Maybeline EyeStudio Color Plush Quad

RATING (out of 5 stars): 3 stars

COST: $4.99

THE SKINNY: Maybeline EyeStudio Color Plush eye shadow pallets offer decently saturated colors that, with primer, last about half my workday. I chose Pink Persuasion, which are three grays and a pink. The grays are all pretty, but the pink barely shows up on my fair skin.

The shadows are creamy and blend easily. There's a little shine but no glitter to them, which make them good for work. Add a few more layers to intensify the color, and it would be good makeup for an evening out.

Best of all it the price, which makes it easy to buy colors to play (maybe colors if you're going to the game) or just to experiment a bit.

KEEP OR TOSS: Keep. I don't wear grays often, but this is a nice option to have in my makeup drawer.

CHECK IT OUT: This eye shadow kit comes in 15 color combinations.

-- Tested by Shay

SpaRitual Nail Lacquer

RATING (out of 5 stars): 5 stars

COST: $12

THE SKINNY: A five-star rating is rare for me to hand out. But this nail polish from SpaRitual is amazing. Best. Thing. Ever.

No kidding.

This is a thick polish that's easy to apply. I covered my toes in one quick coat (plus a base coat). In two weeks, it still looked as shiny as it did on the first day and it didn't chip a bit.

Best of all, it came off with a few swipes of polish remover on a cotton ball.

Amazing.

I've been a dedicated Zoya fan for years. But SpaRitual made me a true believer. 

This polish is made with vegan ingredients.

KEEP OR TOSS: Keep. I'm buying more.

CHECK IT OUT: This polish comes in cremes, shimmers, glitters and more.

-- Tested by Shay

Urban Decay Naked Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup

RATING (out of 5 stars): 4 stars

COST: $39

THE SKINNY: Now that cooler weather is here, I don't mind wearing liquid foundation again for days when I need to look professional and polished. My favorite of late is Urban Decay's Naked Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup.

This feels just as light as you would expect something called "weightless" to be, and it's really similar to my summer go-to product, Urban Decay's BB cream.

The makeup's coverage is decent, and a little finishing powder can perk up the look halfway through the work day. Best, this foundation doesn't show on my skin. I don't look like I'm wearing much makeup, and it never appears cakey or off-color.

Urban Decay's shades work on a numeric scale, raning from 0.5 to 9.0. The 2.0 works best on my fair skin. It has a hint of yellow, which helps tone down the redness cold weather can cause.

This is a touch expensive, but a little bit goes a long way. A full-size bottle will last me all winter and then some.

KEEP OR TOSS: Keep. I love it.

CHECK IT OUT: See all the shades available at the Urban Decay website.

-- Tested by Shay

Maybelline FitMe Shine-Free Foundation

RATING (out of 5 stars): 2 stars

COST: $8.99

THE SKINNY: The advertisements for Maybelline's new stick foundation have been everywhere. It sounds like such a great plan: A foundation stick that adds in an anti-shine ingredient. But the product delivered, in my sample, at least, was less than great.

This foundation is creamy, but dries to a matte finish. It did a decent job of blending, covering imperfections and evening my skin tone. (I used the 120 for my fair skin.)

But for the first half of my day, my face felt greasy. It didn't look greasy thanks to that anti-shine core. But the product felt awful on my skin. Then I'm assuming the foundation wore off and my skin felt normal again.

KEEP OR TOSS: Toss.

CHECK IT OUT: Find buying options on the Maybelline website.

-- Tested by Shay

EM Cosmetics Eyeshadow

RATING (out of 5 stars): 4.5 stars

COST: The smallest pallets are $38 for six colors.

THE SKINNY: This is the best eye shadow I've tried in quite a while. The colors are vivid. The shadow is creamy and blends easily. It's not chalky and doesn't fly into the corners of my eye when I apply it. And it lasted most of the workday with primer.

The texture is really close to Urban Decay's eyeshadow, which is my hands-down favorite.

My sample came in pink and several brown and bronze tones, which were really pretty with my fair skin. They were rich, but appropriate for work.

If you haven't heard the story, the line is created by Michelle Phan, who created a popular YouTube video tutorial series about makeup. In August, she launched a cosmetic line called EM Michelle Phan in conjunction with L'Oreal.

The pallets seem expensive, but even the smallest ones come with six colors that all work together. And her website runs a lot of free shipping deals and sales, although you do have to hunt to find the codes.

KEEP OR TOSS: Keep.

CHECK IT OUT: No doubt, this woman can put together pallets. Check them out online.

-- Tested by Shay