When I began hearing the buzz about L’Oréal’s range of new and innovative eyeshadows, I confess that I didn’t really “get it”. Then, I came across a few displays which caught my eye and my curiosity was piqued. Finding these ‘Color Infaillible/Indefectible’ eyeshadows on sale (CDN $6.99 vs $11.99) clinched it for me, and I came home with these four.
What makes these eyeshadows so unique is their formula: a hybrid crème/powder mix, they claim to last 24 hours, are crease & rub-proof, and can even withstand showering. Naturally, I questioned … then, I put them to the test and found that while they are indeed rather impressive, especially for a drugstore brand, they don’t exactly meet all that was stated. In the name of proper testing, I broke my cardinal rule of “always removing all traces of makeup before bed” and actually wore one of these shades a full 24 hours (it wasn’t easy *shudder*). Bear in mind that while my eyelids are not dry, they’re not overly oily either, although I always layer any eye makeup over primer – which I did NOT use here. The results:
- I got a full 6 hours wear before I noticed the first signs of creasing
- gently rubbing my eyes did leave a faint residue on my fingers
- showering/water minimally affected the product, but did not remove it
- after a full 24 hours, the shadow was completely in my eyelid crease*
*since I would never need or wish to wear shadow for this duration anyway, I only included this test to verify the claim of the company.
The following swatches are all applied heavily (on the left) using a synthetic fibre brush, and blended out (on the right), using a natural bristle brush.
inner protective seal
#005 Purple Obsession is a deeply electric looking shade of purple, and while the level of pigmentation was quite good, it actually applied somewhat sheerer than the rest, which also meant that it could be thinned out and blended easier.
in sunlight
with flash
#012 Endless Chocolat is luxurious brown hue, given a wonderful depth with the faint prismatic particles within its shade. The formula was exceptionally creamy and fully colour saturated.
in sunlight
with flash
#013 Burning Black is a blackened red hue with a faint burgundy sheen once applied. While the formula was a touch grittier than the others, it nevertheless applied easier than I was led to believe from other reviewers.
in sunlight
with flash
#015 Flashback Silver is a molten silver shade, made so original by its lavender duochrome finish. This was probably the smoothest and creamiest of them all, yet not the most wearable shade due to its highly reflective surface. That being said, I loved how this shade complimented my eyes and skin tone.
in sunlight
with flash
Final thoughts: Naturally, one of the first things people want to know is how well this product compares to Giorgio Armani’s Eyes To Kill range (3 of which I do own and will be posting soon), and whether these are simply less expensive knock-offs. Remember that cosmetics giant L’Oréal actually owns Armani cosmetics and it therefore stands to reason that some similarities will pop up … but trust me when I say that they do NOT compare. I found that these ‘Color Infaillible’ shadows are remarkable in many ways (colour, pigmentation, longevity, and formula) and I did not expect this degree of quality from a drugstore brand, although I personally prefer powder eyeshadows as I find they afford you better control in application. All in all, these are rather versatile, especially if you’re looking for a long-lasting & quick swipe of colour, and while the shade range is rather limited, there’s a decent colour selection just the same. Had they not been on sale, however, I most likely would not have picked them up, but at this price, I basically got 3 for what 1 Armani Eye To Kill would have cost – too good to pass up!
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