Rimmel Flash Eyeliner Review

I so wanted to love this eyeliner.  I'm a big fan of liquid eyeliners, especially the felt-tip form and have used L'Oreal Lineur Intense for a couple of years and while I do like this one, I find the nib is a bit too floppy to achieve a precise cat's eye or flick.  So I was hoping this Rimmel eyeliner would solve the problem as it has a very narrow, firm nib.  Unfortunately mine pretty much dried up within a week of being opened.

I think I may have been unfortunate and picked mine up from a Boots where it's probably been sitting for at least a year.  I'm also not a fan of very bright, and therefore hot, lights on make up displays as they certainly dry products out.  When I picked up this liner it was warm to the touch, so this could very well explain why it dried up so quickly as I've seen it endorsed whole-heartedly across the beauty community.  However you can really only pick up Rimmel from Superdrug or Boots, and they all have the hot light displays.  If you can, ask an assistant to retrieve one for you which hasn't been on display from the drawers beneath.

I made this swatch the day I bought it and as you can see the effect is pretty strong, however a few weeks later the lines aren't as opaque due to the formulation drying up a bit.

Dry drawbacks aside, I am very impressed by the functionality of this eye liner.  It produces a very pigmented black line which dries fast and is long wearing.  I am seriously considering giving it another try - but only if I get one which hasn't been lying around the shop floor for months.  Once purchased you also have to make sure to replace the lid securely after each use or this will cause it to dry out fast too.  It also helps if you store yours vertically with the cap down as the product will have saturated the nib when you come to use it - I keep mine this way in my brush holder.

What I tend to do is use L'Oreal Lineur Intense to create a line over my lid and then use Rimmel Flash to create the flick.  I actually prefer the Rimmel nib to Illasmasqua's Precision Ink, but the latter is far more saturated and therefore easier to use without any need to tug on your eyes.

If you want to give this a try, pick it up at Boots or Superdrug for around £5.

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