Monday, November 19, 2007

The Hunt For The Perfect Lipstick: Rimmel London Volume Boost Liquid Lipcolour, #010, #060, #070, #190

2007-11-20: Edited to add info on color #70, "Boast".

As the end-of-year holidays approach, cosmetics manufacturers roll out new products, new colors within their regular product line, special product gift sets, etc., as well as clearance sales on their summer lines. So, I'm going to do several mass updates on a number of lip products I've run across these past few months, starting with Rimmel London's Volume Boost Liquid Lipcolour.

The short version: It goes on great. Its applicator rocks my world. Its color pigmentation is great. Volume boosting? Not so much, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. That said, it's also a Rimmel, with all that entails (including a not-great wear time).



Candidate #1: Rimmel London Volume Boost Liquid Lipcolour, #10 (Bossy)

Purchased: http://www.beauty.com/

Cost: $6.00

Candidate #2: Rimmel London Volume Boost Liquid Lipcolour, #190 (Breathless)

Purchased: http://www.beauty.com/

Cost: $6.00

Candidate #3: Rimmel London Volume Boost Liquid Lipcolour, #60 (Plump)

Purchased: http://www.beauty.com/

Cost: $6.00

Candidate #4: Rimmel London Volume Boost Liquid Lipcolour, #70 (Boast)

Purchased: http://www.beauty.com/

Cost: $6.00

Brand Info: Rimmel London Cosmetics
Founded in 1834 by Eugene Rimmel, the House of Rimmel invented the first non-toxic mascara product; to this day, the word for "mascara" in many non-English-speaking countries is "rimmel". The cosmetics division of the House of Rimmel is now owned by Coty, who distributes their product worldwide. Rimmel's cosmetic line targets the young cosmetic buyer who wants something "exotic" and "trendy" instead of the traditional drug store/grocery store/discount store cosmetics.

The Product: The names could not possibly be less descriptive of the contents, and the cases don't help. The product is in an opaque plastic cylindrical case, which is supposedly the same color as the contents. The case takes up 2/3 of the overall length; the lid is maroon and has a sticker on it with the product's bar code, color number, and color name. Printing on the opaque case is in Silver. The four colors range from bubble gum pink ("Breathless") to dusty rose ("Bossy") to pinkish brown ("Plump") to chocolate/cherry ("Boast").

The Application: The applicator is a step up from practically every brand
of lip gloss out there: It's a short-bristled fine-tipped brush. Yes,
just like a nail polish brush. It's fantastic. The brush allows practically exact contouring of the lips without having to re-dip for new gloss every few strokes. I'd buy this product over and over and over again just to have that brush. As for the product itself, it's a weird cross between a gloss and a liquid lipstick: It's thick and has great pigmentation like a liquid lipstick does, but upon application, it tends to sheer out, which is one of the things I hate about lip gloss in general. The colors stay true to their first appearance: Breathless is very pink; Bossy is a dusty rose; Plump is a brown with a touch of pink in it; Boast is darker brown with just the barest hint of cherry red.

The Taste: An odd mix of scents: Rimmel's trademarked bubble gum taste with a bit of wintergreen in it, presumably to plump the lips.

The Blot: Let these set up for a minute before blotting, or all the color will come off. However, the blots are very pale once the color has set up.

The Wear: It's a Rimmel product. Do I really have to answer that? O.K., I will anyway. If you don't like the color, taste, or tingle on your lips (no real plumping occurs), just wait about an hour; it'll be gone along with the rest of the product. Even laid over another lip color, it still disappears within about 60-75 minutes, and will usually fade out whatever lipstick you put on underneath with it.

The Verdict: As a lipgloss, it's not bad. As a lip plumper, it's useless. As an everyday color, get used to reapplying every hour or so and you'll be just fine. And at $6 a tube, if you don't like it, throw it out and get a new one.


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