help but feel like they chould have included at least one real pop of color (like #22 Emerald Green). Otherwise, these swatched and felt like the Aqua Creams I’ve reviewed individually. None of my Aqua Creams have dried out since I’ve had them (and I’ve had 5-10 of them since they originally launched). They come in plastic containers, which is nice for the lightweight and portability that provides.
Aqua Creams are creamy to the touch and apply easily with a flat, firm-bristled brush (like the included #5N, though mine was a bit frayed). They dry down quickly and stay put all day (12 hours) on the eyes. On cheeks, they work well and wear for eight hours, but you may find that some of the frostier finishes tend to accentuate pores if you use too much. None of these are listed as lip safe, and my experience in the past has been that these will wear for four to six hours, some staining the lips, but they get to be drying after a couple of hours.
P.S. — Sephora has 20% off with code VIBDREAM for VIBs, expires 11/14.
I'm a big fan of Aqua Creams, because they wear like iron on the eyes and do hold up fairly well on cheeks/lips. They're creamy enough to provide good, even coverage, but they dry quickly and set for the rest of the day.
Product
9/10
Pigmentation
9.5/10
Texture
9.5/10
Longevity
10/10
Application
4.5/5
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!
Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
Make Up For Ever #15 Aqua Cream ($22.00 for 0.21 oz.) is described as a “taupe brown shimmer.” It’s too bronzy to be a true taupe–there’s a darker, chocolately bronze as the base color with a lighter bronze sheen. The sheen is almost taupe-like but not grayed out enough. It’s subtly warm-toned but doesn’t read orange or red. #15 has good color payoff and texture–very soft and smooth. It has a more metallic finish, which translates into smooth application. Bare Escentuals A-Ha is similar to the sheererd out version though a little grayer, while Urban Decay Lost resembles the heavier swatch.
Aqua Creams have a quick dry down, and once they have dried, they stay on all day long for me–no budging, smudging, creasing, or fading. They can be worn alone, as a base, or as eyeliner (and some shades can be worn on cheeks/lips, too; a few aren’t meant for eyes but for cheeks/lips entirely).
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
I’m a big fan of Aqua Creams, because they really stay on well. The formula is all about bringing “rich color payoff” with long-lasting wear that does not crease or smudge. These have a creamy consistency that applies easily and smoothes out beautifully, but they do have a quicker dry down time–and once they set, they’re set for the rest of the day. I’ve worn numerous shades since they originally launched, and I’m never disappointed. The wear is truly phenomenal!
I love this on warmer complexions, especially deeper ones, as a quick wash or to enhance bronzes and golds. It has a very smooth texture that makes it a great base for powder eyeshadows as well.
Product
9/10
Pigmentation
9.5/10
Texture
9.5/10
Longevity
10/10
Application
4.5/5
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!
Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
Make Up For Ever #2 Aqua Cream ($22.00 for 0.21 oz.) is described as a “silver gray” with a shimmer finish. It’s less silver and gray than it is dirty gray and brown–more taupe than silver. It has a frosted, metallic sheen. When it is sheered out, it looks browner and more taupe-like. This shade is recommended for both eyes and cheeks, though I suspect most will use it on eyes. The color reminded me of Chanel Epatant, which has a lot more shimmer.
I’m a big fan of Aqua Creams, because they really stay on well. The formula is all about bringing “rich color payoff” with long-lasting wear that does not crease or smudge. These have creamy consistency that applies easily and smoothes out beautifully, but they do have a quicker dry down time–and once they set, they’re set for the rest of the day. I’ve worn numerous shades since they originally launched, and I’m never disappointed. The wear is truly phenomenal!
I like #2 as a quick wash of smoky color when you don't have a lot of time to create a look, but it also makes a great base for a smoky eye. The long-wearing formula makes it more versatile, since you can wear it alone or underneath your favorite powder products.
Product
9/10
Pigmentation
9.5/10
Texture
9.5/10
Longevity
10/10
Application
4/5
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!
Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
