Eyeliner. With a stroke of your hand you can create anything from natural definition to a sexy cat-eye, but with so many eyeliners on the market, they can be hit or miss. The L’Oréal Infallible Lacquer Liner is an affordable gel eyeliner that hits the bullseye.

Eyeliner comes in three forms: pencil, liquid and gel/cream. While gel or cream eyeliners are not the easiest to use of the three, they are usually the longest lasting when formulated correctly.

L’Oréal is a well-known company based in France that supplies beauty products to drugstores throughout the United States. L’Oréal claims the Infallible Lacquer Liner to be an intense 24-hour lasting liner with a glossy finish that delivers a “clean, precise line.”

It comes in five shades, but my personal favorite is Blackest Black. You can never go wrong with the definition that comes from a classic black liner. Besides, black goes with everything.

The pot holds 2.3 grams of polished, perfected product. Firstly, this eyeliner is exceptionally creamy and glides onto the eyelid smoothly. It has rich pigmentation, delivering an opaque, black line with every stroke. Drying time will vary depending on the thickness of the line drawn, but it generally doesn’t take too long to set.

Once set, this eyeliner practically transforms into a tattoo with a sleek, glossy finish. It will survive virtually anything, whether it’s rubbed, exposed to hot, humid weather, or put through a screening of “The Notebook.” For those all-nighters, whether it’s to study or for a girls’ night out, it has 24 hour performance with minimal to no smudging. The longevity may also depend on the oiliness of the user’s eyelids, which varies by skin type.

Now we all know the packaging can be just as important as the product inside. Even if a product is mind-blowing, if the packaging can’t keep the precious cargo inside safe, your glory will be short-lived.

This liner comes in a sturdy, plastic tub with a conventional twist-off cap that locks out the outside air, keeping the gel fresh inside and ensuring a long lifetime. The top is also unique in that it is a shiny gold, which stands out in the sea of boring black packaging.

This product also includes a brush that works particularly well with the consistency of the gel. The bristles are flexible for fluidity yet stiff enough for application to be precise. The handle is usably long, unlike those short stumps of plastic some drugstore companies throw in as a “brush,” and it comes with a clear, plastic cover to protect the actual bristles. It eliminates the need to go out of your way to buy a separate brush along with the eyeliner, and it performs optimally.

This product retails for about $9.95 in drugstores such as CVS and Walgreens. This is a steal considering this drugstore eyeliner is easily comparable to high-end products such as MAC’s Fluidline and Bobbi Brown’s award-winning Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner, which sell for $16 and $24 respectively. You must also keep in mind that these eyeliners do not include a brush, which can be pricey.

The L’Oréal Infallible Lacquer Liner is effective and affordable, a combo that’s worth trying.