Current Favourite Cream Shadow Sticks

I am an eyeshadow gal through and through. Cream shadow sticks are a big part of that, offering an easy way to add a pop of colour or highlight to the eyes on lazy days, or saving me from my oily eyelids as an eyeshadow base, extending the life of my makeup on long work days. While eyeshadow primer is a must for me, creating a look with powder eyeshadow often takes some work, building up pigment and blending. On days where I need a quick easy look, I am much more likely to reach for a cream eyeshadow, quickly blended all over the lid, topped and set by a matching powder shade. This gives me instant pigment and lasting power, with no fallout, reducing the amount of time I need to spend in front of the mirror in the morning.

When it comes to cream shadows, what I am after is a creamy formulation that does not set too quick, giving me some time to blend, however when it does set it should last on the lid without budging for a good amount of time. Today I will be taking you through some of my favourite formulations and shades of the moment.

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THE NUDESTIX MAGNETIC LUMINOUS AND MATTE EYE COLOURS

The Nudestix Magnetic Luminous Colours are a pencil formulation that can be used as an eyeshadow, a primer or a highlight stick. These pencils have a satin finish, not overly glittery, with intense colour and a creamy, buildable texture that last for a whole day. The Nudestix Magnetic Matte Colours are just as long-lasting and diverse as the Luminous formulation, but perfect for a matte look. Nice to use both as eyeshadow and liner pencil, I find them a little more difficult to diffuse and blend.

These are the fastest setting between all of todays favourites, so you need to be a little bit quick to avoid any unsightly unblended patches, however they are truly amazing. They are not tacky at all and once set, they last all day. If you have oily eyelids I would recommend further setting with eyeshadow for extended wear, however they perform nicely on their own as well.

My favourite shades are – from left to right:

NUDITY: a gorgeous shimmery rose gold, beautiful all over the lid or as a highlight.
RUSTIC GROTTO: a shimmery pink terracotta with a rose gold shift.
PRAIA: a gold shimmer with a peachy undertone, a beautiful summer shade or highlight.
MAROON’D: a gorgeous deep pink-mauve with a warm undertone. Truly Beautiful.

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THE ETUDE HOUSE PLAY 101 BLENDING PENCIL

The Etude House Blending Pencil was a bit of a pleasant surprise having never purchased any Korean cosmetics before. I have been using it consistently since purchase and am looking to get my hands on a few more shades. I am pretty sure it has now been discontinued, however you can still get your hands on them in some places online.

It is beautifully creamy and easy to blend, perfect as an eyeshadow base. It is a little too creamy to wear on its own, especially for someone with oily eyelids, however when set with eyeshadow I can be sure it will last all day. Shade #6 is a gorgeous matte light warm brown, my favourite base for warm looks. I just pop a maroon or a warm brown on top and Voila! A beautiful, simple everyday look.

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THE MISSHA EYE FIT STICK SHADOW

Missha has always been a brand I associated exclusively with skincare, however their makeup line popped up during one of my Korean beauty shopping sprees and I figured I’d give their eyeshadow sticks a go. I must say this is the easiest to blend out of all the products I am showing you today as it has a thinner consistency than the rest. It glides on very easily and can be blended with the finger or a brush. I purchased the Eye Fit Stick Shadow in the shade French Roasting, which is a lovely deep brown shade with a slight shimmer running through it.

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THE MECCA MAX ZOOM SHADOW STICKS

The Mecca Max Zoom Shadow Sticks are the latest addition to my collection. They are only available in Australia from Mecca, however I had to give them a shout out because they have filled a gap in my collection I was long looking to fill. They are creamy to apply and you get a decent amount of time to blend with these and once they set, they don’t budge. I purchased the shades Rust and Olive. They are both gorgeous, however the standout for me is Olive. I have been searching for a true olive green for such a long time and I am so, so excited to have found it. It goes on opaque and does not turn patchy or muddy, like other green shades seem to do. Absolutely beautiful.