Review: Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in 005 Nude

A nude eye pencil had been on my wish list pretty much ever since I got into blogging. I love the way a white pencil can make you look instantly wide awake, but a natural look it's most certainly not and sometimes it's just a little bit too much. I've been searching everywhere, ended up buying a wrong colour from Illamasqua (post here) and being turned away from MAC who were meant to be the kings of colour choice empty handed. And then some time ago, without me even noticing, Rimmel sneakily released this without me even noticing, widely and easily available in every drugstore and even most supermarkets.

And what a beauty of a pencil it is! Texture-wise, it's one of the creamiest, softest and most pigmented eye pencils I have ever come across. It glides onto skin like butter - no tugging, no having to warm up the tip with a hair dryer. It does look a bit wonky when I sharpen it occasionally, but I've never had any problems with the tip splitting off or crumbling due to its softness.

For a product this creamy its longevity is also impressive. While I haven't counted the hours in particular, it tends to stay put most of the day with only minor transfer onto the lashes - something I can happily live with considering all its other merits.

As it's so pigmented the look it creates isn't quite as subtle as I'd hoped and you certainly have to be careful what eye shadow you pair it with. I'd recommend to steer clear of anything grey or green based as it tends to just make your eyes look bruised. It works best either without any shadow or with light, slightly shimmery shades to give a healthy, no-I-certainly-haven't-been-partying-all-night look.

At £3.99, the quality of these is simply outstanding and I'm already eyeing up the taupe, purple and bronze colours to add to my repertoire.

Monthly Favourites: August 2013

1) Laura Mercier Oil-free Tinted Moisturiser

I've seen people rave and go on about these for so long that eventually I just caved and had to give it a go for myself - and I have to admit, it's a pretty awesome product! My skin is behaving pretty well at the moment, so I don't need anything with massive amounts of coverage and this tinted moisturiser just fits the bill perfectly. It just seems to smooth things out a little bit, while feeling light as a feather and leaving a natural, healthy glow. My one bug bear (aside from the price!) is that seeing as it's oil free it could do with being a little more mattifying - it seems to leave my face extremely shiny, but that could just be down to the hot weather in all fairness.

2) Models Own nail polish in Luis Lemon

Another Models Own polish in my monthly favourites! I'm seriously obsessed with them - the formula never fails me and the shade selection is just amazing. During the last month of summer I've particularly been loving this neon yellow to put a spring in my step. It's phenomenal for a night out as well, as it literally glows in black light! You can read a post I wrote about this nail polish here.

3) Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl in Nude

I'd been hunting for a nude eye liner for months about a year ago, until I finally gave up and forgot all about it. Then I went out to do some beauty shopping with a friend when we stumbled across these and though I wasn't that fussed anymore I thought I'd give it a go. Great decision! The formula of this pencil is just amazing - soft, creamy, pigmented and stays on the waterline for at least 5 hours. The nude shade is perfect for a wide-eyed, healthy look, but without being quite as harsh and obvious as a white pencil.

4) Artdeco Clear Lash & Brow Gel

Apologies about the tube looking a little manky - unfortunately that's what tends to happen with clear brow mascaras when you apply them over brow pencil or powder. Aesthetics aside, however, this does an amazing job of keeping my brows in place ALL DAY LONG. Literally, they won't budge until I give them a swipe with make-up remover. For somebody whose brows always seem to have a mind of their own this is an absolute god send - it just makes me look so much more groomed than brows that are all over the place. Bear in mind, that it does make them a bit crispy and glossy, but to me that's not necessarily a downside.

5) Benefit They're Real Mascara

I'll admit that I was anything but blown away by this mascara when I first tried it and I'd even go as far as saying that I felt that I'd wasted my money a little. Yes, it makes lashes look really long and it's not too bad for curling, but somehow it was just missing a little bit of oomph. However, slowly but surely, this is really growing on me. There's just something about the brush that makes it grip literally every single one of your eyelashes. Nowadays, when I want a little more impact I just apply two or three layers and it works brilliantly, without a single clump in sight.