Lash Back: Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara

Coming atcha in September is a newbie from Rimmel. We've loved, loathed and been whelmed by the brand's offerings in the past but it's a company I usually find really reliable for well-priced mascaras, and Lash Accelerator, at €10.95, fits the bill.

Rimmel boards the RapidLash/Lancome Hypnose Precious Cells/ L'Oreal Paris Renewal Lash hair-conditioning gravy train with this one. It's good to see one at this end of the market, and Revlon have such a thing in-coming too. Now, a point of note: Lash Accelerator will not cause lashes to grow - and I'm blue in the face saying this - as no one has yet invented such a thing, which is why we still see bald men.

But it will condition and nourish lashes thanks to its Grow-Lash Complex. A trial of 41 women found that that 88% saw significantly longer and fuller lashes after just one week, with lashes looking up to 117% longer after a month.  Me? I am all for colour cosmetic products that add in care benefits - it just makes sense that your blusher should be imbued with antioxidants if you're gonna be wearing it all day. So I'm liking these mascara innovations we've been seeing over the past year or so, but in the case of L'Oreal Paris and Lancome's offerings, I just wasn't wowed by them as actual mascaras. That 'oohh, I love how it looks' wow-factor was missing.

This one is good though and I enjoy using it. Setting aside all the claims, for a day-time lash-coater it just does the trick. I've been using it for a week or so and the brush is nice, simple and uncomplicated, the gunk itself is good and non-clumpy, and it gives a nice bit of definition for daytime eyes. It's just a nice extra that it's got some more gizmos built in, but I haven't yet noticed any dramatic improvement personally, though it'd be too early to judge in any case!

In three shades, extreme black, black and brown, here's the clincher: Zooey Deschanel is the face of the product, which will ensure it'll sell out in droves.