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!


EDIT: The resulting color of TAT is a dupe of MAC's Copperplate, although that e/s is a powder.

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.

EDIT: I think it might be a reasonable dupe for Chanel's NOTORIOUS blush. This makes a realistic contour - for me better than browns.

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.