Makeup

Maybelline Color Tattoo Crayon Review & Swatches

February 17, 2016

This new release from Maybelline has got me on the edge of my seat because 1) it was so difficult to get a hold of all the shades since it’s still very recently released, and 2) the original Color Tattoos in pots are my holy grail cream shadows, so I had VERY high expectations from them.

Thankfully I found all ten shades at a Target and they were on Buy 1 Get 1 50% Off! But did they live up to my expectations?

Check out my Maybelline Color Tattoo Crayon review & swatches below!

Shades & Pigmentation

Maybelline released ten shades in this range, but I am honestly a bit disappointed in the variety of colors. The colors seem repetitive (you don’t really need two shades of purple, right?). I honestly wish they had something like an emerald green, royal blue or a turquoise in this range.

Don’t get me wrong, I love these shades. They’re all gorgeous. I just wish they had more variety. I hope they’re going to come out with more shades!

Anyway, here are the swatches for you:

Maybelline Color Tattoo Crayons Swatches for Barely There, Pink Parfait, Lavish Lavender, Lilac Lust, Bronze Truffle, Creamy Chocolate, Audacious Asphalt, Grey Crystal, Gold Rush & Charcoal Chrome

These look so pigmented and opaque on the swatch photo but that’s because I layered it up. With just one swipe, it’s surprising how sheer some of these be! Ones that are 100% opaque at first swipe are Audacious Asphalt, Creamy Chocolate, and Grey Crystal, however they do sheer out so quickly when blended. When it comes to opacity and pigmentation, By Terry’s Ombre Blackstar crayons (reviewed here) are still in the best in the market, I think.

My favorite shade is definitely Bronze Truffle (not surprised, huh?) and it is gorgeous on its own or under powder shadows! It’s more brown-toned than my holy grail Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad To The Bronze.

My least would have to be Pink Parfait because the glitters are rather chunky and the color is a bit too pale/cool-toned for my liking. I prefer NYX Cosmetics’ Jumbo Eye Pencil in Strawberry Milk, which is a pretty close dupe.

Formula

These are so slick and silky smooth, they glide on the skin so effortlessly. Zero tugging, zero pressure. It’s just oh-so-heavenly to apply. By comparison, the original Maybelline Color Tattoos in pots are much creamier and thicker in consistency.

Maybelline Color Tattoo Crayon Review

However, as mentioned before, because of its thin consistency these do sheer out when blended with the fingers. I normally would have to apply about 2-3 layers, blending after each application, which can be bothersome when I’m trying to rush out the door stat. They’re buildable though, so I’m not gonna complain since they are much more affordable than the By Terry Ombre Blackstars!

Longevity

I’ve only ever tried a few shades on the lids, but the ones I did try (which is everything except Grey Crystal, Lavish Lavender and Lilac Lust) lasted for about six to eight hours on the lids (worn on its own) before they start fading or creasing. They last a bit longer with a primed base, but I personally dislike having to prime my lids for crayon application because crayons are supposed to be long lasting even without primer.

So I normally just apply them without primer and top them off with powder shadows. They can last up to ten hours when used as a base for powder shadows.

Maybelline Color Tattoo Crayon Review

So the “up to 24 hour” claim is a bit too far fetched IMO.

Packaging

Nothing unique about the packaging, but I like that it’s in a twist-up form. They’re also much more durable than the Clinique ones. See what happened to my Clinique Chubby Stick eyeshadows here.

Maybelline Color Tattoo Crayon Review

They’re not crazy bulky, but they’re not too tiny/slim either, which makes them great for travel. The cap also doesn’t come off too easily, it actually latches and clicks in place when you put it on.

Maybelline Color Tattoo Crayon Review

Here’s what it looks like on my palm so you can have an idea of how big it is.

Price

These are only available in the US at the moment since they’ve just released this early last month (I think). They retail for US$5.99 at Target, US$6.99 at Ulta, and around the same price at drugstores.

Ulta currently has a Buy 1 Get 1 50% Off promotion for Maybelline products so now’s the perfect time to get them!

Overall

I’ve tried a number of other drugstore stick eyeshadows (L’Oreal Infallibles, Rimmel Scandaleyes, NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils, etc.) but these are seriously among the best I’ve tried in terms of formula, longevity and packaging. Other drugstore ones have caps that easily come off, but these are so sturdy. Other ones also crease so easily, and these don’t.

Maybelline Color Tattoo Crayon

So if you’ve got the extra time to blend and layer, I recommend you to try at least a few shades from this range. My top picks are Bronze Truffle, Creamy Chocolate, Charcoal Chrome and Audacious Asphalt.

For the price, I think they’re amazing. They’re by no means close to the quality of the By Terry Ombre Blackstars, but the By Terry ones are US$44 while these are only US$6, so I can’t complain!