Crayola makeup has launched on ASOS and our inner child is excited

I wonder sometimes if my love for makeup crayons - be they blush, shadow or colour correcting - stems from an early obsession with stationery, or whether it’s just because they speak to my lazy side. Perhaps it’s both, but either way no makeup has ever come closer to the over-filled pencil cases of my youth than the launch of Crayola Beauty.

Combining a clever dose of nostalgia with practicality and plenty of fun, the new range is as colourful as you’d imagine, and hard to distinguish from the original wax crayons and felt tips we used in our colouring books (note, keep away from children - they’ll be sorry stubs in no time).

Thankfully, the texture is very different to the originals - no one wants a waxy eye or lip after all - and the range is pretty vast, with 58 vegan and cruelty-free pieces in the 'gender-fluid' collection and 95 shades to choose from, all starting from a budget-friendly £9.

Here’s what we thought of the new line and what we’ll be colouring our faces in with from now on…

Highlighter Crayons, £11

These are the real highlight of the launch. They’re (thankfully) not neon like the stationery of our youths but gorgeous, glowy bronze shades that glimmer without the glitz. A stubby, fatter crayon with a rounded tip, the texture is not dissimilar to those in higher end brands and the finish is flattering and chic. Fair skin tones will love the champagne-like Desert Island shade while deeper skin tones will set off the richer bronze of Sun Gold beautifully.

Lip and Cheek Crayons, £9

These super creamy crayons are similar in size to the originals in your pencil case so you can apply with more precision to lips or cheeks - but the soft formula makes blending easy so you won’t be left looking like a line drawing. The depth of pigment seems to vary from shade to shade; the barely-there Peachy Pink is a simple nude but blend too much and it’ll all but disappear, while the pretty sparkly Mango Tango gives a sheer finish without the need to smudge (in fact, smudge too much and you’ll be left with just the glitter). Deeper shades such as Maroon give much more punch, though, so apply sparingly and blend, blend, blend if you’re applying to cheeks. For lips, though, they’re foolproof.

Colour-Changing Lip Crayon, £9

We were pleasantly surprised by this one - lipsticks that react to the pH levels of your lips to transform into your ideal, individual shade can sometimes go awry with purple tinges or shades that are far too bright, but a swift swipe of this gave us a slightly deeper pink than our natural lip tone with a glossy, balmy finish and plenty of staying power.

Face Crayon, £9

Designed to be used on eyes, lips and cheeks - wherever you like in fact - this versatile crayon has a decent level of pigment and is easy to draw with, whether you’re going for graphic lines or a soft smokey eye. The blendable texture is again easy to erase, so go easy if you want it to stick around, but we predict these will be in high demand come Halloween , festivals or any other face-painting occasions - they're spot on for doodling.

Mermaid Eyeshadow Palette, £18

Given their background we expected the crayons to be the star of the Crayola Beauty show, but the palettes are impressive; this Mermaid edition has an ethereal, iridescent feel with 10 shades in a combination of matte and shimmer finishes. The shadows are high in pigment, velvet-soft to allow for blending and pretty wearable shades whether you’re into the mermaid look or not (though there’s a smokey eye and nude shadow palette in the range too for a more classic approach). Time to get painting.

Mascara, £10

Every makeup collection needs one, but mascara is hard to master. Crayola’s version has a skinny wand with a thin bristle brush, and a waterproof formula in varying shades from black to bright. It’s average, and not going to beat the big guns for drama and volume - but let’s be honest, it’s the crayons we’re here for anyway.

Crayola Beauty is available exclusively at  ASOS here