RIMMEL LASH ACCELERATOR MASCARA - PRODUCT REVIEW

The last of the Rimmel brands for this installment of the exploration of mascara series.  The Lash Accelerator at first glance looks promising with its sleek package and pocketbook conscious price.

THE PACKAGING: For the first time in a long time I actually like the size of this mascara tube.  It is thin in diameter which means it allows for space in my makeup bag for other fun makeup goodies.  It feels light in weight, too.  The color of the top reminds me of the ombre top of the Rimmel Volume Accelerator if it were solid but it has a more traditional bottom of midnight blue.  Overall, I'm good with this drug store packaging.  It is neither fashion forward not is it a complete wall flower and it is functional to boot.

THE BRUSH: The Lash Accelerator's brush is intriguing at first glance.  It is small, but powerful when used properly.  The bristles are a little shorter which allows you to get closer to the lash-line but because of its finer bristles it does not pick up a ton of product so you have more control over your application.  The bristles have some space between each row so if you are not careful you could end up with some spider lashes.  The brush shape is slightly oblique so the longer bristles sit in the middle of the brush tapering to shorter bristles on both ends.  The length of this wand I appreciate because you can get deep into the mascara tube to get product.  The wand itself is a little flimsy but acceptable, especially considering the price of this mascara overall.

APPLICATION: Of the Rimmel mascaras that I have tried this one is my favorite.  The brush separates the lashes more than the others and I find the formula to be more consistent from first application through about 1/2 to 3/4 of the tube.

The extreme black color, pictured, is much like its sisters in that it maintains a deep black in most lighting but in natural and florescent lights it will have a blue-grey cast of color.

This formula lasted me somewhere between 6-8 hours but it does run at any sight of water.  It was a particularly dry day one day so I had to put eye drops in and I found myself having to do some damage control to help clean up the running mascara.

THE CALCULATIONS: On the shelves for around $6.99-$8.99 per mascara tube.  This pricing is consistent with other drug store brands of its similar type.  Because the formula began to lose its oomph about 1/2-3/4 of the way through the tube I tossed it after two months which makes it about $0.15 per application.

THE VERDICT: This was a decent drug store mascara.  I particularly like the packaging and the wand was a nice switch up from Rimmel's beast brushes.  I think the lasting power, though, is where I lose the need for this product.  It does not last all day and the mascara formula begins to turn only 1 1/2 - 2 months into the product.  I think for the cost there are better option available but if in a pinch I wouldn't mind reaching for this mascara.