“how do I prevent eyeshadow from creasing?”

“how can I make my eyeliner last longer?”

Among the top questions I’m always asked usually have to do with making eye make-up budgeproof…and with oily lids like mine, I can completely empathize!  I’m always on the look-out for waterproof, smudgeproof, budgeproof, everytang-proof to simplify my own daily beauty routine (and upkeep throughout the day!).  Enter Make-up Forever’s Aqua Creams – a gorgeous assortment of waterproof cream colours available in a rainbow of super-pigmented colours.

(l to r): Make-up Forever Aqua Cream in Steel, Turquoise, Satin Brown and Warm Beige (photo taken in natural light)

Aqua Creams in...aqua! My (non-scientific) test :)

Waterproof you say?!  Yes, gimme!  I just had to see for myself….so here are the results of my non-scientific test of running the test swatches I had drawn on my arm under water for about five minutes (I didn’t actually mean for it be so long.  It actually took five minutes because I was attempting to get a decent shot of my one arm under water while my other hand was trying to hold the camera and press down the shutter.  Hi-tech stuff, right?!).

After 5 minutes under running water, Aqua Creams are in tact (and goosebumps are in effect!)

After running my arm under water, I patted down (vs. wiped) the Aqua Creams and taaaa-daaa!!!  …the pic above was the result!  The colour was still in tact and well-pigmented, and had minimal smudging when I went to swipe it with my finger!

Of course, the chemistry of the skin on the eyelids is different from that of my arm where I tested the swatches.  The natural (moisturizing) oils on the eyelids make any products applied on the eyelid prone to creasing.  I’ve been using Aqua Creams since the summer and I do experience light creasing by day’s end (we’re talking after an 8 hour day here!), but the colour of my shadow remains intact.

I love how the shadows appear so vividly and true to what’s in the jar, but that’s Make-up Forever for you…always quality products with the make-up artist in mind!  Aqua Creams work perfectly for photoshoots under hot and bright studio lights and maintain their intensity with little to no touch-ups required.  Aqua Creams are also multi-purpose and you can actually use them on the eyes, lips and cheeks (I have yet to try on the lips and cheeks though!).

Aqua Creams On Set: Warm Beige on the inner lids, Satin Brown in the crease! (Photo by Alice Xue)

In comparison to other cream eyeshadows out there, I had good initial experiences with MAC’s Paint Pots, but found that over time the product really tended to dry out, which I think is a culprit of its packaging.  The Paint Pot is packaged in a wide-mouthed jar-like container (well it is called a “Pot” after all) , so after each use, you have to be sure to close it tightly so that air doesn’t seep in and contribute to the product’s accelerated dry-out.  Once the product dries out, you really have to dig at it and it becomes quite difficult to blend evenly.  Mind you, Aqua Cream has quite similar open-jar packaging, but after four months or so of use, the product is still really creamy in the container.  (I will let you know if that changes!)

My one and only hope when it comes to Aqua Creams is that more colours with less shimmery textures get released in the future – my future crepey lids will need it! …and well other than that, I also hope the product will never be discontinued, of course!

Aqua Creams retail for $25 CAD and are available at Sephora stores or online at sephora.com.  Kudos to the MUFE digital team too – you’ll see that the Aqua Cream colours on the MUFE site are quite true to how they are in real life (you don’t always get that kind of quality with online make-up shopping!).

artistrhi kit essential….enjoy!