this formulation and the matte formula is great! major props to maybelline for a matte cream eyeshadow! [: but this color is a little dark is all. i dont wear dark colors on my lid, which is what i like cream eyeshadows for: just a quick wash of color, but this, i have to put it in my crease or outer corner just because it is dark, which is why i gave ita 4.

The quality of this is fantastic...one of the best cream products at the d/s. Over a light primer, it lasts forever on me. It is a little bit drier than the other CT products because it is matte. Alas, the color was not flattering on my olive skin, more of a concrete than a taupe. On the plus side, it will get use because it is awesome for brows! I mean AWESOME! I don't usually shout but if you have dark brows, this looks incredibly natural and lasts all day.

Lovely, long-lasting cream eye shadow in a beautiful matte taupe that really highlights my blue eyes. This is my everyday go-to shadow when I don't want to fuss. I tap on MAC's Painterly Paint Pot and then this, darkest next to the lash-line and fading out to just about the crease. Add mascara and you have a soft, polished look that lasts all day. This shadow is not shiny so if you're into shimmer, it's not for you. If you want a classic, flattering eye look, try Tough as Taupe. Great quality for the price.

I truly love the Maybelline eye studio products and when these color tattoo cream shadows came out I knew that I just had to try it. Tough as taupe is the second one that I have picked up and I need to get more I just love these shadows. They are great as a base but also as an all over lid shade you can also blend these very well which I love. They are also very long wearing and really don't crease, I've only had it crease once and honestly just a little pat with my fingers and it was good as new. Overall amazing product that I am definitely going to pick up more of.

I greatly appreciate make-up products that don't irritate my sensitive skin, and this scores points immediately for not doing so. I've worn Tough as Taupe both as an eyeshadow base (to deepen up my favourite Urban Decay shadows) and as a simple wash of colour. I think it wears very well - it certainly lasts until after work for me, without creasing.
In shade, it reminds me of a MAC paint I used to have in Snapshot - a murky, puddle grey colour. The kind of colour that is pretty bland but ultimately incredibly useful.

As I have said before I don;t realistic expect any makeup to last 24 hours, and I would be a little worried if one did. However I would expect better wear from this. After 8 hours its creased in the lids, and after 12 hours most of it has worn off. As the others have said, it's a bit of a stretch to call this taupe. There are definite grey tones and and although it looks a bit muddy prior to application it really does go on well. I was really hoping to use this as a primer, but its far too dark for my skin to be used as a primer.

I don't have much to compare this to since I don't tend to use cream e/s, but this is a WONDERFUL product. Definitely worth the hype, but not as easy to use as I'd hope.

In the tub, the color looks like a purpely-taupe, like MAC's Satin Taupe e/s but without the shimmer. On my lids (NC25 Asian, very warm), a thin layer of it DOES look like a cool, soft taupe. The warmth of my skin peeks through, so that may be why I get more of a taupe and other people don't. If you want more color, you can layer some more product on with a finger, but then the color turns into more of a putty grey. I like pairing it with Satin Taupe or a brown, although honestly, you could probably pair this color with anything. It works great both as a wash and as a 'crease' color, and you can easily layer powder eyeshadow on top.

To solve the application / "too dark" problems some people are having, I HIGHLY recommend applying a thin layer of this product with a blending / round eyeshadow brush. It'll even out the application and also prevent you from applying too much right on the go. It's easy to build up! Also, the raves about the staying power is true. This stuff STAYS and stays and stays (especially with a primer). I accidently rubbed at my eyes with this on once (no primer that time) and nothing budged or came off on my fingers. So impressive!

This is a product similar in formulation and quality to the MAC Paintpots or Bobbi Browns cream shadows. I think a better, more descriptive name would have been 'Tough as Concrete' instead or just simply 'Concrete' because that is a much more apt description of the color. Don't get me wrong, the color is really pretty - it just isn't taupey.

My shade: NC25
Tough as Taupe: Not a true taupe, leans more grey and cool toned, matte
Texture: Smooth, buttery, easy to blend
Staying power: So so, not as great as a paint pot, but not far off. Well worth the price and lasted a good few hours before creasing.
Overall, it was just a bit too cool toned for my warm skin and washes me out. I prefer the Bad to the Bronze shade which is much warmer and a bit more shimmery. I liked that Tough as Taupe was matte because I prefer flat finishes, but the color was just a bit off for me.

I find that compared to other colors of this product, this is a little streaky/doesn't apply as smoothly. Applying with a synthetic brush (like a MAC 142 or 152) definitely makes it easier and smoother. Part of the application problem is probably because it is matte and more opaque that some of the shimmery colors, which hides a slightly uneven application. As other reviews say, it is a muddy clay-gray-brown color, but it pairs really beautifully with the right shadows layered over it. I actually really like it paired with MAC's Satin Toupe in the crease.

As other reviewers have stated, this is more gray than taupe; it actually kind of reminds me of the colour of mud! It's also matte, unlike most (all?) of the other shades in this line. The staying power is quite impressive, I must say. However, this shade and the fact that it's so matte didn't work for me. P.S. The heavy glass jar packaging seems a bit excessive, and hard to travel with.

This is my second purchase in this line. I purchased Bad to the Bronze first, which is a shimmery taupe. This color is not taupe at all, but is actually a cool toned matte gray. I love the color. It's very flattering on my dark brown eyes and medium olive skin. I apply it very lightly on the lid, and sometimes I use it as lower lid liner. I've tried applying a second coat in the outer V and crease to shadow my eyes for a monochromatic look, but I find that it cakes when applied too heavily, so I have to be careful. Because this is matte and not shimmery, it wears best with primer underneath. I haven't had a chance to play with this using other shadows in my collection, but I know this neutral will work with just about anything. This is a great drugstore product, and I will definitely repurchase.

