The Different Shades of Taupe.

Taupe has been my eye makeup color of choice as of late, and it's no secret that it's also a consistent favorite among many a makeup lover. Unlike pretty much everyone else on the planet, though, I do not own MAC Satin Taupe, nor have I ever tried it. What are your thoughts on it, by the way - is it a must-have? Let me know, please :)

Too Faced Like a Virgin (top) and Urban Decay Mushroom

I have Like a Virgin from the Too Faced Eye Love palette, which was a recent Sephora 500-point perk, but it's originally from their Naked Eye palette. It's a slightly plummy, grey-taupe, and it's the only matte taupe in my collection. Mushroom is from my UD Alice in Wonderland palette and is a silvery, pewter-taupe.

Clockwise from left:

Wet n Wild "Eyelid" shade from Silent Treatment palette

Benefit Where There's Smoke

Wet n Wild Nutty

The taupe from the Silent Treatment palette is silvery, purple-taupe, while Where There's Smoke is a pewter-taupe, but with a bit more of a brownish-green tone to it, as opposed to UD Mushroom, which is more silvery. Nutty is a brown-taupe.

Jouer creme eyeshadow in Cashmere (left) and Sephora Jumbo Liner in Taupe

Cashmere (previously reviewed here) is a golden, brown-taupe, and Taupe (discussed in further detail here) is metallic, brown-taupe that has a similar sheen to the "eyelid" shade in the WnW Silent Treatment palette, though the WnW shade is much more purple-toned.

Left to right:

TF Like a Virgin

UD Mushroom

WnW Silent Treatment "Eyelid" shade

Benefit Where There's Smoke

WnW Nutty

Jouer Cashmere

Sephora Taupe

All of the powder taupe eyeshadows, with the exception of Too Faced Like a Virgin, have excellent pigmentation and wear beautifully on the eyelids, especially when used over primer (I use UDPP). 

I'd say the one that stands out to me the most, in terms of both shade and quality, is Benefit Where There's Smoke. The color is absolutely gorgeous and it lasts all day on me without any fading or creasing whatsoever. 

Too Faced Like a Virgin is nice, but it suffers from much the same fate as other matte eyeshadows before it, in that it can sometimes apply a bit patchy and slightly chalky. It's not terrible by any means - it's just not as smooth as the other, non-matte taupes.

As for the cream and the pencil taupes, I've linked two posts above where I talked about those in more detail, so check those out if you're interested.

I have my beady little eye on Le Metier de Beaute Corinthian (supposedly the taupe of all taupes), but I have a feeling that's one taupe that may end up just keeping a permanent spot on my wishlist. I actually ordered it a few months ago when it was on backorder, but when I found out it wasn't going to be available for at least 2 months, I cancelled my order. Who in the world has the patience for that?! And let's not forget it costs $30 for a single eyeshadow o_0

Are you a taupe fan? What's your favorite taupe eyeshadow?