Budget Cream Eyeshadows: Catrice Stylo Eyeshadow Pen and Essence 2 in 1 Eye Shadow & Liner

Both Essence and Catrice released their version of cream eyeshadow's in a pen/stick form and while Catrice's come in a very similar shape to Kiko's famous stick eyeshadows, Essence's come in a jumbo pen form. I'm a big fan of eyeshadows in this format and I use them all the time as a base for powder eyeshadows to intensify them, make them stick on better and last longer. I trialled both Essences and Catrice's in the shop a few times before I decided to purchase them and both really impressed me with their staying power. I grabbed two of each and I was focusing more on shades I don't own yet, but I did take one shade that's similar to my other ones to compare and see if we have a dupe situation on our hands.

Catrice Stylo Eyeshadow Pen

Texture: These are very siliconey-smooth, which makes the application and blending very easy. While the pigmentation isn't as intense as at Kiko's, in terms of how the texture feels, both formulas are very similar. Both of my shades have shimmer in them, which means they might affect how even the colour looks on the lids, especially as the eyeshadows start to wear off. The colour can gather around shimmer parts and it's not quite as even looking as at Essence's versions which are more satin on the lids. This is only a problem when they are worn on their own.

020 G'Old Mc Donald

020 is a champagne gold shade with a shimmery finish. It can be used as an intense inner corner highlight since it's a pale shade. Shimmer particles are quite large, so it doesn't look as smooth and nice applied on its own, but as a base it's great.

040 Brown to Earth

040 is a brown bronze shade that is similar to Kiko's 06 Golden Bronze, but a touch more muted. However, if you're looking for a similar, cheaper shade, this is a very decent dupe shade. It's great as a base and looks better on its own on the lids than G'Old McDonald, but it doesn't look as smooth as Essence's versions. The shade is a classic and it's a standard colour in almost every cream eyeshadow range (Kiko's 06, Maybelline On and on Bronze, Essence 01 go bro'nze to name a few), so it's what I call a safe bet colour.

Staying power: With a powder eyeshadow they last all day with no problem. They can crease if the eyeshadow on top is very buttery, but it's not that bad. On their own they will crease at the end of the day, but only little on normal eyelids and the colour will last at least 10 hours.

Packaging: It's very similar to Kiko's with the twist up design, but the product doesn't go back in soon because the base apparently snaps off, so you need to manually push it back in.

Price and availability: I got mine in Müller for 4.29 €.

Essence 2 in 1 Eye Shadow & Liner

Baca Juga

Texture: These are slightly more compact or waxy than Catrice's or Kiko's and Golden Rose's, but still very smooth to apply and they blend so well with fingers and brushes. Pigmentation is great, but not as intense as at Kiko's, though you can build up the colour.

03 light me up

03 is a light milky beige with a satin, slightly shimmery finish. It's a simple shade for an everyday look, but I don't like to wear it on its own because I prefer more defining colours. It works as a neutral shade that intensifies other colours, like bright ones.

06 she's got the mauve

06 is a taupe violet shade, a muted mauve. This is by far my favourite shade, probably out of all cream eyeshadows I own, just because it works so well with my colouring.

Staying power: These last comparably to Catrice's, so all day with a powder eyeshadow on top, but also quite well without, again they will last all day and with less creasing than Catrice. They look better at the end of the day than Catrice because they don't contain so much shimmer, especially She's got the Mauve looks fab at the end of the day.

Packaging: A jumbo twist up pen with a cap that clicks therefore ensures that the product won't dry out fast. Great packaging and it's commendable of Essence that they decided on a twist up instead of having to sharpen it.

Price and availability: I got them in Müller for 2.99 €.

Reviews of: Maybelline On and On Bronze, Golden Rose Eyeshadow Crayon 14, Kiko 06 Golden Bronze and Kiko 38 Golden Taupe.

While both versions are truly fantastic cream eyeshadows (Cosnova did a great job, though we should already fear when they'd be discontinued), I find Essence the winner in this little battle. Essence's look smoother on the lids, since they aren't as shimmery and they last better on the lids. The shade ranges are different enough that there aren't many dupes between the two, exceptions are Catrice 040 Brown to Earth - Essence 01 go bro'nze and possibly Catrice 51 shades of grey - Essence 05 I'm blue (Excellent swatches of both ranges here and here). What else can I say other than I'm impressed.

Have a great day!