All the Right Signs

Taupe and bronze, and all their variations, seem to be all that I ever wear for my eyeshadow. Occasionally, I'll feel slightly adventurous and reach for a purple, green or blue, but most of the time, it's all about those two neutrals. One of my favourite eyeshadows is the bronze shade in the Sleek Storm palette, and I wanted to find a cream eyeshadow equivalent. There wasn't anything available from drugstore/cheaper brands (Essence Coppy Right maybe, but I never managed to find it), so I turned my attention to more expensive options. I narrowed the field down to Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in #14, MAC Paint Pot in Constructivist, Smashbox Limitless 15 Hour Wear Cream Shadow in Icon and Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner in Busy Signal. In the end, I was won over by the Benefit as I thought it was the prettiest shade of them all.

I've been curious to try the Benefit cream eyeshadows for a while, and was dead set on getting Birthday Suit, as it seemed to be the most popular and raved about shade. But when I swatched Birthday Suit on my hand, I was immediately struck by how cool and almost grey it was, like a light, silvery taupe. Though I'm usually drawn to this kind of colour, from my experience (with light taupes, and shades like Essence Glammy Goes To and L'Oréal Sahara Treasure), it never quite works on me. I remember reading about Busy Signal on Drama & Makeup, so I knew that it was probably the second best option for me if Birthday Suit was out of the picture. A lot of darker bronze cream shadows can turn out a little flat, overly dark or muddy, but Busy Signal retained a pleasing vibrancy and warmth. I also love that it's not frosty in any way. It has fine gold shimmer that adds extra sparkle and dimension.

It's a bit too dark to wear on my lids, but I've been loving Busy Signal to define my lower lashline. The gold-flecked, warm bronze is a bit more interesting and less harsh than a conventional black. I lightly dip my Ecotools concealer brush (from the Bamboo 5 Piece brush set) into the product, and run the brush two-thirds across the lower lashline from the outer corner. It manages to give me just the right amount of definition, without looking too heavy (both in terms of the colour, and softness of the line). I'm impressed by how it stays put all day. I also love just how emollient and easy to apply the Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liners are. They're significantly softer and smoother in texture than other cream eyeshadows I've tried, particularly Maybelline Color Tattoos, which are much harder and drier. The Benefit really just glides on, and you only need to brush the surface to get a good colour payoff. My only small complaint is that if shading the whole lid, it applies a little on the sheer side, and you do need to build up the colour to get full intensity. Other than that, I cannot fault this product, and it now forms part of my morning routine.