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When I’m in a rush to get my makeup done, my favorite easy-to-use product is a cream eyeshadow stick. Today we’ll be talking about the best drugstore cream eyeshadow sticks.
…aka a lazy girls’ guide to eyeshadow.
Why we love drugstore cream eyeshadow sticks
We love powder eyeshadows, but sometimes we want something that’s going to be that little bit quicker and easier to apply — which is where cream shadows come in.
Complete a full-eye makeup look with just one swipe of product, whether you want matte shades, classic neutrals, or a bright color payoff, you can get everything in a super creamy formula.
They may not be as versatile as your eyeshadow palettes that house a variety of different shades, but when it comes to ease of use, no other eyeshadow compares.
Here are some of the best cream eyeshadows that you can get from the drugstore which deserve a space in your makeup bag.
The best affordable cream shadow sticks
You could spend your money on the popular Laura Mercier or a Bobbi Brown eyeshadow stick which is on the pricier side, but who has that kind of money to be spending on one eyeshadow color?
If you want to save some money, we’ve compiled a list of the best eyeshadow sticks from the drugstore that are creamy and easy to use — plus most of the products we’ll be mentioning come in a range of colors that include mattes and shimmers, as well as warm and cool-toned colors.
Kiko Long Lasting Eyeshadow Stick
The Kiko Long Lasting Eyeshadow Sticks should be a staple in a minimal makeup routine.
They come in a huge variety of shades so whether you want a natural everyday shade, or something a little brighter, Kiko has got you covered. Whatever your skin type or eye color, you’ll find a shade that will compliment your complexion.
Although these stick shadows are longlasting, if you do have oily lids, you could use some powder shadows on top just to lock in the cream eyeshadow and treat it as more of a base product.
Beauty Pie Shadow Stick
The Beauty Pie Shadow Sticks are the perfect creamy and easy-to-blend products that make them my go-to for most eyeshadow looks.
The interesting thing about Beauty Pie, which we’ve spoken about plenty of times here at Volumes of Beauty, is that they are able to produce professional quality cosmetics at drugstore prices. These eyeshadow sticks are one of their best products in our opinion, with a mix of shimmer shades and matte finishes to complete any eye look with 24-hour wear, what’s not to love?
The formula is soft and creamy, so it doesn’t settle into fine lines too much. It’s a great formula that we think pretty much anyone would love. Our current favorite shade is ‘En Taupe’ a nice mid-toned brown that would look great on any skin color.
e.l.f No-Budge Shadow Stick
When a shadow stick is called no-budge, we’re interested. And these e.l.f cosmetics sticks certainly live up to the name — there’s a reason they are known for their award-winning makeup.
These sticks have a built-in sharpener so you can create the perfect pointed tip for more precise application, which is useful when you want to use them to smudge along your lashline or carve out your crease.
They have mainly shimmery shades and metallic shades in the collection but still have enough variety to suit every skin tone. With a super smooth texture and the ability to last all night long, these are a great drugstore eyeshadow option.
Plus, e.l.f is known for its cruelty-free goodness, so a good choice if you care about clean beauty and the environmental impact of your beauty products.
NYX Professional Makeup Jumbo Eye Pencil
The NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils were probably the first products that really got us into cream shadow sticks. They
are an OG product in the beauty world — we all must have wanted the shades ‘French Fries’ and ‘Yogurt’ at some point, right?
The formula is light and creamy which makes it great for people with oily lids or those who just don’t want to tug on their eyelids too much when applying eyeshadows.
It isn’t a waterproof formula, but we’ve found that these are still very long-wearing, making them a great option for special occasions. Choose the shimmer finishes for a nice party makeup look, or go for the neutral colors and mattes if you want some everyday wear.
CoverGirl TruNaked Queenship Shadow Sticks
The Covergirl shadow sticks are perfect dupes for your favorite luxury alternatives. The shade range is slightly limited and heavy on the shimmer, but if that’s your thing then you’ll love this range and will be adding one of these products to your beauty routine ASAP.
