Eye Studio Color Tattoo - Tough as Taupe

Kinda too dark

Since I have very fair skin, this one is a bit dark to use as a base or as an all-over shadow. Its nice as a liner, but I wish it was as versatile as some of the other Color Tattoo shadows.

I have at least 5 of the Color Tattoos, but Tough as Taupe is my favorite! I've heard you can use them as a base and a primer for eye shadow, but I always use it after priming my eyes. I love to use this under colors I don't really care for and am trying to use up, and it give the shadow a much more beautiful look! Will repurchase forever!

amazing!

These can be a great drugstore dupe for the Mac Paint Pot! These hold just as long, and they provide gorgeous color!! I just wish I used mine more. I recommend getting a brighter color than Tough as Taupe because they're better for daily use!

Worth The Hype

I only own one of these but I already have plans to buy two other colours, they could also be a great gel eyeliner, which I haven't tried yet but I want to, I feel like you need to after get the product on your fingers (which I find best with cream eyeshadows) you need to warm it between two fingers and then you can get an even amount of colour on your lids, they are kind of hard, they are the same as a gel eyeliner in the pot but once warmed up in your fingers as explained above the cream eyeshadow side comes into play, if I don't warm it up between my fingers the spot where I first put it is a dark unblendable spot on my eyelid and the rest it a subtle wash of colour but I love these and they last well, a primer doesn't make any difference on lasting power as these are kind of like bases anyway.

SO AMAZING!

I finally bought one the other day and let me say...I LOVE IT! It stay on all day, the color pay off is very good and I really like the way this product applies on the eye. I used the Color Tattoo all by itself and it looked wonderful. This product also blends really well, which I didn't expect from a cream eyeshadow.

Only One

I only have one which is "Tough as Taupe" and I am in love with it. I want to buy them all but they are always gone when I go to the store. But this product is amazing!

Hmmm...

I own 3 of these cream shadows, I purchased them a few months after it came out. I first purchased the Bad to the Bronze and it was alright. I felt like it comes out uneven and lumpy, also that the texture feels weird. Then I bought the Tough as taupe and it changed my life. I started loving this product because it glides on nicely and then I bough the too cool and din't like that. So I feel that only the matte ones are nicer than the shimmery kinds.

Pretty good, want other shades

Does anyone ever pick up the not as good shades of a super hyped, excellent product? I obsessively look at reviews, yet I still somehow choose the ones that aren't as good as the others. I really wanna try the rest of this line, especially the bronze and gold. Lately I have been in love with all things taupe, and grey/beige. Not lately- for awhile! So when I learned that these little gems had a taupe shade, I had to splurge on it. I love the consistency, and the color is great. There is plenty of product in the tub, I love the packaging and design, and the slip of the product under my finger feels great. When swatched the color is rich, creamy and deep, yet when I pack it on the lids, it doesn't seem as pigmented. I used my elf primer and towards the end of the time of wearing Tough, it seemed faded and less opaque. It might be the fact that I need to add more, that matte shades aren't as long wearing as shimmers and satins, that my primer doesn't hold up as well as I want, or I'm being too gentle and not packing a lot of color on. Or Tough is not as "tough" as the other ones! Maybe the one I got was just a little weaker, who knows! I still love this though. It doesn't crease and is not drying out in my tub- a SUPER plus. I did enjoy using this as a base with a shimmery, smokey, neutral shadow ( from Elf's warm 32 eyeshadow palette, I think) popped over, on the center of my lids- to give it a sultry, mysterious eye look. No doubt I will play more with this- with diff. primers, and with matte shadows over it to set and intensify the shade. I'm still confused as to why the swatch on my hand is so much richer than my lid, but I''ll figure it out. Needless to say, I want more, (ALL) but I'm glad I tried something from this line, especially a color I am in love with!

My new go to

Hesitated before I bought this eye shadow, based on some reviews. But I loved the Taupe color and so I went for it. It is my new day to day eye shadow. Applies smoother than some of the more expense cream eye shadows (are you listening Bobbi Brown), and stays on. My eyelids are oily and even a primer does not keep the shadow in place. I loved so much and also purchased the dark gray color.

so overhyped.

