As I've probably said about five hundred times before round these parts, I am a big lover of liquid lipsticks. When they first became hugely prominent in the whole beauty world maybe a couple of years ago (ish?), I tried a few out for the first time to see what all the fuss was about and ever since, I have been completely obsessed. Done right, they are a probably the best option if you want a lipstick with the longest staying-power possible that will not budge or smudge (even when you eat and drink) and while in many cases they can be rather drying - that's kinda what you would tend to expect from such a super-matte, powdery finish and as long as the the formula scores highly in all of the other main areas (finish, longevity, pigmentation, ability to be layered up and reapplied etc...), I don't really mind too much. Drugstore-wise, I feel like it's only in the last year or so that brands have finally cottoned onto the hype surrounding liquid lippies and I for one am super happy about it. I love a good affordable product and so far, while I've had a couple of formulas that haven't impressed me so much, there have been a couple that have been completely awesome (Sleek, Barry M - I'm looking at you). However, there's one brand from the likes of Boots and Superdrug that up until now, hadn't jumped onto the bandwagon and that is Rimmel. And while that may be perceived as a bad thing at first, I always feel like whenever a brand is one of the last to put their own twist on a trend or product, it usually tends to be pretty darn awesome. Maybe it's cause they've had more time, or learnt from other's mistakes or errors - who knows - but whatever way, I was hoping that these would follow suit. Let's find out...
So, as I said, this new offering from Rimmel is a pretty new addition to the drugstore and from what I can see, they are one of, if not the last brand to get in on the matte liquid lipstick action. They are the Stay Matte Liquid Lip Colours (priced at £5.99 each) and they claim to be 'a new liquid lipstick with high-intensity colour, velvety matte finish and a long-lasting, comfortable wear' and being not only a big fan of liquid lippies, but also Rimmel as a brand in general - this launch fo' sho' excited me. There's a grand total of fifteen shades - a pretty big selection considering the fact it's an initial product launch - and there's everything from your classic beige nude to a proper 'out-there' grey. Oh yeah, a full-on grey. I certainly didn't venture that far in terms of the shades I personally picked up (I'm not too ready to go there, at least just yet) but if it's your kinda thang, it's right there for you and I love how Rimmel have stepped out of the typical shade comfort zone with this collection and have tried to cater for everyone in terms of the types of colours on offer. As I said, the shades I gravitated towards definitely aren't anything majorly 'new' or 'different' but they were the ones which stood out to me. I was watching a video from Tati (of 'GlamLifeGuru') a couple of weeks back and that was actually the first time I heard about these liquid lipsticks. As always, the US always tends to get a new products before the UK does (boo!) and with Tati being based in the States, I had an initial heads-up about the upcoming launch and luckily, it wasn't too long before they reached our shores. And not only that, but I also had a bit of a preview of the shades that were being released and it's safe to say that I made a note of a few shades that especially caught my eye. Tati seemed to be raving a hell of a lot over the pinky, rosey hues of the collection and I have to say that they were the colours which I was impressed by the most too and of them all, the one I was really obsessing over was the shade '100 Pink Bliss' (a stunning, bright, but still nude-esque corally pink). I also spotted the colour '600 Coral Sass' (that I can't remember seeing in Tati's swatch video) and I instantly added it to my basket too. This is exactly what it says on the tin - a vibrant coral - and seeing as I have no liquid lips in this kind of colour already, it seemed only right that I gave it a go. And finally, to complete the handy '3 for 2' that was running at the time (gotta love a good offer at Boots or Superdrug), I added the shade '500 Fire Starter' - a hot, true red. Again, I guess the anme is pretty apt on that one. All in all, the three colours which called my name the most and that I felt I'd get the most use out of but I guess a lot of that rests on the formula itself. So, what's it like, eh?
The formula of a liquid lipstick is where I feel it will fail or fly - if you get what I mean. The packaging can be super-duper pretty and 'Instagrammable' and the colour selection can so incredibly vast and diverse and just full of a tonne of amazing shades but if the product itself is just not good, what's the point? So, after being rather impressed on both of those fronts with this offering from Rimmel, I was pretty interested to see just what the deal was with what I feel is the most important, make-or-break aspect of a good liquid lippie. And I am pleased to report that... they more than live up to my expectations. First off - they smell exactly like the 'normal' lipsticks from Rimmel. Yanno that sweet, almost cakey vanilla-ry scent that Rimmel uses for all of their lipsticks and just smells so darn good you almost want to eat it? Yeah, they are scented identically like that and I for one absolutely love it. Asides from that (rather less essential) point though, the lippies themselves are awesome. They click into place when opening and closing, making you super reassured that things are sealed as shut as they should be (a definite plus point that I feel like most, if not all makeup packaging should have) and the doe-foot applicator is perfect - slightly oval-shaped and pointed at the end to make it quick, easy and precise - and it holds just enough product for a full 'coating' of the entire lips. I personally find, with all of the shades I picked up (bearing in mind that they ranged from a light coral all the way to a deep, intense red), one layer is enough to reach full opacity and within only a matter of seconds, they dry down from the glossy way they apply to that familiar super-matte effect. I'd say that within a minute or so, they are fully, completely dry and transfer-proof and you're ready to go. What I really like about them is that, like all of my favourite liquid lipstick ranges, they have a 'powdery' finish. Like they're matte, matte - there's no stickiness or any slight amount of slip or moisture left when they dry down. I personally find these types of liquid lippies the most visually appealing, comfortable, easiest and wear and also the easiest to reapply so for me, these ones from Rimmel are a winner. Once they set, they're not going anywhere. Obviously, like with most to all liquid lipsticks, after a while (especially after a lot of eating or drinking) they will eventually wear down a little, but with these it's super minimum and they layer up with no issues at all so you don't have to worry about touching up any little areas throughout the day. So, longevity wise, they are a winner but when you do want to take them off yourself in the evening (or any time throughout the day) they still manage to not be at all difficult to remove. There's a little bit of resistance there, but it's not stressful or painful to take them off and you can easily have squeaky-clean lips again in no time at all, without leaving them feeling red raw, swollen or irritated in anyway. What more could you want, eh? Maybe I'll be going back to pick up some more shades (most likely some more of the other pretty pinks) after all...
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