Product Review: Rimmel Show Offs Lip Lacquer and Lip Velvet

Remember last spring when chubby stick lip products were the cool thing to own and wear? I'm glad that fad has passed. I found all chubby sticks, no matter what brand, to be greasy on my lips and they would smear on my face while I was wearing them. No one wants to be looking like Courtney Love at noon on a Tuesday. As things tend to come and go, the popularity of the chubby stick and seen a dramatic decline and the popularity of the liquid lipstick is on the rise. Anastasia launched a new line of liquid lipsticks a couple of months ago, Lime Crime release their Velvetines last year (btw, do NOT buy from them. Google Lime Crime Scam and see why. Don't even get me started on how awful that company is), even Lush has jumped on the band wagon and brought out their own line of liquid lipsticks. 

In case you didn't know, Walgreens has all Rimmel Products on sale for 50% off (ends tomorrow). Rimmel is one of those brands that rarely goes on sale, so you know that I had to go stock up. I am a huge fan of their Lash Accelerator mascara, as well as their Stay Matte powders and Kate Moss lipsticks. As no surprise, Rimmel also has their own version of liquid lipsticks. The market these under their "Show Offs" line.

I have owned a couple of the Show Offs Lip Lacquers for about 6 months now and I was very impressed with their staying power and moisturizing qualities. When I went to Walgreens on Monday evening, I noticed that in addition to the Provocalips (a long wear version of the Show Offs), Rimmel had also launched a matte version of the Lip Lacquer, aptly named "Lip Velvet." Just the name makes me want to wear it. Lip Velvet. Yassss, make my kisser look and feel like velvet! I don't even know what that means but I feel like I need it in my life. 

My Walgreens sucks and is always out of stock, but I did purchase every shade of both the Lip Lacquer and Lip Velvet that had not already had the safety seal broken on it *insert gag here. I opted against purchasing the Provocalips because I am not a fan of long wear lip products. I find that they are very drying and often flake off and leave little bald patches on your lips, which could be misconstrued as HSV-1 and that could cost you a date or two.

Pros:  First of all, I love the names of these! Each shade has a fun space related name. Nova, Big Bang, and Meteoric Matte are just a few of the shades included in this line. I know that the name of shades is not a big deal to some people, but my inner science nerd could not help but giggle with delight as I was reading these. The formula of both the Lip Lacquer and Lip Velvet is on point. It is not drying on the lips and has good staying power. The lip lacquer stays shiny for the duration of the wear. Both formulas are very pigmented and one coat will completely cover your lips. I noticed that after I had eaten lunch, I had only lost a a little bit of the color. I touched up  The price is also very affordable. These retail at $5.48 each at Walgreens, but I got them on sale for only $2.74 each. I justify buying every shade of a line whenever it is on sale. Yes I know, I have a problem and I probably need an intervention. Sorry not sorry.

Cons: I would like to see a wider color range. They offer a couple of nudes, one which I did not purchase because it was literally the color of concealer, a couple really bright pinks, a bright red, and an orange. I would like to have seen a bright purple, because purple lips are my jam, a deep wine color, or even coral. I am pretty bold with my lip color choices, so I may be one of the few who thinks they could have offered a wider range of color. My only other complaint is that the matte Lip Velvets do take a little while to dry. It is not a long time, maybe 3 or 4 minutes, but I am a girl on the go and I don't want to have to worry about messing up my lips when I'm trying to get to work in the mornings. 

In order from left to right, these shades are as follows: 102 Nova (bright baby doll pink), 502 Stellar (bright pink), 201 Solstice (tawny pink-nude), 400 Big Bang (bright red), Burning Lava (matte true red), Meteoric Matte (matte berry red), and Orange-ology (matte orange). 

In closing, I think that these lip products are well worth the money, especially if you're like me and you find them on sale or use a coupon. I highly recommend these to anyone who wants to try out some inexpensive liquid lipsticks before investing in high end liquid lipsticks and risk not liking the way they wear. Let me know if you try these out and what your thoughts on them are.

Xoxo,

Bridget