I consider this mascara to be one of Rimmel's better products. It is a double ended design originally produced by Bourjois, but a couple of years after their Coup de Theatre mascara was available, presumably their patent expired and now you can buy versions from many of the major brands, including Rimmel.

There are brushes at each end of the tube, one in white liquid and one in black, or brown-black liquid, depending on which shade you buy. It is available in a waterproof version, but I would not bother paying the extra couple of pounds for that because it's not really waterproof. It does survive crying, but how often do you cry with mascara on? Unless this is a habit of yours, it's not worth it - swimming with it on will result in the panda eyes effect.

When wearing this mascara my eyelashes look really lovely, long, full, and dramatic. I use it whenever I am going to do very dark or bright eye-makeup so that my eyelashes stand out against it.

Many people experience problems with this mascara but I think those are down to rushing the application process - it is quite time consuming to apply properly, so I wouldn't consider this an appropriate mascara to wear everyday, more something for weekends, days off or events when you don't have to rush to get ready.

I apply it with great success and here is my method:

1. Curl your eyelashes.

2. Apply the white mascara - but only to the outer two thirds of your top eyelashes. This will create a more feline, pretty look than applying it to all of your eyelashes. Apply extra to the outermost eyelashes if you like. Leave it to dry for at least two minutes! I usually put the white layer on before putting on any of my other make-up, and apply the other layer last so that I don't get powder stuck on top of it. It's best to lean your head back so that you are looking down at the mirror when you apply mascara as well, you get a better view of what you are doing.

3. Get an eyelash comb and comb it through your eyelashes to remove any lumps. This is Rimmel, so there will be lumps at least sometimes, especially as the mascara gets old.

4. Apply the black or brown/black layer, carefully. Wiggle the brush to make sure it coats from top to bottom on all of your top eyelashes. If you need to put extra on some stubbornly white lashes, turn the brush vertically and carefully apply it so that you don't get too much on your lashes as a whole.

5. Turn the brush vertical and carefully coat your lower eyelashes. When using ordinary mascara it can look OTT if you use it on your lower lashes, but with this you need to do it to stop your eyes looking top heavy.

The most important part of this is waiting for the white layer to dry. If it's not dry properly your eyelashes may end up looking grey as the colours mix. The combing part is also important because it stops your eyelashes clumping together and looking messy.

Every time I have bought this mascara I got it on special offer which made it great value. It's a bit pricey at the RRP, but is cheaper than the original Bourjois version all the same. As it's not ideal for everyday use I wouldn't advise paying full price if you can avoid it as it is likely to go off before you use it all up. The white gets really lumpy as it's getting to the end of its life, so it will become impossible to use shortly after the advised expiry date.