January 13, 2016

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon Review & Swatches

I purchased this item and I receive a small commission if you shop using the links in this post.

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayons

Maybelline Eyestudio Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon ($6.99 or Buy 1, Get 1 50% at Ulta.com) are a new high intensity cream eyeshadow pencil or crayon with an “Up to 24 Hour” wear that launched with the Maybelline Spring 2016 Collection in 10 permanent shades.

As a Color Tattoo Eyeshadow lover I thought for sure these new Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon would be a hit for me especially considering the packaging is a heck of a lot better than the pots that the original Tattoos come in. As much as I love Color Tattoo Eyeshadow I’m learning now that over time they do dry out sadly. Since their introduction Color Tattoo Eyeshadow has released in a variety of shades and formula like Color Tattoo Leather and Color Tattoo Metals and even come in a loose powder with the introduction of Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo Pure Pigment Eyeshadow.

I guess at this point the only place to go was with a new packaging and design right? So pencils or crayons are the order of business this year for the Color Tattoo family and there are 10 of ’em to choose from.

Here’s my thoughts on them!

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon Swatches (Lavish Lavender, Lilac Lust, Bronze Truffle, Creamy Chocolate, Gold Rush, Charcoal Chrome)

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon Swatches (Lavish Lavender, Lilac Lust, Bronze Truffle, Creamy Chocolate, Gold Rush, Charcoal Chrome)

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon aren’t really a new concept by any means. A host of different brands do a variety of different eyeshadow pencils however, since these have the “Color Tattoo” name they will garner interest from fans of the potted formula. I, like many of you, have collected so many of the original Color Tattoos and loved on many of them so when I noticed that Maybelline was launched a crayon in this formula I was all aboard to try them.

We have such a market saturated with different eyeshadow pencils as I said. NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils, Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Sticks, the newer L’Oreal Infallible Eye Crayons, Milani Shadow Eyez Eyeshadow Pencils and many, many others. You’ll have ask yourself what exactly sets Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayons apart with such a vast variety of cream eyeshadow pencils that are already on the market.

I’ll tell you one main difference between Maybelline’s new pencils and others. COLOR! I have to admit I’m slightly shocked by the lack of color in this release. There are no aquas, no blues, no oranges, or bronzes, there’s a kinda green shade but no olive greens or forest greens…so in fact brands like L’Oreal, NYX, and Rimmel bring the normal round up of neutral, natural bronzes, golds, browns, and taupes but they also bring vibrant shades of aqua, blues, greens, oranges, etc….

Maybelline’s Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayons are sorely lacking in vibrant shade selections sadly. I’m positive they’ll redeem this and we’ll start seeing these crayons pop up in limited edition shades but right now, the main core collection is a little limited.

These are twist up design that are 0.08 oz in size for $6.99 a shade. These aren’t the cheapest option available nor the biggest considering NYX Jumbo Pencils are 0.18 oz in size and $4.49 and Rimmel’s are 0.11 oz for $4.49 as well but with so many sales at the drugstore you’ll likely never pay full price. Just a note about packaging, these tops are very loosely. You have to make sure to press them in tightly and listen for a small clicking sound so you know they are sealed shut.

Another difference between Maybelline’s Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayons and the vast amount of other options out there would be the formula. These are a lot slicker compared to Milani, Rimmel, L’Oreal, and NYX’s pencils. They are super soft, very thin in consistency, and have a smooth, easy slick glide across lids. This slickness is a little built of a downfall for the formula as you have to build a lot to get an intense color pay off. I find the thinner consistency means color wears away as you blend with a finger tip. You can glide on color directly from the pencil but you need a finger to blend it out. I find as it blends the color sheers away and I have to go back and go over the color with the pencil a few times to built it up. This isn’t a big deal but it can be a little annoying if I am in a hurry. The original Color Tattoo has a thicker formula compared the the crayons. This thickness means the color applies more evenly and doesn’t blend out into oblivion. It also wears a lot longer compared to the crayons that tend to crease within an six hour period. I can get eight hours out of them with eyeshadow primer in place. These aren’t a formula that oily eyelids will love and they likely will disappear very, very quickly if you have oily skin.

Maybelline Bronze Truffle Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon

Maybelline Bronze Truffle Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon (Bronze Truffle)

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon (Bronze Truffle)

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon (Bronze Truffle)

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon (Bronze Truffle)

Maybelline Charcoal Chrome Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon9

Maybelline Charcoal Chrome Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon9

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon (Charcoal Chrome)

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon (Charcoal Chrome)

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon (Charcoal Chrome)

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon (Charcoal Chrome)

Maybelline Creamy Chocolate Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon

Maybelline Creamy Chocolate Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon (Creamy Chocolate)

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon (Creamy Chocolate)

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon (Creamy Chocolate)

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon (Creamy Chocolate)

Maybelline Gold Rush Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon

Maybelline Gold Rush Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon (Gold Rush)

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon (Gold Rush)

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon (Gold Rush)

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon (Gold Rush)

Maybelline Lavish Lavender Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon

Maybelline Lavish Lavender Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon (Lavish Lavender)

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon (Lavish Lavender)

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon (Lavish Lavender)

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon (Lavish Lavender)

Maybelline Lilac Lust Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon

Maybelline Lilac Lust Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon (Lilac Lust)

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon (Lilac Lust)

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon (Lilac Lust)

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon (Lilac Lust)

Pigmentation, as you can see from my photos below, is quite gorgeous however, I spent a lot of time building to get this intensity. Sure, on a simple swipe you can get intense color but as I mentioned they sheer out and away as you blend. This means you have to go back in and apply at least four layers of eyeshadow to get the intensity you see below.

