Rimmel Launches ‘Survival (Of The Fittest) Kit’

If you were to spy in most, if not all make up bags one wouldn’t be surprised to find a Rimmel product (or three) nestled in there and referred to as ‘trusted old favourites’.  As a self-confessed ‘Rimmel-holic’ with an addiction to their nail varnishes, eye liners and lip-glosses, road-testing some of their new products is a luxury most would die for and one which, I recently had the pleasure of enjoying.  Opening the black lacquered pouch the contents of which, made up a ‘Survival Kit’ – a primer; ‘Extra WOW Lash’ mascara; ‘Purple Reign’ quad eye shadow; press-on nail art, and lipstick from Kate Moss’ new range – felt like Christmas and sampling each piece of booty in turn, can only be described as the gift that kept giving.

The primer was incredible. Fact. It kept my make-up in place throughout the day and prevented my usual 7-hour T-zone sheen. A thin application gave me a matte yet dewy finish and took me from work to happy-hour without so much of a touch up.

As far as mascaras go, the ‘WOW’ effect, as it said on the ‘tin’, was somewhat lacking especially as it took several coats to achieve my usual volumised look. It is however waterproof and works well if you simply want to achieve the ‘barely-there’ finish if you’re in a rush.

For ‘Glam Eyes in HD’, the compact eye shadow works as a great four-in-one staple (‘quad’ eye shadow) consisting of a mauve; ice; pink and purple colour palette – with each shade specifically made to suit different areas of the eye lid. Whether the colours can be kept from blending into each other is something only time will tell.

My instant art, nail polish-free manicure was both easy and speedy and the monochrome pattern added a dramatic finish to my otherwise sartorial/pared-down work-wear. Depending on how fast your nails grow, the only downside is that you may have to file your nails daily to stop the white tips showing when your nails are growing out underneath.

The Kate Moss lipstick in ‘03’ (nude) left my lips feeling moisturised and the colour lasted for several hours before a touch-up was required. Although the particular shade didn’t really suit my skin tone, I would definitely invest in Rimmel’s latest ‘001’ (ruby red) offering.

Overall, I loved this capsule kit and would happily add all the products to my existing make-up collection.

Words & Images by: Keji Mustapha