What’s the Most Consistently Good Drugstore Brand you’ve tried?

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L’Oreal Endless Pearl 24HR Infallible Eyeshadow

L’Oreal Endless Pearl In 24HR Infallible Eyeshadow ($7.95 for 0.14 oz.) is a pale beige with neutral-to-warm undertones and a mostly matte finish. It had good color payoff, but it has the kind of texture that works best dry, as it tends to crumble and stick to itself when applied wet (so it doesn’t apply as smoothly).  Dry, it can be somewhat powdery and may look chalky on darker complexions.  This is a shade you’ll find across brands, but it’s a great basic shade that works well as a highlighter on lighter complexions or as a neutralizing color to sweep over the lid to even out their color. Bobbi Brown Ivory, MAC Shroom (warmer, satiny), Urban Decay Walk of Shame, Wet ‘n’ Wild Drinking a Glass of Shine #5, Urban Decay Anonymous (satiny), theBalm Adagio, and MAC Brule are all rather similar.

Dive Right In is an iridescent aqua blue with a frosted, metallic sheen. It had so-so color payoff when applied dry and was semi-opaque when applied damp–it was smoother when applied damp as well. This shade creased on me noticeably after eight hours of wear (no primer). This is a limited edition shade, so you’ll likely have to find it at a local drugstore (I received this as a press sample; the other two shades I purchased myself). Giorgio Armani #10 is more silvered. Make Up For Ever #150 is bluer, less iridescent. Giorgio Armani Ecailles Black Pearl #3 is much darker.

Infinite Sky is a cool-toned, medium-dark silver-shimmered blue. Applied dry, it is sheerer, while it intensifies when applied damp–and the frosted sheen becomes more pronounced as well. MAC Dimensional Blue is a smidgen lighter. MAC Moon’s Reflection is a touch darker. Urban Decay Mary Jane is bluer.

I didn’t have any wear issues with either Endless Pearl or Infinite Sky, but Dive Right In did crease noticeably after only eight hours of wear (and these are 24-hour wear, technically). I tested all three shades for a total of fourteen hours, and the other two looked about the same as when I had applied them (no fading or creasing). The texture of the three were consistent; soft, finely-milled, and mostly smooth. Endless Pearl has such a matte finish that wet application didn’t go well compared to a lot of the shimmery shades in the range (and this wasn’t unexpected–a lot of products with matte finishes don’t turn out well if applied wet).

The Glossover

	Endless Pearl A
	Product 9.5/10 Pigmentation 9/10 Texture 9/10 Longevity 10/10 Application 4.5/5
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	Dive Right In C
	Product 8/10 Pigmentation 8.5/10 Texture 9/10 Longevity 4/10 Application 4/5
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	Infinite Sky A
	Product 9.5/10 Pigmentation 9/10 Texture 9/10 Longevity 10/10 Application 5/5
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Cult Nails Faded Nail Lacquer

Cult Nails Faded Nail Lacquer ($12.00 for 0.50 fl. 0z.) is described as a “light grey with subtle blue undertones.” It’s a pale, cement gray with a subtle cool undertone (read more neutral on me, but it looked more cool-toned in the bottle) and a cream finish. MAC Inert is warmer, more taupe-like. Nubar Earthen is very comparable (but needs a top coat to have similar shine). China Glaze Pelican Grey is darker and has shimmer.

Faded was fully opaque after two coats of polish.  It had a fantastic formula that flowed fluidly across the nail without streaking, bubbling, or pooling along the edges of the nail.  It dried down to a glossy finish (you could skip a top coat).  I liked that it didn’t get too dark or cool-toned, so it appeared as a lighter, airy kind of gray, rather than a stormy color.  I typically get a week of wear out of Cult Nails’ formula with very minor tip wear but no chipping.

The Glossover

	Faded A+
	I liked that it didn't get too dark or cool-toned, so it appeared as a lighter, airy kind of gray, rather than a stormy color.
	Product 10/10 Pigmentation 10/10 Texture 10/10 Longevity 10/10 Application 5/5
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Make Up For Ever #25L Aqua Eyes Eyeliner

Make Up For Ever #25L Aqua Eyes Eyeliner ($19.00 for 0.04 oz.) is described as a “dark chocolate brown.” It’s a medium-dark chocolate brown with warm, reddish undertones and a matte finish. If it looks familiar, you may be familiar with it when it was launched as a limited edition shade named Gypsy. Now, it’s part of the permanent range of Aqua Eyes. Chanel Brun-Teak is similar but less red-toned. MAC Brownborder is also similar. Urban Decay Corrupt is browner with less red. Tarina Tarantino Locket Book is warmer, more golden, less red. Tarina Tarantino Puppeteer is closer but shimmery and not as dark.

It felt, looked, and wore the same as Gypsy did, so if that was a favorite for you (or you missed out), you can have the same experience with #25L.  It’s fairly opaque in one stroke, and it’s very buildable without getting patchy or looking uneven.  The pencil has a slightly waxy and creamy consistency that allows it to glide on evenly and easily without pulling or tugging on the lash line.  I recently tested this, and it lasted for ten hours without smudging or migrating; there was some faint thinning of the lie, but it seemed fully intact at the eight-hour mark.

The Glossover

	#25L A
	This is a gorgeous, rich red-toned brown that's an excellent alternative to black eyeliner for everyday eyeliner. It works well on its own with a neutral eye or anchor a more intense look.
	Product 9.5/10 Pigmentation 9.5/10 Texture 9/10 Longevity 10/10 Application 4.5/5
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Dry shampoo — it is a must for any beach day or vacation spent on the beach!

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Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Ripley Nail Lacquer

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Ripley Nail Lacquer ($10.00 for 0.50 fl. 0z.) is described as a “blackened, antique olive-gold [with a metallic finish].” At a glance, it’s exactly what comes to my mind when I think of “black gold.” More descriptively, it’s a blackened olive base with golden olive green shimmer with a metallic finish. China Glaze Agro is slightly greener, not as metallic (smaller shimmer). Cult Nails in a Trance is less blackened, more shimmered than metallic. NARS Mash is much greener.

This polish had flawless, opaque color coverage with two coats, but it was nearly opaque in a single coat! The consistency was on the thicker side, but it didn’t have an impact on the application, as I didn’t have any issues with the polish streaking, bubbling, or pooling along the edges of the nail. It dried down rather quickly, and it had a slightly shiny finish but a top coat would give it a really glossy look–it’s more foil-like without a top coat. Despite the very metallic finish, brush strokes were just barely noticeable, and at a distance, not distinguishable. I normally get a week of wear out of OCC’s formula with no chipping and only minor tip wear.

The Glossover

	Ripley A
	Product 9.5/10 Pigmentation 10/10 Texture 9.5/10 Longevity 9/10 Application 4.5/5
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