comparison review: stila spectrum vs. milani black gems

several months back, i bought milani ultrafine liquid eyeliner in black gems (~$7.50) to see if it was a dupe for one of my favorites: stila sparkle waterproof liquid eyeliner in spectrum ($22). after many uses, here's what i've found...

• application:
• spectrum: i've never had any problems with this eyeliner. it sets fairly quickly and i have no issues with it transferring.
• black gems: this does not dry quite as fast. i have hooded eyelids, so if i blink my eyes too soon, it will transfer into my crease. my fix is to focus my eyes on some stationary object and lean my head back, and wait a minute or two for it to dry. it's kind of a pain, but it works. occasionally i would have irritation while applying this, but not every time. and no problems after it's dry. idk what's up with that....
• color: 
• swatched on my arm: they are very close. unless you have them side by side, you probably wouldn't notice the difference. black gems is a more brown-toned black and spectrum is more of a true black. the shimmer particles in both appear to be the same colors, but they seem more vibrant in spectrum.
• on the eyes over eyeshadow: no noticeable difference.
• from afar on the eyes: it looks like an ordinary blackened-gray liner, unless you do a thick line...maybe it'll be noticeable?
• longevity: both last about the same, as long as you don't rub at them
• removal: both of these remove fairly easily. they're formulated that if you rub at them, they'll just kinda pill up...but you'd probably want to use your regular eye makeup remover to expedite the process.

 
my left (the right): milani, my right (the left): stila; 2 coats on each side

the verdict:

for the money, i'd definitely say buy milani if you don't mind the potential transfer issues. i asked a few people if they noticed a difference between the two (i had one on each eye) and they each said they couldn't tell. w00t. personally, i think i'll still stick to stila because of my hooded eyes. but i'm not 100% sure if i'll repurchase either of these shades since i don't use a strong line and the shimmer's not that noticeable from afar.


other eye products used: urban decay original primer potion, mushroom & venus shadows, stray dog liner; makeup geek shadow in prom night, elizabeth mott it's so big mascara & loreal telescopic mascara

~L-c ^.~