Crème Shadow

The formula is supposed to be a "primer and shadow in one" that is long-wearing, "crease-proof and water-resistant" that can be used to "even out lid color" or worn "alone for a minimal look" or used under eyeshadow to "intensify color and extend wear." Per the brand, it can be applied with either fingertips or a "larger shade brush."

These were a true struggle to work with. I spent one day just trying to find the right way to apply the cream eyeshadows that didn't look like I hadn't had a drop of hydration in 40 years--they made my lids look shriveled, flaky, and emphasized texture I didn't know was there. I had to give up and try again the next day so I didn't abuse my lids beyond repair.

The next day, I applied them with the "best" method I could figure out and was astonished by how poorly they wore. The brand's Super Shock Shadows, which is a cream-to-powder formula, wear like iron for me; they typically go on just beautifully and last 10 hours without creasing or fading. This is one of the worst cream eyeshadow formulas I've tried and is one of the few soul-crushing disappointments I've experienced from the brand since its inception.

These alternated between sort of drier, stiffer and lightly creamy; the top layer seemed to dry quite quickly--three of the four shades arrived with a drier top layer that became creamier after a second swatch. However, when I went to use them for application and testing on the eyes, that top layer felt a bit drier each time.

The formula is fairly quick-drying, though it remained a bit tacky where my lid peeled away from the area above my crease. There was almost no play time at all; I think using fingertips was the absolute worst way to apply these as fingertip application yielded a faster-drying product that applied unevenly, lifted away as it dried down, and almost immediately gathered into creases and accentuated every fine line and bit of texture on my lid without fail. I also felt my fingertips stick a bit with a slight sensation of my lid coming off of my eyeball as I tried to diffuse the product.

A flat brush led to marginal improvement; a flat brush delivered more even coverage, but typically a thicker layer, and this is where I noticed more tackiness and where I had the issue of my skin sticking together, which created bald patches where the color stuck and lifted away onto a different part of my eye (e.g. from my lid to above my crease).

A fluffy brush was the best tool to use in my experience as it provided a thinner, more even layer of product while simultaneously buffing/diffusing it out, but if you don't blend it out right immediately, there's no forgiveness at all. The product has no ability to endure much blending, rubbing, or faffing or else it flakes off--an accidental rub of the eye will result in an entire bald patch to contend with. It did not take much to flake it all away.

I do not recommend layering or building up, and I certainly don't recommend blending two shades together as trying to blend them together resulted in one taking away the other and leaving behind no product at all in the area.

I could not keep it from getting into fine lines regardless of the tool I used, and I tried to leave my lid closed for two minutes to let it set more but that did not help. I tried using powder eyeshadow on top, and I felt like most shades "ate" a lot of the color from more matte eyeshadows, so whatever was layered on top looked drier, uneven, and faded. With shimmery eyeshadows, they seemed to apply better but had a more frosted, textured look that wasn't as smooth or as shiny as when worn over bare skin or over a traditional primer.

The formula didn't last well on my lids; the lighter shades had started to fade within five hours of wear and two were almost gone within eight hours. They were less prone to fading above the crease area on me (like the brow bone) and there was a decent amount of color still present after eight hours.