Years ago, my favorite eyeshadow that I used exclusively was gray Ultima II Cream Eyeshadow. Back then, Ultima was Revlon’s more upscale department store brand. I think I may have purchased the eyeshadow at B. Altman on Fifth Avenue and 34th Street. Sadly, both Ultima II and B. Altman no long exist. I remember that I liked cream shadow because it was so easy to apply with my finger for a full lid look. I used that eyeshadow (probably the same jar) for years till either I used it up or till it dried out.
These days, I have tons of pressed powder palettes, many that I love, but truth be told, cream shadows in pots are still my favorites because they’re so easy to apply and they feel good on my dry eyelids. None of the brands below crease, and they all wear very well over eye primer.
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Here are the ones I use most often:
MAC Paint Pots
Over the past almost 10 years, I think I have been using MAC Paint Pots the longest. They were the first creams that I bought. Painterly, the matte peachy pink shade that MAC calls “nude beige” that disguises my red eyelids, is the one that I use most followed by the peach-brown Layin’ Low.
Unfortunately, I misplaced Painterly. I know it must be in one of my makeup bags, probably in my bathroom closet. Maybe on the next rainy day, I will make that my chore of the day to find it. Earlier this year, I bought 3 of MAC’s new Paint Pot shades:
- Clearwater: matte seafoam green
- Moss Definitely: forest green shimmer
- a silver shade that was a big disappointment because it was sheer and just about invisible.
The feel of the MAC Paint Pot cream varies according to whether it is matte or shimmer. The matte cream shadows are stiffer than the “greasier” shimmers. Both are pretty easy to apply and blend with fingers or brush. They last me a few years before they dry out and become unusable.
My only complaint about MAC Paint Pots is that the shades on their website don’t really look like the shades when you see them in person. So it’s a guessing game when I buy them online as to what they will really look like.
Ingredients (Painterly): Isododecane, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Dimethicone, Polyethylene, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Quaternium-90 Bentonite, Dimethicone Silylate, Silica, Octyldodecanol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Lecithin, Trihydroxystearin, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax\Cera Carnauba\Cire De Carnauba, Propylene Carbonate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Tin Oxide, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, [+/- Mica, Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499), Aluminum Powder (Ci 77000), Bismuth Oxychloride (Ci 77163), Blue 1 Lake (Ci 42090), Bronze Powder (Ci 77400), Carmine (Ci 75470), Chromium Hydroxide Green (Ci 77289), Chromium Oxide Greens (Ci 77288), Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide (Ci 77510), Ferric Ferrocyanide (Ci 77510), Manganese Violet (Ci 77742), Ultramarines (Ci 77007), Yellow 5 Lake (Ci 19140)] <ILN39722>
ColourPop Supershock Shadows
ColourPop Supershock Shadows are not traditional creams so maybe I shouldn’t even include them. But since they were first introduced, I have bought a lot of them for the same reason as I buy other cream shadows: I can apply them with my fingers.
If you’ve tried Supershock Shadows, you know that they are not traditionally “creamy”. They are bouncy, slightly creamy but drier than most creams. They’re a cream to powder shadow.
Although I like ColourPop Supershock Shadows especially because they are affordable and they come in a million different shades, they dry out relatively fast though I usually get at least a year out of a Supershock Shadow before it dries out. The photo directly above is Bill when it was brand new. Bill, the matte dusty mauve swatch on my arm in the photo toward the end of the post, is a dry ColourPop Supershock Shadow. Unfortunately, it is dried out as you can see in the second photo from the top with the open pots. It’s time to toss it. $6-7 a pot
Ingredients (Bill): Cyclopentasiloxane, Mica, Aqua/Water/Eau, Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone, Cetyl Peg/Ppg-10/1 Dimethicone, Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Glycerides, Sodium Chloride, Dimethicone/Phenyl Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Sorbitan Stearate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Lauryl Methacrylate/Glycol Dimethacrylate Crosspolymer, Ceresin, Propylene Carbonate, Potassium Sorbate, Polyacrylamide, Glycerin, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Silica, Laureth-7, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Tin Oxide, [+/- Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499)].
As long as I’m talking about ColourPop, I tried one of their Jelly Pong Pong jelly shadows a year ago, and I thought it was terrible. I bought a sparkly one (Mystical Beast), and though it looked promising in the pot, it was completely sheer with a bunch of big sparkles suspended in it. It dried out in a few months. I hated it.
ColourPop had “cream shadows” for a year or two, but I never got a chance to try them. They are no longer on the website, so I guess they weren’t popular with ColourPop customers.
