I'm always on the look-out for the perfect waterproof black liner. I've yet to find it, but this is one of the many I've tried on the way. At around £5.19, it's not the cheapest option for a simple eyeliner - I bought mine on offer at Boots, but would probably avoid it at full price. I'm not really a L'Oreal user, so came to this product blind; I'm on my third one now, though, so I've had plenty of time to think on it!

PACKAGING: This eyeliner is a retractable one, with the slim plastic case and cap typical of those. It comes with a small removable rubber at the other end, meant for blending and sharpening, but I find it invariably falls out and I lose it. The small print and marketing describe the product as waterproof, supposedly lasting up to sixteen hours without fading, with a creamy texture ideal for smokey looks.

COLOURS: There are four colours available: "Grey Obsession", "Chocolate Addiction", "Shimmering Black", and the one I use, the absurdly named "Night Day Black". It's not that hot a selection, but all the colours are useful, functional, and well-pigmented. Shimmering Black and Night Day Black are easy to muddle - I've bought the wrong one before, in a hurry - but Night Day is a plain black, while Shimmering has very fine glittery particles in it. It's almost too fine to make a huge difference, but Night Day Black is still my first choice from the range.

APPLICATION: To apply, you just have to twist the case to expose a bit of the liner's tip, and draw it on. The rubbery end of the pen can be used to smudge, though this has to be done quite promptly, before the eyeliner's fully settled. The liner itself has a great texture to apply: soft and creamy, with minimal pressure needed to get a dark line. It doesn't drag on the eyelids, and applies smoothly to the waterline without needing a lot of drawing on. I'm still sceptical of the rubber blender, though, since it's so easy to lose - though it's supposedly one of the product's big selling points, I just don't bother with it. It's not really a necessity for smudging, and I've never needed to sharpen retractable liners since they're already quite fine.

WEAR: This is where I have the most reservations with this product - I think its creamy texture works against it, making it too easy to smudge. It wears well on the eyelid, lasting most of the day, but is prone to smearing at the corners of my eyes. It doesn't last on the waterline, sliding off to make that dreaded sleepless panda look. I've never managed to make eight hours without it smudging, let alone sixteen! If you have the chance to sneakily tidy up and re-apply a couple of times during the day, it shouldn't be a big issue, but it's an unwanted hassle for a product that claims to be so hard-wearing. It's better for brief periods of wear, rather than as an all-day liner, or for only the lid and not the waterline.

I've had a lot of use out of this, and it's a pretty good all-round liner, but not the best. I think it's over-priced for what it is - there are cheaper retractable liners that apply just as well and don't fade in as unsightly a fashion. Rimmel's Exaggerate Eye Definers come in a wider range of colours and don't smudge as badly; Barry M's Intense Eyeliner Pens also provide a wide choice, and fade gradually rather than sliding everywhere, a real underdog favourite of mine. They cost over a pound less than this, too. Overall, it's not a bad product by any means, nice to have as back-up if it's on offer, but it doesn't live up to its claims and isn't really worth its full price.