Crème Eyeshadows.

Remember me? Okay, I'm sure no one noticed I was gone, but if by some miracle you did then... sorry. I really am sorry, because I've missed blogging so much and it's been too long since I've sat down to write about makeup or things that make me as happy as a pig in shite. If you were wondering why I was gone for so long, it's because I kind of sort of moved to France (Strasbourg, to be precise) and was a bit occupied with leaving my job, saying goodbye to friends and family, setting up French bank accounts and finding my way around this amazing new city/weird supermarkets. With all that out of the way, I thought I'd chat a little about cream shadows today (or crème since, yano, France and all that jazz). This is honestly probably a boring topic for most, but gaaaaat damn I love me some cream shadows. Since I don't have even a smidgen (an actual scientific term for measuring things, I'm sure...) of my makeup collection here with me in France, I thought I would just do a small post on some of my favourite cream shadows - in addition to some new ones.

Most of these I brought with me when narrowing down my travel makeup bag, so you can guarantee these are my tried and true. Most of these have also been working pretty well with the crazy humid weather too, so bonus points for that. I don't really talk about cream shadows on my Instagram or blog too too much, but I would say 99% of the FOTD posts you see of mine on Instagram have some sort of cream shadow underneath the lid colour. Cream eyeshadows work great as a quick lazy girl eye look (a.k.a my makeup on a day to day basis) or used underneath eyeshadows to help the colour stand out or prolong the powder shadow. So now that you all know where I've been for the last few weeks and how to use a cream eyeshadow, let's get into some of my favourites!

MAC Paint Pots stick out in my mind as the original cream shadow. Now, unfortunately the one I have to photograph (Soft Ochre) isn't the most of exciting shades, but a brilliant one nonetheless. This, or Painterly Paint Pot, is easily the most versatile cream shadow you can buy and one I'd 100% recommend. Paint Pots set really quickly so work great as a primer/base in one, and Soft Ochre conceals any veining or redness on the eyelid, creating a clean canvas for any eyeshadow work you do on top. Paint Pots also come in quite a few other shades (with some fab neutral ones) so I'd recommend checking those out, too. 

Keeping in theme with the potted cream shadow, and one that is super affordable and easily found. Maybelline Colour Tattoos aren't quite as long lasting as Paint Pots but they do come pretty damn close. They have super bright turquoise and purple shades, a burgundy and lots of pretty neutral and smokey colours. I love using these alone or again, under eyeshadows and own almost all of 'em because I'm a bit obsessed with collecting them all. I'd say pick these up when they're on 3 for 2 in Boots and you might just love them. I do, I really really do.

I first heard about Kiko Cream Crush eyeshadows from Lorraine Haigney and haven't looked back since. I picked up a few when I was in Spain this summer and ran straight to my nearest Kiko in Strasbourg the day after I arrived to pick up another one because I'd forgotten to pack any with me when I moved. I want to say these come in around 12 shades and they're absolutely fab. The one I'm featuring is a beautiful warm chocolate bronze with gold shimmer, but they have some really interesting colours like a creamy dusty pink/mauve and a silver cream shadow that looks like liquid metal/glitter all rolled into one. It feels more powdery that a wet cream shadow but lasts super well throughout the day without a powder on top.

Kiko is da real MVP when it comes to cream shadows, they do not joke around. Their Long Lasting Shadow Sticks have been called a dupe for the By Terry yadda yadda's and to be honest, I would pay a lot more than €7/8 for these. This is the ultimate lazy girl product because you don't have to dip your fingers or a brush into anything, just swipe on the shadow from the stick and blend as you go. These are SUPER long lasting and come in so many colours (more than the Cream Crush metal shadows) so you can't really go wrong. Kiko isn't the easiest thing to get if you're in Ireland, but I'm 90% sure their UK website will ship there and if so, BUY ALL OF THE THINGS!

Keeping in line with the cream shadows, I thought I'd very briefly show ye their new offering from their latest limited edition collection. Their Moon Shadow sticks are "water infused" cream shadows and feel AMAZING when you swatch them on the back of your hand. I just bought two shades, a very dark glittery purple and a glittery navy blue and think they're the coolest things ever from trying them on my hand in store. Now, I haven't actually given these a proper go so I can't vouch for their longevity, but they come in 5 gorgeous colours and feel super cool on the skin (really cooling and "wet" for about 20 seconds)

Last but not least is a lil' bit of "home" for me... Penneys, hun. Their P.S Love This range just keeps getting bigger and I picked up one of their cream shadow sticks before I left for France for the absolute craic. I think they had 2 or 3 to choose from, but #13 is a beautiful peach with yellow gold duochrome (exactly like MAC's Melon Pigment) which I couldn't leave the shop without. Is it waterproof? Nah. Is it pretty and only €2.50? Yes! And I love putting it in my inner corners or using it as a base underneath eyeshadows to set the cream so I'd still recommend checking it out if you're passing by, or going in for a pair of fluffy socks and leaving with €50 worth of stuff.

Okay, that post wasn't short at all. But god it is nice to be back into the swing of things. I haven't officially started lectures over here yet, so I don't know what my timetable looks like and I'm super busy making new friends and drinking wine overlooking the river but I promise to get back into some sort of blogging routine as soon as possible. What have ye all been up to/buying? I WANT TO KNOW!