Maybelline Color Tattoo Shadows - First Look

 I went out to different stores and bought the whole collection, except for Too Cool. It's a semi-sheer white that I feel isn't very unique. (Temptalia has a swatch of it if you're still interested in seeing what it looks like.) Anyway, if you have tried to hunt these products down in stores, you know that they're hard to find. Normally new releases in the drugstore world don't get that much attention, but these are getting some hype! It was one reviewer's opinion that the Color Tattoo gel shadows actually perform better than the MAC Paint Pots.

(From top left to bottom right:) Bold Gold, Painted Purple, Tough as Taupe, Tenacious Teal, Edgy Emerald, Pomegranate Punk, Fierce and Tangy, and Audacious Asphalt.

 Dare I hope it to be true? I couldn't let such an opportunity get away! I have a love-hate relationship with Paint Pots. They are so pretty and useful-sounding, but there are certain ones that crease within minutes on me.

(From left to right:) Bold Gold, Painted Purple, Tough as Taupe, Tenacious Teal, Edgy Emerald, Pomegranate Punk, Fierce and Tangy, and Audacious Asphalt.

 Let's get into the basics. A review on long term wear will be coming later.
-Bold Gold: shimmery true gold; almost fully opaque, but can be layered
-Painted Purple: matte mid-tone purple. This one is actually light in terms of cover. It needs a few layers to reach complete opacity. 
-Tough as Taupe: matte taupe. completely opaque and very easy to make into a smoky eye
-Tenacious Teal: shimmery turquoise blue. I'm not sure where the reference to teal came from, but whatever you say Maybelline. fantastic in terms of coverage. For those of you who missed out on the cult favorite Peace eyeshadow by Urban Decay, try this. It would be a practical replacement.
-Edgy Emerald: This is the most moody of the collection, in my opinion. Its sheer like the purple, but can be layered to change opacity. With one layer, it's a light seafoam green. Add more and it gets a lime quality about it.
-Pomegranate Punk: very subtle shimmer (barely even noticeable) in a reddish-brown base. opaque.
-Fierce and Tangy: neon orange, looks matte but actually has teeny little microshimmers. I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this one. It's a great base for orange shadows to make them super vibrant. Decent coverage, though the mattes in this collection didn't perform up to the shimmers.
-Audacious Asphalt: Charcoal gray with silver shimmer, opaque.

smudge test!

I let the swatches set for ten minutes (with no primer) and then rubbed them really hard. The smudge test tells you a lot about a product. These held up amazingly well, even though I pretty much attacked my arm. The mattes won out in this category. They may be more sheer, but they stayed on without budging.