There are many drugstore brands that already have excellent, solid performing eyeshadow pencils that are a bit cheaper and formulated a lot better with a variety of shades. Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon are a miss for me sadly. The thin formula proves cranky and irritating to work with when I’m in a rush and just want to swipe a shade on, blend out, and go! I also think they’ll prove a nightmare for oily lids. I like the idea, I just think the formula doesn’t live up to the original Color Tattoo name.

Maybelline Color Tattoo Concentrated Crayon are available now at Ulta.com and launching at all drugstores.

Tried them already?

Do share your thoughts!

I purchased this item and I receive a small commission if you shop using the links in this post.

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Lorraine

    That’s too bad. I was drooling over the promo photo with the gold& purples. One of those colors stood out to me in person I think it was lavish lavender because it looked like a taupe greyish lavender metallic color, really unique but it doesn’t look as unique on the eyes as I expected. Also I have oily lids so forget it!

    Too bad 🙁

  • Chelsea

    I bought the bare and bronze truffle shades, I love them! So easy and affordable.

  • Laura

    Ah this is bad, those were the product that stood out the most out of the new spring releases.
    I have no issues with the original Color Tattoos in pots, I mostly use a small concealer buffer to apply cream eyeshadows anyway.
    Have you tried the Kiko Long Lasting Sticks? These are like the Color Tattoos in stick form to me. So good and the color palette has everything!

    • Isabella Muse

      No not yet! Everyone keeps telling me I need to try the Kiko ones but it’s one of the few products I haven’t yet tried from Kiko! 😉 I need to get on those Laura!

  • Michelle

    These are horrible on oily lids. I have the truffle color and although the color is pretty, these creased like crazy (even with UD primer potion under them). Normal color tattoo pots don’t crease on me, but I find they dry out quick even if you store them upside down. They get dry and “chunky” so I don’t buy them anymore. I was really sad that these were such a miss on me. Hope they work out for others, but I suggest only buying 1 to start!

    • Isabella Muse

      I suspected as such! I don’t have oily lids but they seem so slick that I feared they would crease crazily on oily skin! Sorry Michelle :-/

    • Daniela

      Which crayons do you think work best on oily lids?
      I’ve actually never used these type of cream shadows, maybe because I think they won’t work very well on oily lids without primer and I secretly wanna try the ones from Jouer Cosmetics but I don’t wanna start playing with expensive ones and kinda prefer using more affordable ones first.

      • Isabella Muse

        If you’re going high end try Bobbi Brown’s formula, it really has a knack for gripping tight! NYX’s cream shadow pencils might be a good budget pick for oily lids as I see a lot of reviews saying these work well on oily eyes!

  • Sara

    Thanks for the review. I was so excited about these when I first saw them online but I was disappointed by the shade selection when I went to the store. And now you’re saying a no go for oily lids so I’m out. But, I do like the idea of the twist up product rather than sharpening a pencil. Are any of the other ones you mentioned twist up?

    • Isabella Muse

      The shade selection is super limited. If you like color this line sadly has very few colorful options :-/ You might wanna try out one if they go on sale but don’t pay full price imho! Sadly none of the ones I mentioned are twist up 🙁 E.L.F.’s are twist up as are Laura Mercier and Bobbi Brown’s but those aren’t true pencils, they are most cream eyeshadow pens!

  • Chelsey

    Loved this. After I saw your post I bought the two colors bronze truffle and creamy chocolate. Its so fast and easy to apply these. I am terrible with applying powder evenly, so this worked great for me!

  • Katherine T.

    Oh, I saw these at Walgreens on sale and almost got some, glad I held off. I have oily lids and the original Color Tattoos crease on me, even with primer, so these will probably do even worse. Another blogger with dry lids also mentioned these don’t wear as long as the originals. Bummer 🙁

  • Faye

    I have really oily lids, and the original color tattoos crease on me. For some reason, these don’t! I got one of the lavender shades. I agree, when I first got it the formula felt so slick that I thought it wouldn’t set at all, but I left a swatch on my arm and realized it just takes a longer time to set. So the way these work for me is I put one really thin layer on my lid, and keep my eyes partially closed while it sets and do the rest of my makeup. I noticed when I add a second layer it sticks really well. And surprisingly, these wear way better on me than the original formula in the pot! I find it really convenient to use, just one swipe on top, use the small tip on my lower lash line, and then intensify color with a second swipe… doesn’t budge on me.

    • Isabella Muse

      That’s awesome news Faye! Happy to hear ! I had my doubts about them working on oily lids!

  • Natalie Brown

    I love the Color Tattoos and was excited to try these but I haven’t seen any good reviews. So sad! Everyone is talking about how sheer they are and really provide just a wash of color. Like you said, there’s too many crayons on the market for less money that provide better coverage. Thanks for the honest review. 🙂

  • Lynette

    I bought the purple ones and I like them, however, I agree with you about needing to build them up a lot. You mentioned other drug store shadow sticks that work better, can you name some ? I have a hard time finding drug store options. There seems to be a lot of high end ones out there, but I don’t know many from the drug store.

    • Isabella Muse

      Yeah the building stinks. If you can find Milani’s they are great, also Rimmel makes a very nice one, and NYX are a nice formula as well 🙂 There are links in this post to reviews of these recs! Hope this helps Lynette!

  • Kelsey O’Donnell

    This review was so helpful, thank you. Also – you have such beautiful eyes!

  • Lissi Chaton

    Have you tried using these as an eyeshadow base for powder shadows? I’ve been looking at a couple of these colors to use for that purpose.