I am a college student. This makes it difficult for me to try new and higher end makeup products because I am on a budget (I do make the occasional splurge if I am really excited about a product). Other than that, I'm always looking around for inexpensive items. Some are impressive and others are useless. The overall quality of Covergirl eyeshadows is a mix, in my opinion. I have two trios (Cafe au Lait, which has a shimmery taupe, a satin beige, and a cream shade and Smoke Alarm, which has three satin grays of different deepness) and one quad (Fairytale, which has a shimmery black, a gray with a bit of a pink tinge, a shimmery pink, and a satin plum). My favorite of the three is probably Smoke Alarm... I can't wait to try it under my Maybelline Color Tattoos.

I remember using Covergirl eyeshadows when I first started wearing makeup four years ago and at the time, I probably had two eyeshadow brushes and I was just hearing about Urban Decay Primer Potion (I didn't even take the plunge to try THAT one until last year!) All that being said, I wasn't incredibly impressed. My favorite shadow from the Covergirl line is actually a single (Tapestry Taupe, but it shattered and I have yet to repurchase). 

Alone, these shadows are all pretty sheer. They definitely need some sort of base in order to look even close to what you see in the pan. I have swatched them and when I dipped my fingers in, it seemed promising, but when I swiped the shadows on my skin I felt rather unimpressed. Some of the colors felt smoother than others. What I've noticed is that generally the darker colors have less payoff, which I don't have an issue with because I like subtle makeup.

I also have oily eyelids and I can't imagine they would last more than a couple of hours without creasing. I may try that one day to see how they hold up, but I always have some sort of base or primer under my shadows.