I love them for adding a shinier, more sparkly finish (with less falout) and just having a more intense finish overall. I know others love ’em for one-and-done looks, but I love creating color combos so I tend to reach for cream eyeshadows as bases or to use on the inner tearduct/lower lash line or on the lid.
— Christine
We're here to help you make better beauty purchases that you'll enjoy and love! We recommend signing up to take advantage of personalized features like tracking products you own, viewing dupes that you already have, and more!
Here are some useful resources for you:
Curious how two shades compare to each other? Type in the shades below to get instant side-by-side swatches!
Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!
Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).
We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!
We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!
Personally I just can’t work and don’t like to work with cream products when it comes to eyeshadow, blushes, highlighters, contour, bronzers. I just simply prefer powders, it’s something about applying cream consistency that doesn’t vibe with me.
For eyeshadows it’s odd, because while I don’t mind applying an eye primer with my fingers, applying eyeshadow with my fingers is a sensation I hate. I also find powders more forgiving and easier to blend (for me). It’s not like I don’t like cream eyeshadows or think they are no good… it’s just… we never had any chemistry. 😆
I’m with you there. I don’t like cream eyeshadow because it just feels like I’m tugging on my eyelid trying to apply/blend.
I love everything about them and being a single working mom of 4 kids Ive realized I don’t have time for powdered shadows. Creams are one and done and at this point in my life that’s all I have time for. Creams are the only shadows I buy now. Not to mention the amazing staying power they have for me!
This is why I love them!!! What are your favorites??
I love cream eyeshadows as “one and done” products and as bases for powder shadows that can do with a bit of “help”. The only things I don’t like(in descending order) are:
1. When they dry out (Maybelline Colour Tattoos and the old Benefit cream shadows were especially prone to this)
2. When they crease (though most of the ones I’ve tried have been pretty crease-proof)
3. I find them tricky to blend with one another so using 2 shades on my lid or 3 shades in a look can be more challenging than working with powder products.
I think cream eyeshadows are perfect for one or two shade looks. I don’t have many myself, but I think these can be very useful.
One of the major problems with cream eyeshadows in tubes is that you can easily end up squeezing too much from the tube….they can also get a bit messy applying them with your fingertips (especially when you normally wear glasses and can’t see properly without them).
I love the texture and blendability of a good quality cream eyeshadow with either a pearl or satin finish. I’m not a “one and done” kind of gal, but there are times when, as far as eyeshadows go, I just want a simple, luminous finish on my lids.
I dislike cheaper creams that are loaded with oils and tons of sparkles. They look rather juvenile to me.
I have quite a collection of cream shadows in clouding ColourPop Super Shock and Jelly Much shadows, Mally and Laura Mercier cream shadow sticks, Hourglass scattered lights, Stila, etc. I will use them as a base or a topper depending on the look I’m going for and the finish of the product (if it’s more glittery / sparkly). I can wear them alone if that’s all I have time for but I prefer to use the more sparkly ones as kid shades of toppers with powder matte eyeshadow. Like Christine said, they’re also perfect for lower lash line and inner corner, especially for the staying power.
Most cream eyeshadows don’t work for me. I have oily lids, and deep-set, somewhat hooded eyes, and creams crease almost instantly. I do better with powders.
ColourPop SSS work for me. They’re really nice and stay put, but since they got rid of most of their brights and super-metallic and glittery shades they carried when they first came out, I don’t find myself buying them much any more.
Do Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks count as cream shadows? That’s the closest I get to creams and I adore them. They blend easily and stay on all day, despite my oily lids. I can use them to line my lower lash line and they don’t budge, even when my eyes are teary.
On my extemely hooded, very dry and crepey eyelids, I get the best results with cream shadows since they keep my eyelids moisturised and don’t emphasize the tiny lines. They also have great staying power on hooded eyes, especially during the summer. Being in my fifth decade, I can only wear powder eyeshadows on top of a cream base, if ever.
I love cream eyeshadow. I like a minimal one-and-done look and cream shadows are gentle on my aging skin (fifty next year). My current favorites are Jillian Dempsey’s Lid Tints. They’re sheer, buildable, glossy, portable (neat little compacts), cruelty-free, vegan, and come in nine interesting colors, some with shimmer. The look is sort of undone, imperfect, lived-in. They do crease and fade. A good primer helps, but I pat a finger over my lid periodically if I’ve built up the color. I love them so much that I don’t really mind.
What don’t I like? Cream shadow isn’t as popular as powder shadow so I have fewer products to try. Some turn out to be difficult to apply. I have no patience for cream shadows that don’t swipe or pat on easily. They dry out and have a shorter useful shelf life than powder shadow. Oh well, worth it.