Rimmel released its Scandal Eyes liners in the UK a little while ago, but they are new to the US. They showed up first in temporary displays, which had a only a few shades, but now that Rimmel wall displays are being updated, more shades are available. I’ve seen them in-store at all the major drugstores in my area, and they’re already online at Ulta.com – and only $4.49. Per the Rimmel website, seven shades are available in the UK and ten shades are available in the US. Two of the shades I purchased, Nude and Taupe, are available in both countries, and Deep Blue is US-exclusive.

Here’s a quick snapshot of the US shades:

Let me cut to the chase: I LOVE THESE. This review is going to be a complete rave, I love them SO much. They might even replace Prestige Total Intensity pencils as my all-time favorite eyeliners. I will definitely be buying the black and a couple more shades (and will also be trying out the Scandal Eyes Shadow Sticks to see if they’re just as good!

So, what makes them so great? They are creamy but not too soft (the Prestige pencils do have a tendency towards being too soft).  They are smudgeable at first, but after they set they don’t migrate, smudge, or move.  I tried to smear the swatches on my arm, but was completely unable to – I eventually got them to flake a little, but only after my arm was quite red from rubbing at it! Nude lasts about 5-6 hours on my waterline – I wear contacts, and I’ve never had anything last six hours on my waterline before! And, I get all day wear on my upper or lower lashline.

In the below swatches, the line on the left is a single pass, and the square on the right is a built up swatch. There isn’t much difference, because these liners are very pigmented in one swipe – you don’t need to go back and forth to build them up!

Nude is a peach beige – it’s great to see more shades like this at the drugstore.  Taupe is a light brown – it’s fantastic shade for my lower lashline, as it defines, but isn’t harsh like a darker brown would be. I normally only use eyeshadow on my lower lashline because I find most pencil lines too harsh, but this is very wearable.  I think it would also make a great upper lashline color for light blondes who want a natural but defined look. Deep Blue is a very dark navy blue – gorgeous, and a great alternative to black.

Edit: I love these so much that I went back and bought more! Here are quick swatches of the five shades I currently own:

I also have a comparison of my nude (or again, light peachy beige) pencils – the Scandal Eyes one is a bit darker and more orange in comparison to the others, which are the MAC Pro Chromagraphic Pencil in NC15/NW20 (now available online) and the concealer pencil from the Hard Candy Glamoflauge concealer.

There’s not much else to say – go buy these now! And tell me what you think!