Saturday 16 June 2012

Gel Liner on a Budget: My Vendetta Against Rimmel Continues...

First of all... I changed up my banner - no more London skyline! What do you think? 


Last week I wrote a post pitting the high street brand Topshop's red lipstick against the classic Chanel Coco Rouge red lipstick. Today I'm doing the same, but with two gel liners of around the same pricing - just to prove what you can get on a budget if you buy the right brands. 


Since secondary school, throughout my various friendship groups I have been known to actively try to dissuade people from using Rimmel products. Now in my ripe old 20's, this hasn't changed. I had sworn off Rimmel products at around the age of 14 due to their clumpy mascaras, favouring L'Oreal as my favourite high street make up brand. Yes, Rimmel may seem like the attractive option due to their cheap prices and Kate Moss-infused advertising, but don't be fooled! 


6 years after my decision to not use Rimmel products I was in Superdrug and browsing for a cheap gel liner. I decided to go against my better judgement and buy the Rimmel London Waterproof Gel Liner in shade 001: Black. It was an impulse buy as I'd have had to have gone back to Boots to get the product I wanted - L'Oreal's Superliner Gel. I have since bought L'Oreal's version of the same product and am writing this to show you the comparison... Let the pictures speak for themselves!


★ Rimmel London Waterproof Gel Liner (shade 001: Black): RRP - £6.49 ★ 

Here is a swatch of the Rimmel London Waterproof Gel Liner in shade 001: Black. I have also included pictures of the gel on a closed lid and open lid. All pictures were achieved by using the brush included when buying the liner. 



As you can see the product doesn't look too bad, a tad wet and a bit translucent but all in all a satisfying gel liner... Right? For full effect I decided to line the opposite eye with L'Oreal's Superliner Gel in shade 02: Golden Black. 

 L'Oreal Superliner Gel (shade 02: Golden Black): RRP - £6.99  

I repeated the previous swatch, this time using L'Oreal's Superliner Gel in shade 02: Golden Black. Again, both an open and closed lid are lined using the product, applied with the brush that is included.



Again, there isn't that much of a difference between the 2 products, is there? After these pictures were taken I then waited 5 minutes, going about usual tasks and then took a picture of both eyes together.


Disclaimer: I did not attempt to use one eye more than the other in order to create this effect.


★ Left eye is lined with Rimmel London Waterproof Gel Liner (shade 001: Black): RRP - £6.49 ★ Right eye is lined with L'Oreal Superliner Gel (shade 02: Golden Black): RRP - £6.99 

As you can see there is now a clear difference between these 2 products, with a price difference of only 50p! The wetness of the Rimmel liner means that it is stubborn to dry, incredibly susceptible to transfer  and shows noticeable fading after only 5 minutes. The L'Oreal liner on the other hand has stayed exactly how it was when I applied it. Other differences include the brushes. The brush provided in the L'Oreal purchase is much longer than the Rimmel brush, adding dexterity and making it easier to use than the short Rimmel brush. The consistency of these 2 products is also completely different. The Rimmel gel is a constantly wet formula, easy to smudge and alter within the pot. The L'Oreal gel however is a solid, compact substance, turning to a creamy substance when touched with the brush.



So if Rimmel is your go-to brand on a budget, skip it if you're looking for a decent gel liner. For 50p extra you can avoid the smudges, transfer and fading and head over to the L'Oreal counter! Do you have any brands that you avoid? Let me know !




18 comments:

  1. I'm not a fan of Rimmel either, their mascaras are awful! I too use L'Oreal as an alternative, I love their Million Lashes mascara :)

    I've not tried either of these gel eyeliners, however, I know to steer clear of Rimmel! I use the Maybelline version of this which I think is quite nice :)

    Amy x
    http://alittleboatsailing.blogspot.co.uk/

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  2. I love Rimmel Lipsticks but thats about it..Big fan of gel liners but havent tried either of these yet:)
    http://beautifulworldoflennynb.blogspot.ca/

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  3. Rimmel nail varnishes aren't too bad, I use their white constantly, but I'll know to stay away from their other makeup! Thanks

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  4. That is a pretty huge difference for just 50p. I love comparison posts like this! They're always so handy! I do confess a love for the Rimmel nail polishes though as they are fab, but I don't think I own any of their make-up and, judging from this post, I probably won't be in a hurry to try any of it out!

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    1. I keep hearing a lot about their nail varnishes so maybe I'll have to lift my ban to just their make up lol.

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  5. ooh, I'm really glad you highlighted this!
    I love your new banner! Very quirky with the wildlife haha
    I don't think I own any Rimmel.. I guess it's true that you trial and error in your early teens and pick up little things like this for life!
    Thank you for the advice!

    rachael x
    rivasoave.blogspot.co.uk

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  6. Remarkable. Too bad they don't have this L'Oreal's liner here in the US; it looks really interesting. Great job, I love comparison posts. ;)

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  7. Hi Dewa, very nice, please subsccribe to my follower, I will follow you back, bye
    www.armocromia.com

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  8. Great post! I've just lost my bobbi brown gel eyeliner, it's still 3/4s full and I can't for the life of me find it. I'm now looking for a decent high street alternative so I might have to give the L'oreal a go. Any one tried this compared to the Bobbi Brown? X

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    1. I don't know how it compares to Bobbi Brown but its definitely the best high street gel liner I've tried :)

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  9. I'm not a big Rimmel fan either, but wow, that comparison is just crazy! I'll stick to my current favorite gel liner, lol :)

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  10. this is an amazing review, I use the L'oreal Gel eyeliner and I adore it, such good value for money. I tend to avoid the Rimmel stands due to garish bright orange packaging of something they are currently promoting :) xx

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    1. Yep, I'm the same - they always seem a bit tacky!

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  11. I wanted to maybe purchase the Rimmel one... I think I'm not going to now !!!!! Thanks a lot for the review and the pictures !!

    xxx Vee

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  12. I really don't like Rimmel either. I used to use their products when I was younger but I think there's much better quality items available in drug stores now :)
    Really want to try a gel liner!
    Love Holz oxo

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvV27TfVTu4&feature=youtu.be

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  13. The first gel liner I used was the Maybelline one when that was first out, which I loved. But it dried up just as Rimmel were marketing this one so I bought it. Big mistake! Nowhere near as good as the Maybelline! x

    beautyimaginarium.blogspot.co.uk

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  14. Gah, i hate Rimmel too! I've had numerous products to try over the years and none had impressed. Their foundations are cloggy and heavy and break me out and give terrible quality of coverage. Their powders look er powdery. Like you've found their eyeliners both liquid and pencil never last and crease on my somewhat naturally hooded eyelids. Their lipsticks smell yuck and apply thick and wear off leaving odd patches. Their eyeshadows pigmentation never stays true.

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