The formula is nice and light and delivers the right amount of pigment for a subtle everyday look which can easily be amped up by going in with another layer. If you want to apply these like a makeup expert, we’d recommend to wear shades that compliment your eye color. You can also mix and match shades for a more complete look — like taking a darker shade to define the crease and a lighter shade to highlight your inner corner.
Wet n Wild Color Icon Multi-Stick
These Wet n Wild eyeshadow sticks are among the most affordable of my picks, but offer the best value compared to many of the pricier products and different formulas you can find on the market.
Hydrating enough for dry eyes, but sticky enough that they won’t smudge throughout the day, these eye shadow sticks provide a smooth base for any everyday or smoky eye look.
Just use it as a wash of color across your lids and you’ll look as if you’ve had years of experience as a makeup artist — even if the look only took you a couple of seconds.
PIXI Endless Shade Stick
Pixi’s makeup is pretty underrated and we don’t understand why it’s only their blushes that seem to get all of the attention — their eyeshadows are also a beauty editors favourite!
This isn’t a new release, but it does deserve a bit more commotion. The formula glides over the lids to provide a beautiful wash of color and a radiant look. The collection mainly consists of neutral colors, which is great for everyday wear, but you might need to add some eyeliner if you want a nighttime look.
Use it by itself or as an eye primer for the rest of your makeup. However you use them, they’re sure to look great.
About-Face Shadowstick
Normally, we’d say that celebrity makeup brands should be left to the celebrity makeup artists, but we have been seriously impressed by a lot of the products from Halsey’s makeup range, About Face.
Considering the affordable price of these products, these shadow sticks are great. With easy application that even a makeup beginner could get the hang of, and a range of natural and bold shade options to choose from, there’s no need to buy a big palette of eyeshadows when you could use something like this instead.
Colourpop Shadow Stix
Colourpop is one of the best brands for affordable makeup and their multitasking cream shadows are no exception. With intense pigment and a great lineup of shimmer and matte colors, you can create an easy natural makeup look in seconds with these products. These work nicely with their eyeshadow formulas, so you really can enjoy the full range of Colourpop products together.
For any makeup novices out there who want to get in with eyeshadows, these are a great starting point to create a beginner-friendly eyeshadow look. Take one of the matte shades all over the lid, then get a light shimmery color to put in the inner corners and you’ve got a simple but effective look that’s perfect for every day.
Maybelline Color Tattoo Longwear Multi-Use Eyeshadow Stix
The Maybelline cream stay shadow stick is our final stick formula to talk about today. Choosing the shade you want will come down to personal preference but, like the rest of the makeup products Maybelline has, this offers great quality for the price.
We like that they’ve got an even split of shimmer and matte shades, making sure that everyone is going to find a color they’ll love. They are also designed to be an eye primer, shadow, and liner, so you can use them to create super complex eyeshadow looks in a matter of minutes.
With a good range of colors that everyone will get along with, the formula is easy to use, super smooth, and lasts for as long as you need it to — another winner in our books.
How to apply cream eyeshadow?
If you’ve never used cream eyeshadow before, you might be surprised to hear just how simple it is to apply them — you’ll probably never want to reach for a powder eyeshadow again!
With a stick eyeshadow, just twist up the product and apply it straight to your eyes. Try to cover your entire eyelid with color, then use your finger or a brush to blend everything in. It’s as simple as that!
They’re quite different from liquid eyeshadows, like Almay’s Velvet Foil Cream Shadow which can be a bit tricky to work with. Shadow sticks are much simpler and less messy to apply, which is why so many people use them in their daily makeup routines.
If you want to ensure that your eyeshadow is going to last all day, you can go over the top with a powder eyeshadow to set everything in place — but all of the shadow sticks we mentioned above our long-wearing enough that you only need to do this if you have super oily eyelids or feel like you need to.
