Cream, Stick, and Liquid Eyeshadow Swatches

I’ve been gravitating a lot towards eyeshadows that are in a stick, cream, or liquid format lately. Perhaps it is my skin getting older and drier. Perhaps it is the way they seem to mesh with the skin in a texture that doesn’t look powdery.

This post contains affiliate links. They are marked with *AFFIL*

In any case, here are some swatches of my stick, cream, and liquid eyeshadows! I don’t really have enough of one brand to do a post for each brand. You can definitely get a sense of my favorite shades though! I’m always looking for that perfect beige champagne and sandy brown. I also threw in a couple of eyeliners that I thought could pass as a shadow.

These swatches are generally arranged with the less expensive and small indie brands on the top/right and the more expensive/luxury brands are on the bottom/left.

1. Luxurious HD Crystals from JD Glow, $10 at JDGlowCostmetics.com
2. Perfect Pearl No Budge Shadow Stick from ELF, $5 at ELF, $5 at Ulta
3. Keep It Crisp Jelly Much from Colourpop, $9 at Colourpop
4. Yogurt Jumbo Eye Pencil from Nyx, $5.50 at Ulta, $5.50 at Nyx
5. Warm Glow from Sydney Grace, $8 at Sydney Grace
6. Magnetic Pull No Budge Shadow Stick from ELF, $5 at ELF, $5 at Ulta
7. The Queen from Sydney Grace, $8 at Sydney Grace
8. Frosted Taupe Gel Glide Eyeliner from LA Girl, $5 at L.A. Girl
9. Champagne Room Color Icon Multistick from Wet n Wild, $4.29 at Ulta
10. Blossom from Sydney Grace, $8 at Sydney Grace
11. Moonlight Caviar Stick from Laura Mercier, a $16 mini at Laura Mercier, Full size $29 at Ulta
12. Luminary from Kaja, $19 at Sephora, $19 at Kaja
13. Golden Pink from Bobbi Brown, $30 at Ulta, $15 mini at Bobbi Brown
14. Au Naturel Caviar Stick from Laura Mercier, $16 mini at Ulta, $29 full size *AFFIL*
15. Metallic Taupe from Laura Mercier, $29 at Laura Mercier, $29 at Sephora
16. Pink Canyon (#11) Aqua Resist Smoky Eyeshadow Stick from Makeup Forever, $23 at Sephora,
17. Amethyst from Laura Mercier, $16 mini at Ulta, $29 at Laura Mercier
18. Flirting Game Eyeliner from Sephora Collection, $11 at Sephora
19. Chocolate Malt liquid shadow from Too Faced, $21 at Too Faced
20. Celestial Shimmer Veil from Cover FX, $28 at Cover FX

The gallery of photos below shows different angles and lighting. Click on the photo to see a larger size.

Closer Inspection Swatches

After doing 20 shades in one photo, I felt that there were a few sets that really needed their own side by side comparison so you could see the difference. A few of these look like dupes in the initial swatches, but side by side you can really see the nuances of color and texture.

Formula Reviews

I’ve been a little bit disappointed in the formulas of the ELF, Nyx, and Wet n Wild so far. I will keep experimenting and possibly grab some additional shades in the future. The Nyx wasn’t too bad, so I’ll probably try a few more shades in that line. Wet n Wild creased a ton on me, and the ELF shade magnetic pull seemed to blend to nothing on my lids, just not a lot of pigment there, but if I applied a lot and blended less it did show up better. I never used a primer, but that might help with the issues I experienced.

I really enjoy the Sydney Grace cream shadows (36 shades) for $8 and the Colourpop Jelly Much shadows for $9 (color selection changes often). So those would be my budget recommendations in this category. The Kaja Moon Crystal Sparkling Eye Pigment (swatch #12) in Luminary is a SUPER favorite both in shade and formula and at $19 it’s a mid-end price.

The JD Glow HD Crystals are actually a pigment in a little jar that you mix with a mixing medium and then it dries down to a no budge finish. This has the MOST sparkly finish ever. So this is a formula for when you really want that sparkle to be seen from AFAR! There are lots of neutral shades available, and since this is a completely dry formula it will last a lot longer than the other cream/liquid products featured in this post.

The Laura Mercier and Bobbi Brown formula have really impressed me, as they should for around $30. I plan on picking up more shades in each of those ranges. Laura Mercier has several shades available in mini size. Both brands to mini-size bundles from time to time (especially around the holidays) I don’t see much in the way of shimmer shades from Bobbi Brown though.

Some Favorite Combos:

Bobbi Brown Golden Pink on the Lid and Makeup Forever Pink Canyon in the Crease

Helpful Links

View the full line of Caviar Sticks at Laura Mercier *AFFIL* including Moonlight *AFFIL*

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