Fake It Till You Wake It: Rimmel London Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl Eyeliner

My eyes suck.

 

Between living in the pollen capital of the world (okay, that's an exaggeration. It's just one of the highest counts in the nation), being allergic to life in general, and having an awesome job that I love, but requires me to get up with the chickens on the weekends, my eyes look pretty rough. They've earned it.

 

Over the past little while, I've been hearing about how using a nude liner on your waterline could really brighten up your eyes. White has always seemed a little harsh, and more fitting for Halloween or stage makeup, but the thought of nude made sense. It would, effectively, just act as concealer for the redness in that super delicate, hard to get to area. Cool. Beans.

 

Not wanting to spend an arm and a leg on a high-end waterproof liner--especially not knowing if this trick would even work on me--I was thrilled to find that Rimmel London had their own version (aptly named "nude") in the very affordable $4-$5 range. I snapped one up and gave it a go. Here's the lowdown:

 

The Good

• This pencil applies very smoothly, and does leave your waterline looking much brighter and more awake. The difference is actually pretty darn staggering.
• The color is a beautiful, creamy flesh-tone that matches my waterline perfectly. If you have a very pale, slightly pink skin tone, you could probably use this as a spot concealer in a pinch. I tried, and it worked fairly well, but was just too pink for me.
• It is waterproof and smudge-proof. I swatched it on my hand, waited a minute or two, then rubbed hard to see if it would move. Nope! Then, I splashed a little water on it and wet my finger and rubbed again. Again, nothing moved. That's what I call waterproof.
• Lastly, the packaging is nice. You do have to sharpen this pencil, but that's a plus if you do makeup for other people. The pencil, itself, is the same color as the product, and has silver foiled writing on the sides, and a clear cap. It's sleek and looks lovely in my makeup organizer.

The Bad

• It doesn't stay on my waterline. When I first apply the product, it looks fantastic. Within a very short period of time, though (less than an hour, in some cases), it begins to fade. That's unfortunate, but it could just be my eyes. I haven't had good luck with darker liners on the waterline, either. Even the Urban Decay 24/7 tends to shift a bit on my waterline, and it's supposed to be practically bullet-proof.

I'm going to keep using this product. If nothing else, it'll look good when I first put it on, and I can carry the pencil in my purse for touch-ups.

Final Verdict: If you can wear liners on your waterline, give it a shot.  8 out of 10.