Butter London Glazen Eye Gloss
Probably 3 years ago while browsing in Ulta, I saw Butter London Glazen Blush Gelée. Back when swatching in store was possible, I tried some on my arm and I really like the creamy, jellyish combination. I bought the peach Flickr blush. I liked it so much when I saw that they had a holiday set of mini Glazen Eye Glosses, I bought it. All the shades are shimmers, and they provide buildable coverage from sheer to opaque. They can be worn on their own or over another shadow. I apply it with my finger mostly, though it can be applied with a brush. I don’t think the Glazen Eye Glosses are good for blending, and I haven’t tried it. I use them as a single lid color.
If you’re careful and replace the inner lid on the Glazen Eye Glosses and Blushes that you can see in the photo above, they stay creamy/jellyish for a long time. I still have and use the ones I bought so long ago. The blush is beginning to dry out, but it is still usable. $24 for a full size pot
Ingredients (mauve): Aqua (Water/Eau), Mica, Butylene Glycol, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Talc, Betaine, Silica, Ethylhexylglycerin, Polysorbate 20, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Gellan Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), CI 77491 (Iron Oxides), CI 77499 (Iron Oxides), CI 77163 (Bismuth Oxychloride).
Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerize Cream Shadow
Eyes to Mesmerize are super creamy metallic opaque shadows that are so easy to apply with fingers or brush. They blend nicely, too. They’re a dream to apply and wear.
They come in 8 shades, and my only complaint is that they are “all of a piece”. To me, they are all various shades of gold: dark gold, yellow gold, rose gold, copper gold. I wish CT would break out a little and try something new, like silver maybe? I own Rose Gold (pink) and Star Gold (copper), and as much as I would like to add another one to my collection since I love the formula, the colors are far too similar to each other to spend $32 on another shade. That’s hard for me to say because Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerize Cream Shadow is my favorite cream!
Ingredients (Star Gold): Cyclopentasiloxane, Mica, Aqua/Water/Eau, Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone, Cetyl Peg/Ppg-10/1 Dimethicone, Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Glycerides, Sodium Chloride, Dimethicone/Phenyl Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Sorbitan Stearate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Lauryl Methacrylate/Glycol Dimethacrylate Crosspolymer, Ceresin, Propylene Carbonate, Potassium Sorbate, Polyacrylamide, Glycerin, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Silica, Laureth-7, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Tin Oxide, [+/- Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499)].
Supergoop Shimmershade Eyeshadow SPF 30
When I read that Supergoop had a cream eyeshadow with built in sunscreen SPF 30, I was there for it. It comes in four shimmer shades, three of which are very light. Sunset, the coppery brown that I bought, was the deepest of the shades.
Supergoop Shimmershade Eyeshadow has a similar consistency to MAC Paint Pots in that it is a somewhat stiffer cream shadow. I usually apply it with my finger, though sometimes I apply it with a brush when use it as a deeper shade in the V if I’m using more than one color on my lids.
I’ve had Sunset for at least two years, and it still works well. If you’re looking for a cream shadow with sunscreen, this is it! I have no complaints about it at all except wishing they had more colors. $24
Active Ingredients: Zinc Oxide 20 %, Octisalate 5%
Inactive Ingredients : Isododecane, Mica, Iron Oxides, Polymethylsilsesquioxane/Silica Crosspolymer, Polyethylene, Caprylyl Methicone, C18-38 Alkyl Hydroxystearoyl Stearate, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Dimethicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, VP/Eicosene Copolymer, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Titanium Dioxide, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Norbornene/Tris(Trimethylsiloxy)silylnorbornene Copolymer, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Jasminum Officinale (Jasmine) Flower Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract,b Rose Extract, Tocopherol
Swatches
Here are swatches of some of the cream shadows. Unfortunately, the yellow indoor light doesn’t do them justice.
Ingredient Comment
I was looking at the ingredient lists of the creams I own, and it’s interesting that MAC Paint Pots and Supergoop Shimmershade Eye Shadows both have Isododecane as their first ingredient. Isododecane is a synthetic hydrocarbon that acts as a solvent to enhance the spreadability of products. It feels weightless on skin. All hydrocarbons used in cosmetics help prevent the evaporation of water from skin. As I mentioned above, I thought that Supergoop Shimmershade Eye Shadow was most similar to the MAC Paint Pots.
And Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerize and ColourPop Supershock both have Cyclopentasiloxane as their first ingredient. CT and CP cream shadows are nothing alike in terms of their consistency, but surprisingly they both use Cyclopentasiloxane as their primary ingredient. It:
- enhances the silky-smooth spreadabilty and sensory feel of a product
- promotes even distribution other ingredients in a formula
- quickly evaporates from skin’s surface without leaving a heavy feel; it’s not occlusive.
Actually, both Isododecane and Cyclopentasiloxane are similar in terms of what they do in cream eyeshadow formulas. They are both chosen for spreadability of ingredients and weightless feeling on the skin. Not sure where I’m going with this, but it’s interesting.
Do you wear cream eye shadows? Any that you think I should try?
Hi Allison,
Thanks for this review. I love the Supergoop Shimmershade. Are we technically suppose to reapply this every 2-hours like sunscreen? Agree they need more color options. I have First light (way too pale) and Sunset. Would like to add Golden Hour as It’s fun to play with gold tones and would make me feel fancy while biking.
Mary, you bring up an excellent point regarding re-application. I will admit that I don’t do it because, as you are suggesting, layers of cream eyeshadow isn’t cool, lol! Like you, I primarily wear Sunset if I’m going to the beach or doing something outdoors where I want to be at least somewhat protected and when I want to feel extra. Golden Hour was also the other one I considered. Maybe next spring?
Nice post! Thanks for the reviews. I love cream shadows too. I use MAC and the Too Faced cream in a tube with an applicator. Since we’ve moved from Boston to Florida, these formulas hold up better in all this humidity! (Missing Boston) Supergoop sounds great! I’m going to try it.
I need to take a look at the Too Faced cream in a tube. If you like cream in a tube, some day check out Haus Laboratories cream shadows with an applicator. I will do a post about cream shadow with applicators one of these days. Thanks for the idea, Valerie! Supergoop Shimmershadows are worth trying. I like Sunset because it shows up well, and the sunscreen is helpful for days when I’m outdoors. Best wishes on your move to FL from Boston!! This winter, you won’t be missing Boston, I am guessing 😉
I love cream shadows in pots! I have quite a few from Tom Ford and MAC, but have been meaning to pick up a couple from Charlotte Tilbury. I love the shades the you have!
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I have tried Tom Ford cream shadows in the past when we could try swatches at Sephora. They were wonderful. One of these days, I will add a Tom Ford cream shadow to my collection
I have an untold number of cream shadows. I love the quickness of using them. My biggest splurge has to be on the Tilbury ones. You are right though about the most wearable colors being too close together. I use the lightest Supergoop ones as bases for other shadows. I went through a phase with the L’Oreal and Maybelline cream pot shadows too. But the ones that last the longest are CT.
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I too bought lots of the Maybelline Color Tattoos, but they didn’t wear as well as even the MAC Paint Pots. I wish CT would move beyond variations on gold because you are so right, the formula is superior to the others. And I wish Supergoop would come out with more shades too.
Waaaaaay back when, Borghese came out with the first cream eyeshadows in pots that I ever saw. My grandmother was older and in less than great health, but she longed to keep up her appearance, so I bought two colors (forest green and peach) and gave them to her to make it much easier for her to wear eyeshadow. She was thrilled. I always think of her when I see cream eyeshadows.
I remember that Borghese used to be a department store brand, but I didn’t know they made cream shadow but that makes sense. What a lovely story about what you did to help your grandmother feel more self-confident when she was ill! <3 And you chose two of my favorite colors for her! I adore peach and green everything. I had the floor in the kitchen of my NYC rental apartment tiled with forest green and peach ceramic tiles in a checkerboard pattern. When I finally moved, I assumed the landlord's management company was cursing me for that.
Oh yes. They were once a very tony department store brand. My grandmother is the one who gave me my first makeup kit – Estee Lauder – when I was 12. She also started my skincare habit. So it really was only fair that I helped her keep up her own makeup routine. I bet your floor looked amazing. If the management had any sense, they kept it.
Oh, you had a wonderful grandmother! And what a lovely way to remember her now. You were really lucky that she gave you EL makeup when you were 12! Awesome! My mother wouldn’t even let me shave my legs till I was 14. I used to “borrow” her mascara that she kept in the bathroom medicine chest and use it without telling her because she wouldn’t let me buy or wear makeup till I was at least 15. Boo. You came from an enlightened family xo
I’m sorry you had to wait so long to have makeup fun! I did come from an enlightened family. They knew I was a total goody two shoes, so I had freedom that they knew I’d use judiciously.