MUFE Aqua Creams vs Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadow Comparison

I just wanted to do a quick post comparing two of the Make Up For Ever Aqua Creams with the two Maybelline EyeStudio Color Tattoo 24HR Cream Gel Eyeshadow (Is that not the longest name ever? MUFE puts it rather succinctly into two words but Maybelline had to take up seven?).

I do own three of the Maybelline cream eyeshadows, Bold Gold, Pomegranate Punk, and Tough as Taupe (review and 24 hour experiment pending!) but none of the eye/cheek safe colors are matte or similar to Tough as Taupe so I didn't have anything to compare to. Just for reference, the Aqua Creams come with 6 grams of product for $22 ($3.67 per gram) whereas the Color Tattoo Eyeshadows come with 4 grams of product for $7.49 ($1.87 per gram).

I compared Aqua Cream #11 to Bold Gold and Aqua Cream #17 to Pomegranate Punk and they're swatched in that order, left to right.

These were swatched on a bare arm and the pictures taken under an Ottlite.

and a slightly blurry one to show off the sparkle

Close up on #11 and Bold Gold

Close up on #17 and Pomegranate Punk

The differences are very very subtle. #11 is a more yellow toned gold whereas Bold Gold is less yellow toned, slightly more bronzy. I should note that in pictures, #11 and Bold Gold look sheerer than they are in real life. #17 and Pomegranate Punk are so close in some pictures, it's hard to tell the difference. In real life, Pomegranate Punk is a little darker and more red toned. Still though, you'd be hardpressed to tell the difference once you wear it on your eyes.

The wear time for both is quite different for me. The Aqua Cream is basically gone for me after 8 hours, no joke. It's quite strange since I know everyone touts that it's crease proof, waterproof, etc but I just didn't experience that (this really emphasizes how products that work well on me, may not on you and vice versa!). The Maybelline eyeshadows though, they've lasted 12 hours with no creasing (there's fading, more on Bold Gold's part than Pomegranate Punk but I'm still impressed. A quick note on texture, some of the Aqua Creams are really soft and squishy, while the rest are a little firmer. The two Aqua Creams I tested were on the soft and squishy side whereas the Color Tattoos are a little firmer in texture.

Hopefully this post has been useful and has aided in your decision to get the Maybelline Eyeshadows! I make no apologies for enabling everyone into getting them, especially if you can save money by getting the same colors as the Aqua Creams. Others who may find the Aqua Creams to last longer will enjoy them more than I will! My post on Tough as Taupe will be coming up once I finish testing them for a full 24 hours.

Disclaimer: I purchased these eyeshadows myself, paid with my own money. All opinions are my own.