Maybelline Color Tattoo are a much talked about product among bloggers and makeup fans. These cream shadows debuted in drugstores sometime in early winter, I purchased mine in January, so I'm kinda behind on the review bandwagon. Maybelline says that the Color Tattoo shadows are their longest lasting shadows. Maybelline employed "ink technology to create super saturated color" and "cream gel" formula that "glides on without creasing and keeps color vibrant". Color Tattoo shadows are available in 10 shades, 1 matte and 9 shimmery, 4 neutral and 6 bright, a good variety. I have #35, Tough As Taupe, the lone matte shade. Color Tattoos are ophthalmologist tested and found to be safe for contact wearers and those with sensitive eyes. Unfortunately, Maybelline tests on animals, so please keep that in mind when purchasing their products. I got Tough As Taupe at Ulta for free (Maybelline was bogo 50% and I had a coupon). The average retail price is $6.99 or so. Lets see if these hold up to all the claims.
I'm really liking the packaging of Maybelline's Color Tattoo. It's a clear, glass jar with a black plastic cap. The jar features a "Color Tattoo" Sticker, and the cap features a sticker with more info on the product including the name of the product. Color Tattoo have great packaging compared to other drugstore products. The glass jar has a good weight to it in the hand, so it's likely that it's sturdy. Sturdy as it may be, keep in mind it is glass, so don't go tossing it about.
The texture of Color Tattoos is supposed to be a cream-gel hybrid with a smooth consistency, meant to glide onto the eyelid. "Cream-gel" is a weird way to describe something that feels an awful lot like modeling clay. Tough as Taupe has a thick, dense consistency that'll likely feel familiar if you liked playing with clay as a child (or as an adult, don't judge me).
Because of the thick, dense, relatively dry feel of Tough as Taupe, application is a pain. Instead of "smoothing across your eyelids", it drags, and applies in a patchy, uneven manner. It looks awful. Maybelline says that Color Tattoos are buildable, and I agree, but no matter how much you apply, it'll still look patchy and uneven, and the more you apply, the more likely you are to have creasing. I can't imaging the disaster that would result from trying to blend Tough as Taupe with another shadow.
I'm not going to go too far into detail about the color of Tough as Taupe, because there really isn't much to discribe. It's a matte, grey based, neutral taupe with only the slightest hint of brown. The color of modeling clay...am I sensing a pattern here? Tough as Taupe isn't a pretty color, but it's a useful one. A good, solid neutral shade to keep on hand.
So lets examine the 24 hour wear claim. Do you get 24 hour, crease-proof wear? No. Close? Not really. I've worn this cream shadow with and without primer and it doesn't affect wear or application at all, so let's disregard that. When worn to work, in the greasy, hot kitchen, Tough as Taupe isn't so tough, it can't even hold up for six hours. Under regular circumstances, Tough as Taupe makes it for about 8 hours without creasing, but there is some fading. Not that bad, but it's not 24 hours.
Though on it's own, as a cream shadow, Tough as Taupe doesn't make it anywhere near to it's 24 hour claim, as an eyeshadow base it's excellent. With a powder shadow layered over it, Tough as Taupe probably really could wear for 24 hours, it's indestructible. Even after a 9 hour shift, it stays perfect, not the slightest hint of fading or creasing. That's kinda cheating though, Tough as Taupe is supposed to be super long lasting on it's own, not with help from a powder shadow.
With all fairness though, Color Tattoos do last much better than any other cream shadow I have ever tried. Those all crease on me instantly. I can give these kudos for not being an insta-fail, being a good base, and a useful color, but that's not enough to make up for poor texture, application, and solo wear. I'm really curious if this is somehow molding clay in a jar, and Maybelline some how fooled me into believing it's a cream eyeshadow.
I definitely think Maybelline Color Tattoos are overhyped. Perhaps its the novelty of a drugstore cream shadow that doesn't suck, and has a fun, trendy color selection. To be fair, it seems like Tough as Taupe has a lot of texture based complaints. Being the only matte shadow in the bunch, it's probably a formula issue specific to this one shade. I'd have to try a different shade to prove that theory, I'll consider it. Despite having it's issues, Tough as Taupe is good for a drugstore cream shadow. It's a really good eyeshadow base. Packaging is good. It's sold at the perfect price point, you get a really good amount for it. It's a value score!