little white truths

I've come to realise that I should avoid Rimmel lipsticks - unless something seriously changes. If you read my recent post on the most disappointing products of last year (see post here), Rimmel's Moisture Renew Lipsticks made it to the list because they stink so much that I find them unusable.

While the smell of this Lasting Finish Lipstick isn't quite as strong and doesn't linger quite so badly, it's still too much for me and I'm not that sensitive to fragrance - so I hate to think how much it would bother people who are.

Rimmel claims/product details:

There's the bullet photographed in direct sunlight above. I bought this lipstick when Chemist Warehouse had a half-price sale, and I chose it because it looks like a nice summery peach and peaches tend to suit me.

There it is again, natural light:

Heavy and light swatches, direct sunlight:

Natural light:

My bare lips for reference:

Wearing the product, natural light:

And in indirect sunlight:

Verdict

Thankfully I didn't make the same mistake with this formula that I did for the Moisture Renew formula: with the latter I was dumb enough to buy three shades at half-price before opening and testing one, and it was then that I realised I couldn't live with the scent.

This time I only bought one and tried it first, and indeed I don't love this formula either so I'm glad I didn't go ahead and buy more shades before testing it. In both cases, the testers of the lipsticks did not smell (perhaps because they'd been exposed to air for such a long time) but the products themselves do, and the stench has shown no sign of fading over time.

While the Moisture Renew formula reeks of floral perfume, this one stinks of super sweet, fake watermelon. Ach, I hate the smell - and I can still smell it now, even though I applied the lipstick half an hour ago. Because of course your lips are right below your nose, so there's no escaping from a a lipstick that stinks and keeps stinking.

As for the shade, it's a little too bright for me - I'd call it a bubblegum peach - so I prefer to wear a lighter amount of it because otherwise it looks a little tacky against my skintone (I'm light-medium to medium, depending on the season). Indeed, it almost pulls fluro on me, and it doesn't look that way when you see the bullet so do give these products a good swatch and check them in different lights before choosing your shade.

On the formula, while the lipstick applies well, feels creamy on the lips and does last quite well throughout the day, it's very drying on me so I always need to add a gloss or balm over it because my lips feel awful after I've had it on for a few minutes. And if I only wear this, my lips start flaking dry skin within a day.

Also, you'll see in the photos above that it does emphasise lip lines something chronic - and it also emphasises dryness so I'm currently sitting here with a lipstick that's clinging to dry patches and looking uneven at the same time. Erk.

On top of that, when I press my lips together the product has a tendency to move and give you a couple of lines across your upper and lower lips where the lipstick has shifted. This is less of an issue if you apply a light coating, but it's something to be aware of if you're going for an opaque look - the lipstick may need 'babysitting' if you are, and you may have to smooth it out with your finger throughout the day.

All in all, I don't recommend this lipstick and I'll likely have to throw it in a Project Pan to get through it. If you don't have dry lips and don't care about strong scents, you may be ok with this formula but I suggest that you buy one as a starting point before getting more shades - even if you see them on special. It's just not worth winding up with a bundle of lipsticks that don't work for you, no matter the price. This was the mistake I made with the Moisture Renew formula and it's a mistake I won't be repeating!

I've given this a 'disappointing products' tag because it's just not for me. Guess I'll be sticking with Maybelline from now on.