There are plenty of creme shadow pencils/shadow sticks on the market right now and I am a huge fan of them. I decided to put a handful to the test and let you know where you should spend or save. FYI - I have normal skin and oily skin types may have a harder time with staying power than I do. I, 99% of the time, follow the cream shadow with another shadow on top. Yeah they say you could wear it alone, but the eyeshadow gives more lasting power + dimension to the eye.
1. Wet N Wild Idol Eyes in Pixie - This lil guy came from CVS for $1.99 and it's beautiful. Great sheen and no unwanted chunks of sparkle. I'd be interested to see how the darker colors lasted and looked, but this color is definitely worth it. 8/10
2. Milani Shadow Eyez in Champagne Toast - Another gorgeous nude-pink. I use this as a base for a lot of different shadows. I bet it would look good on darker skin tones as well as porcelain skin. And nearly identical to the next one at a quarter of the price. Beautiful. (This is coming off pretty orange in the photo, but I'd say it's a pink champagne color) 8/10
3. Make Up For Ever Aqua Shadow in 30E - These things have great staying power on the lid so you don't have to worry too much about creasing. They are a little less smooth and harder to blend, but that probably relates to it's lasting ability. These come in a good range of colors too - I have a light and a dark to show here. (This is coming off pretty orange in the photo, but I'd say it's a pink champagne color) 7/10
4. CoverGirl Flamed Out - Nope. Do not like. First of all, you have to sharpen it instead of twist up. The eye area is very sensitive and if you scratch the lid the wrong way with a freshly sharpened piece of wood essentially, it wouldn't feel great. It doesn't glide on like the rest and, when I was taking off these swatches, it was the first one to come off. Lots of sparkle that gets everywhere and a color that doesn't have much oomf. I don't like this. 2/10
5. Stila Smudge Crayon in Smoke - These Stila ones are the newest to the bunch and I really like them. Great packaging - twist up pencil and clicking cap so you know it's not going anywhere. Superb color - taupe/brown/khaki. I really feel like you could wear this one on it's own without shadow on top and you'd be fine. I haven't had them long enough to find out how they wear in different situations or weather. So far, love it. 9/10
6. Laura Mercier Caviar Eye Stick in Amethyst - Beautiful. I loooooove this color. It comes off as a purple/taupe, but once on the lid with the eye color, it looks more taupe/brown. Gorgeous when it catches the light. I do have to wear a shadow over this to make it last all day, but I would normally do that anyway. Beautiful color. I'd love to try the one in khaki or the army green they have. Worth it. 9/10
7. Revlon Smoky Crayon in Bronze Smoke - First, this is not bronze it's straight up brown. Second, it's fine. It's average. It's pretty smooth to apply and a pretty good color. I don't tend to use it a lot because it's dark and because it's plain. I feel like if it had a little sheen or sparkle to it, I would like it more. 5/10
8. Stila Smudge Crayon in Dazzle - So. Freakin. Dark. Honestly I was expecting like a dark gray that I could use all over the eye. I don't think this one will get a lot of use because of the color and there is quite a bit of sparkle, but it's nice to have. I love the texture and the lasting power so I won't complain. 6.5/10
9. Make Up For Ever Aqua Shadow in 4E - Again, this is harder to blend than the rest of them. A nice color to have in my collection, but again, I won't get a lot of use out of it. 6/10
The bottom line: Overall, it's better to spend a little more money and get a great product rather than going for the drugstore. A lot of lines have plenty of color options so you can find one that looks best with your eye color.
