Eye make-up - cream or powder??? Help me become a grown up!

[Merse]

I've never been a big make-up wearer, but have decided at my increasingly advanced age that it is worth making an effort. This may or may not have something to do with the inspiration that is Alicia Florrick in The Good Wife - my GOD she rocks good make-up.

Anyway - the question is - cream or powder? I always thought cream was supposed to sit in creases and lines. But have also heard that powder can be more ageing…. What to do? Am wondering about cream neutral/pale base all over and then shove powder over top (in crease and all that malarky that I long to master).

Please can someone who actually knows what the Hell they are doing help?

You don't need cream eyeshadow - its just popular cos its easy to smear on with a finger. It doesn't crease on the lucky few, but I need a primer underneath.

Actually I need an eyeshadow primer under powder too - everything creases on me. I use a cheap one I got on ebay by Wet n Wild cos I'd heard it was amazing (it is).

But if you're interested in trying one, a good starter one is the bronze Maybelline Colour Tatoo one. It only takes seconds with your finger and you can slap it on as sheer or as intense as you fancy.

Oh and if you want to look at a skin-toned one, then its Painterly Paint Pot by Mac.

I personally prefer cream shadows that set and don't move. On me, they last all day, unlike powder shadows which crease and look awful after a while.
Using one of the cream shadows as a base with powders on top does make the powder shadows last longer.

For creams, I like Chanel Illusion d'ombre, but they are very shimmery/glittery. Mac Paint Pots are also very good and the colour Painterly is great as a base under powder shadows. Laura Mercier's Caviar Sticks are absolutely awesome too.

Brilliant tips. Thank you. Think definitely too ancient for glitter, but will try a Mac Paint Pot and see how that goes for starters. Reluctant to get into primers as just another sodding thing to think about and I am pretty useless, but may consider at some stage.

I prefer matte powder.

Painterly is pink toned but if you're more olive, I think they have one called Soft Ochre or something that'd be better. And check out my fave, Vintage Selection - a champagne colour thats just gorgeous if you want to look a bit dressier.

I've just bought this. Only worn it once but it was pretty good; didn't move or come off, or crease, and was good as a base for a darker colour in the crease.

It works as a primer as well as an eyeshadow.

Get yourself an Urban Decay Naked palette.

Lots of lovely neutral shade powders that blend really well - you can't go wrong. Lots of tutorials on the Internet showing you which to put where.

Try make up revolution palettes for colours
They are powders but still soft
I find they last well but use a primer
Agree with Cointreau that the urban decay one is v nice but pricey
Matte looks nicer by day which surprised me.

If you're on a budget then MUA do a version of the Naked palette, I have both and can't tell the difference.

Armed with all these excellent recommendations I am going shopping tomorrow. Love MN sometimes. Many thanks all!

I have the Maybelline Tattoo cream shadows. They definitely stay put on me If you have oily eyelids, you may have a different experience. I think people who have issues with creasing have oilier eyelids and they'll probably benefit from a primer. Someone (Urban Decay?) has a very popular eyelid primer. I don't have a problem with creasing when I wear powder shadow so I don't bother. I suppose I might have creasing if I used creamy creams.

For me, creams are harder to control. They're probably good if you want a subtle smear of colour over the whole lid. Maybe a lighter colour on the upper lid and a darker one on on the rest of the lid. But I find I can't really control where it goes with my finger - not with the precision I like.

I like to use powder shadow and a variety of brushes to put on about three shades in a specific way to contour the eye. That's just me.

By the way, there's another option and that is liquid in a tube applied with a wand not unlike lip gloss. They are less creamy and can dry to be pretty non-budging. I know Max Factor make a range of them.

RMS do eye creams that are lovely, really moisturising and start off sheer but you can add layers to build intensity.

Some of the colours look really really lovely with that shine you get from a cream eyeshadow ("solar" is a really rich gold, fab for summer, "karma" is a great deep brown/black great for an easy smoky eye night look).

But they also do a neutral colour-free [[https://www.lovelula.com/products/rms-un-powder powder]] that you can dust over the top to give a more matte look, and some of the colours look better like that I think ("magnetic", a sort of lavender brown looks sooo sophisticated set with the powder).

Some other colours (like "seduce" a rich golden brown) look good either way, just depends what look you are going for.

so you can have the best of both worlds IYSWIM

Fabulassie, the Bare Minerals one I linked to is liquid in a tube applied with a wand. It goes on quite creamy but doesn't budge once it's on.

Just bought the Bare Minerals one you linked to, Onlylovers. Like the multi tasking aspect to it. Also went for that one as reluctant to go into my local MAC store where you can just feel them longing to say 'what are you doing in here, grandma?'.

Hope you like it, Merse! I was talked into buying the peach whatsit colour but think it's a little dark for me; I'm waiting for the Barely Nude one to arrive in the post.

They are a little glittery, but I do like them.

Only I bought the BM 5in1 a while back, I went to Debenhams and had a good pry at all the colours (bought the Candlelit Peach too )

I wanted a MLBB look for my eyelids, it's nice , really lasts but it does need a light coverage only.

Just bought a Barbara Daly eye primer (not used it yet) but felt nice on the tester

Oh, do let us know about the Barbara Daly! The jury is still out on whether the BM stuff will replace all need for primers in my life, and it's good to have a back-up plan.

Is Barbara Daly back in Tesco shoes again? I loved her products.

Just wanted to say to Annarose, I just bought painterly by Mac. Just PERFECT. Thank you.