I love cream eye shadows but good ones are hard to come by. Most of them seem to crease on me even with an eye shadow primer underneath. Let’s bear in mind that I do have oily lids.

So finding a cream eye shadow that stands the test of time is very exciting. Here are my top 5 favorite ones :

1. Giorgio Armani : Eyes to kill Silk eye shadow

2. Lancôme : Ombre magnétique

3. Chanel : Illusion d’ombre

4. Make Up For Ever : Aqua cream

5. Maybelline : 24h Color Tattoo

1. Giorgio Armani : Eyes to Kill Silk Eye shadows

Let’s start with my faves the Giorgi Armani Eyes to Kill. First off have you seen the colors ? They are amazing ! The color selection is one of the best in the market in my opinion (11 shades). All the colors are interesting and have a lot of originality to them, you won’t be able to find dupes so easily as they are a rare blend of intricacy. They almost have a duo-chrome aspect.

The payoff is out of this world and the colors catch the light and shimmer in a gorgeous way. There are no actual glitter chunks just lot of shimmer going on. However you do need to beware of fall out, especially if you don’t tap your eye brush off for excess. For even more intensity you can apply them wet.

The formula is a dream, as they are one of the few actual cream to powder finish. They blend perfectly and do feel like silk to the touch.

But the greatest quality they have for me is staying power as that is at the top of my priority list when it comes to cream eye shadows. They are 24 hour wear and waterproof. They do come at a pretty steep price tag at $34.00 or 42,50€. But I believe they are well worth the splurge and will last you a long time as a little goes a long way.

Here are some swatches from left to right of :

Giorgio Armani : 4 Pulp fiction or Metal rosé : an intense silver with rose shimmer makes for a wonderful taupe shade

Lancôme : 3 Black Macadam : intense black with silver shimmer

Giorgio Armani : 3 Purpura or Ultra Violet : an intense purple with flecks of gold

2. Lancôme : Ombre magnétique

The color selection is a little more classic in my opinion but very nice nevertheless.

The formula of these eye shadows is very luxe on the skin. They melt and blend very easily and have a high concentration of pearlescent shimmer to them that lends depth and payoff to the eye shadow look.

They are also long wearing and crease resistant which is why I love them. But they are not truly waterproof so I would stay away from these at a pool party.

The only down side is that they are not part of Lancôme’s permanent range and come out as limited edition collections from time to time. My advice grab them the next time you see one!

3. Chanel : Illusion d’Ombre Long wear luminous eye shadow

The color selection is also not as complex as with the Armani Eyes to kill but Chanel regularly comes out with limited editions of the Illusion d’Ombre so keep your eyes peeled for your favorite color (9 permanent shades to my knowledge). I own 83 Illusoire and 84 Epatant.

I find that the payoff varies depending on the shades but in general they are less intense then the Armani or the Lancôme. The first application is sheer. Usually with a couple layers you are able to get to the intensity you desire. But layering is key here. Going for a more natural, translucent look is very pretty with these shadows so I would recommend them for classic looks or for make-up beginners.

The formula is interesting as it has a very moose like cushiony feel to them. Chanel claims they can be used as eyeliner but I kind of disagree as they seem a bit too sheer for that purpose. They a have a lovely shimmer/sheen to them but no glittery bits.

As with all Chanel products the price is heavy for a single eye shadow at $36 or 32€ but you do get 4g of product. I really enjoy the ones I own for a quick everyday effortless chic makeup.

4. Make Up For Ever : Aqua cream Eye shadow

Make Up For Ever is a brand known for catering to all skin types and shades and its color selection definitely reflects that and in this case with the Aqua Cream range you won’t be disappointed. It has the widest selection of this top 5 list with 19 shades.

The payoff is ultra pigmented with no duds to be found. The colors are very colorful but straight forward with no duo chrome tendencies.

The formula is very good as it is both waterproof but also very soft and creamy. It is easy to blend as long as you work the product quickly because once it sets it IS set! So you don’t have huge amount of time to play around.

MUFE claims you can use them on your cheeks and lips but personally I find them drying on the lips and prefer them on my eye lids the best.

For a high end brand the pricing is very reasonable at $23 or 23€ for 0.21 oz.

Here are some swatches from left to right of :

Makeup For Ever :  4  Snow or Neige : a pearly shimmery white

Makeup For Ever :  2  Acier : a grayish silver

Chanel : 83 Illusoire : shimmery purple with silvery sheen

Chanel : 84 Epatant : shimmery green with a taupe tone

5. Maybelline : 24hr Color Tattoo

This is my favorite cream eye shadow for drugstore make up. It is right up there with the high end brands in terms of longevity and color payoff. Maybelline really hit it right out of the park for me.

The color selection is not bad for a drugstore brand (7 shades) especially if you take into account the spin off collections in leather and metal. These are again straight forward colors.

The payoff is on par with the best high end and the colors are very true to the color in the pan which is far from always the case in the makeup world.

Again their #1 feature is their staying power that even surpasses most of the high end brands in my opinion. They are great to use as an eye shadow base. Even though as I mentioned I have oily lids I really don’t need a a primer with these Color Tattoos. This product completely replaces their Dream moose eye shadows which were a complete fail with me as they creased immediately.

I have almost all of the permanent range. At $6.99 or 9,50€ a pop they are the best bang for your buck.

What are your top 5 picks?