This was my first Colour Tattoo shadow. I was so pleased that I've since purchased Bad to the Bronze.
Tough as Taupe is a very matte, very grey toned taupe shadow. It is so matte that it can look a little flat but that is easily remedied by putting a shadow with some sheen over-top. It can also be a bit dry when applying it - not the easiest to blend out evenly. But the matte finish makes it very workplace appropriate. And this stuff wears like iron. I had a training session today at the gym with my personal trainer and he pushes me so hard that I sweat like crazy. So I figured this would be a great way to put the wear to the test. I followed my training session with 30 minutes of running. And this shadow didn't budge! So on its own or as a base, Tough as Taupe is REALLY long wearing. While I can't really see myself finishing this up, I would certainly repurchase it. While I like the colour and finish of Bad to the Bronze a bit better, Tough as Taupe is a practical "work horse" neutral and very long wearing but it comes off easily with a decent makeup remover.

I wanted to like this sooo bad, but it just doesn't work for me. First, I'll go over the positives. The packaging is high quality, and it's easy to see which color you have. It applies smoothly and doesn't crease. It lasts all day. I really only have one negative. I end up with shadows under my eyes about 3/4 of the way through the day...and it's very obvious that it's this shadow. It almost looks like I lightly applied it under my eyes. I don't have oily lids, but it traveled nonetheless. Maybe I'll try a different shade - sometimes mattes and shimmers are a little different in the way they wear.

Hmmm... this product is amazing! i used this product today all over the lid and covered with a shimmery MAC shadow called Dazzle-light and it looks phenomenal! I love neutral colours and the product is so workable to how pigmented you want it to look. I suggest applying this product with your figures because it works better than a brush and helps move the product to where you want it. there is so much potential for the product. The only thing that kind of sucks is the packaging. It is in a glass container with a plastic tist off lid which creates a possibility for the product to dry out quickly. But if you use this product in correlation with other colours (depending on eye colour and skin tone) you can really work this product. Definetly work a re-purchase

Beautiful product. I am 46 years old, have pale skin, strawberry blonde hair and hazel eyes. This is the first eyeshadow I have tried and then went back to the store to purchase a back up. On me the color is a true taupe, I know some reviewers have said it is more gray or purpley, but on me it is taupe. I hope Maybelline will soon offer more matte shades. Does anyone know if this is going to be a permanent line? I hope so.
LOVE IT!

I was hanging out at the drugstore, waiting for a prescription, and decided to buy a jar of this. I was tempted by the purple, or the luminous teal, but thought to myself, "Self, you almost never wear eyeshadow anyway; at least get a neutral."
Well. My test swatches proved that my first instincts were correct; I could've at least gone for the bronze. On my complexion, the "taupe" (which as others have said, inclines to the grey) is pure essence of corpse; not flattering at all. I suppose for someone who did (ever!) wear enough eye makeup to need a base shade, this would be a good base shade for a darker palette.
The good:
My test swatches (on a Sunday; at least I didn't go out wearing this) lasted all afternoon; I have oily lids, and the vast majority of eye makeup will crease or run on me very quickly, so that's a plus for the formulation in general.
Although the colour is a complete fail for me as a shadow, you know what it is really great for? My brows. Perfect match. I haven't liked my past attempts to use powder to fill in my brows, as nothing is stranger than a smudged brow (and I do smudge them; I never learn to leave my face alone during the day) -- but this doesn't smudge. So at least I'll get some use out of it.
The not-so-good:
I love the aesthetics of a glass pot, but man, they make me nervous. I have real tile floor in the bathroom. I haven't dropped one yet, but there's always a first time.
And, of course, I have to dunk my finger, or something, into it to apply.
Would I buy it again? Well, not THIS colour (I don't fuss with my eyebrows that often) but if I needed a shadow, I might branch out into the other, more thrilling shades.

I was really excited to try these. I have not tried it as a base because I'm yet to find a color that this would go with, I'm just judging this on using it alone. I really think that it works well. It does not live up to 24-hr claim, but I think that the staying power is decent alone. It probably will work really well as a base. The color is pretty. It comes off as a really smoky neutral on my eyes, and it's not too much for daytime. I really want to try more of these.

I finally figured out how to make this WORK for me. Ok so yea its a taupe-y matte long lasting grey. I'm sure most have heard raves about it by now & thats what sold me to grab it too. But I caN'T wear this as an all over the lid, I'm an NC20 & its wayy tooo dark--makes me look like I just got punched. Also, couldn't use it as a base because layering would look too dramatic. So finally saw a yt tutorial with this being used on the outer 1/3 of the eye for a soft daytime smokey look. I use champagne/silver/even nude colors on the lid & accent this in my outer V only. I just use my fingers to tap it in & my shader lid brush to draw it into the crease a bit and BAM it looks so polished & professional. This product saves me alot of time & is unique in color/texture/quality to the other shadows in my collection Love at last. continued >>

I don't like these creme eyeshadows at all! They creased on me terribly! I wish I had better results like everybody else on here, but I just didn't. I used it with a primer (Urban Decay) and without, and this creased both ways. The color was more gray, not so much a taupe, so I was disappointed in that as well.