Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer Review & Swatches

Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer aka Apocalips Lip Lacquer as they are referred to in the UK are now available in US drugstores. Show Off Lip Lacquer is available in a range of fourteen shades and is a liquid lipstick slash gloss with full color coverage.

These are an exciting release as it seems like we’ve been literally awaiting their arrival on US shores for ages now. We also happened to get a bigger range of shades as the UK release only has eight colors available.

These are in special displays at the moment but they will become part of the Rimmel general catalog display later this Fall.

Let’s take a look!

400 Big Bang, 401 Aurora, 500 Luna, 601 Light Year

101 Celestial, 200 Comet, 201 Solstice, 301 Galaxy

I’ve heard and read that Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquers are available exclusively at Walgreens but I can’t confirm or deny this because I noticed Drugstore.com sells them as well which leads me to believe at some point they will be available at all drugstores.

Show Off Lip Lacquers (or also as they are known in the UK, Apocalips) are a liquid lipstick with incredible pigmentation. I’m hearing a range of raves across the board for these but I had my issues with them which I’ll share in a second.

I know a few reader’s expressed horror these weren’t sealed or shrink wrapped but you can tell if someone messed with them prior to a purchase. Each lipstick has a small pocket at the top of the opening. If you open it and the area is filled with the lipstick that means someone tampered with it already. If the area is clear that means the “seal” hasn’t been broken”. When you pull the wand up into that small area or pocket it will fill with the product and make a small clicking sound. The “pocket” area also allows the sponge tip applicator to saturate with the product easily which results in more color on lips!

These have a silky, soft formula with a long lasting semi-matte finish. These have excellent pigmentation and provide full color pay off at a single application which deepens with further application. They apply beautifully and have a softer, silkier feel that’s almost satiny on dry down. ALL the shades I tried were fully opaque on a single stroke, no building needed.

Rimmel promotes these as neither a lipstick or a gloss but bigger than both. I’d say it leans towards being more of a liquid lipstick than anything else as it lacks the shine and glossiness of a lipgloss product. They feel very lightweight on lips but they provide no real moisture or hydration which is one reason I dislike them. Because as the wear progresses I feel like my lips become drier which leads to the product becoming tighter around my mouth. I can easily add a little clear gloss on top to freshen them up and this actually works to my advantage as I find the wear more comfortable with gloss on top but I shouldn’t have to do this, you know what I mean?

Solstice

Aurora

Big Bang

Celestial

Comet

Galaxy

Light Year

Luna

The wear time is impressive at around four hours however, as I mentioned above I wasn’t comfortable wearing them that long due to the dryness I experienced. As they begin to fade at hour four you’ll notice they leave a staining effect behind which isn’t messy but quite lovely.

At $4.99 each they are a beauty budgeters dream product. Liquid lipstick with this much pigment for five dollars each? Unheard of. I am going to do something I rarely do when I dislike a product…I’m Muse Approving these. Because although I wasn’t particularly keen on them I think they will have a certain fan base that will adore them. If you like liquid lipsticks I’m positive you’ll enjoy these as they are on caliber with brands like Korres Liquid Lipstick and others. I personally feel they are a bit on the dry side for myself but I can see them becoming a very popular product as they pack a good deal of awesome into a budget price.

If you tried Show Off Lip Lacquer already I would love to hear your thoughts!

Do share in the comments.

These are available now at Walgreens (that’s the only place outside of purchasing online at spots like Drugstore.com that I’ve had the pleasure of seeing them).