Maybelline Color Tattoo (or Color Ink in Japan)

A couple of years back a lot of beauty blogs began featuring this new product by Maybelline, that was reportedly a dupe for MAC’s infamous paint pots. MAC paint pots are cream long lasting shadows in a glass pot, they come in a range of colours and finishes and they’re a great product for using as a base for eyeshadows or on their own. I have Painterly (beige) which I love, and always intended to buy more but they’re pricy at  £16.50 a pot ( ¥3,132). And then Maybelline released their Color Tattoo cream gel eye shadows in the U.S. and the U.K., Japan got them later (as usually ). Priced at £4.99 ( ¥1,080) in the UK, they’re a steal compared to MAC paint pots.

Maybelline Color Tattoo (called Color Ink in Japan ..eh no idea why) are housed in glass pots and come in a range of colours, 6 for Japan and more for the US and UK (yeah I know, unfair). I have 3 pots from the UK, Endless Purple, Timeless Black and Immortal Grey and 1 from Japan, PK-1. A lot of western brands in Japan name they’re products with number, infuriating as it makes matching them to the shade names insanely difficult.

They’re touted as having a smooth application and 24 hour longevity. Eh, I’m never going to be wearing my make up for 24 hours, so that’s of no interest to me but smooth application? Yeah, I want that in a cream eyeshadow.  Mac Painterly is creamy, soft and applies evenly. Where as only some of the Maybeline Color Tattoos I have applied smoothly, namely PK-1, which is a gorgeous metallic pink. The other three pots, don’t apply nearly as easily and require a little extra elbow grease to make them apply smoothly.

Application issues aside, I do still like this product and I think it’s a great affordable substitute to the MAC Paint pots.

What do you think? Have you tried these? If yes, what’s your favourite colour?

Thank you for reading,

Alanna