Rimmel London Lasting Finish Colour Rush Balms: Not An Illusion, Keep Mauving, The Redder The Better, Viva Violet, On Fire, Lady Marmalade, and All You Need Is Pink

Hey y'all! Today's post is a review on the Rimmel London Lasting Finish Colour Rush Balms. This collection includes a total of fourteen shades: Give Me A Cuddle, Make Me Blush, All You Need Is Pink, I Want Candy, Keep Mauving, Boom Chic A Boom, Rumor Has It, Viva Violet, The Redder The Better, On Fire, Sun Kissed, Lady Marmalade, Not An Illusion, and Drive Me Nude. 

I purchased seven shades, which are displayed and swatched below on my arm as well as lips. 

Availability / Price 

I purchased these new lip products from Rimmel at my local Walmart. These balms are reasonably priced at $4.97 each (minus state sales tax). I have not yet spotted these anywhere else locally where drugstore makeup might be sold. 

Packaging 

What can I say? Yes, I am one of those people, whose inner child is tangled up with unfounded liking for makeup, and easily enticed by colorful, chubby, stationary-like packaging. The packaging of the Rimmel Colour Balms is lightweight, plastic, and colored in the same shade as the product inside. There is nothing unique or luxe about these retractable crayon shaped lipsticks.  

Not An Illusion, On Fire, The Redder The Better, Viva Violet, All You Need Is Pink, Keep Mauving, and Lady Marmalade (left - right).

All You Need Is Pink, Not An Illusion, Keep Mauving, The Redder The Better, Viva Violet, On Fire, and Lady Marmalade (left - right).

Colors / Pigmentation

The pigmentation of this product is medium to full. I am trying very hard to explain the look of this product as descriptively as I can. The pigmentation is intense as these colors lean on the bright side and my lips are definitely concealed with color, but the color still has this transparent sheer finish. It looks sheer, but is not sheer, sort of like a jelly nail polish. 

Lady Marmalade, On Fire, Viva Violet, The Redder The Better, Keep Mauving, Not An Illusion, and All You Need Is Pink (top - bottom). 

 

On Fire and All You Need Is Pink are very similar. On Fire is a red with pink and orange undertones, while All You Need Is Pink is a red with pink and fuchsia undertones. Lady Marmalade is an orange-coral. Not An Illusion is a peachy brown. Keep Mauving is a mauve, leaning more purple than pink. Viva Violet is a brighter version of Keep Mauving, but here we have a hot fuchsia pink tone rather than the softer pink in Keep Mauving. The Redder The Better was not at all what I was expecting. This is not a cool-toned or blue-toned red. The Redder The Better has warm orange and yellow hues. It appears more like a red-orange on me than a true red. This is the type of red that can make your teeth look yellow. 

Of course y'all deeper skin-toned ladies can decide for yourselves, but I think these shades that I tried would look more flattering on skin-tones lighter than me. I would recommend shades like Keep Mauving, Viva Violet, and The Redder The Better for beige to deeper skin tones. It is all about personal preferences though. I am just here to share my review and give y'all an idea of the product. Now it is up to y'all to come to a conclusion for yourselves based on the information I have provided in this post. 

Not An Illusion*, Keep Mauving*, Viva Violet, Lady Marmalade, On Fire*, All You Need Is Pink*, and The Redder The Better (top to bottom). *The asterisked shades appear much brighter than captured in the pictures below. The arm swatches above are more accurate. 

Formula / Application 

This product is not a balm in the traditional sense. It might be mistaken as a balm because of the sheen, glossiness, and transparency of the shades. This product can be worn sheer or build up to full opacity in merely two swipes. These feel balmy and smooth on the lips, but this texture does not last for even an hour. This product did not moisturize my lips. After application, during wear, or once this product has worn off, my lips feel as they were (dry, chapped, or normal) before applying this product. 

Scent 

The scent of the Rimmel Colour Balms remind me of warm nutty coconut and sweet vanilla. Okay! Perhaps my description might overwhelm y'all more than the actual scent of these lipsticks. Yes, the scent is noticeable, but it is subtle and pleasant. However, if you are sensitive to scents, then you may not be able to avoid the scent, which I did not notice once I applied the product on the lips. 

Staying Power

The verbose title of this product includes the words "lasting finish." What does this mean? Lasting formula, color, or both? Obviously the pigmentation of this product does not last like a long-wearing, matte stain because that is not its intended purpose. The color wears off after eating. The color transfers onto your cup if you have a drink. If you do not eating, then the color stays on the lips for about three hours with lighter shades and five hours with deeper shades. Although the color does last a fair amount of time, especially the deeper shades, the sheen (glossiness) does not last as long as the color, which is the main disappointment. Lasting finish implies just that to me - lasting sheen. Right? 

Overall 

Likes: Excellent shade range; excellent pigmentation; very affordable; pleasant scent. 

Dislikes: Not moisturizing like a balm; sheen / glossiness does not last for the duration that the color remains on the lips. 

Would I purchase more shades or backups? I returned four shades. Once I opened them up at home, one of the pencils (The Redder The Better) was broken inside (as pictured above). Probably because someone opened it in the store and carelessly put the lid back on.  In addition to the fact that one of the pencils was damaged, all four of the shades I returned were too bright for my skin-tone and personal liking (Lady Marmalade, on Fire, and All I Need Is Pink). 

Update: Comparisons 

If y'all don't mind spending $4.97, which is how much a cup of coffee costs these days, and absolutely adore collecting and/or wearing lipsticks, then I don't think it can hurt to pick one of these up. I kept three of the seven shades I purchased and do not regret the decision to do so. We beauty bloggers know that we cannot afford to keep products that we will not use at all. So, I would like to clarify that this product was neither a disappointment, nor did it sweep me off my feet. 

Now let me make some comparisons for y'all. 

Jordana vs. Rimmel (Rimmel wins = pigmentation + formula)

Cover Girl vs. Rimmel (Rimmel wins = pigmentation) 

Neutrogena vs. Rimmel (Rimmel wins = pigmentation)

Clinique (Intense Color Collection) vs. Rimmel (Equal quality pigmentation, Clinique has better staying power, sheen disappears in both) 

Revlon (Lacquers) vs. Rimmel (Revlon is more balmy than Rimmel; Equal pigmentation and staying power)

Revlon (Original) vs. Rimmel (Rimmel wins; better color selection; equal pigmentation; equal staying power and wear-off effect)

I will not compare this product to Tarte Lip Surgence (Matte), Revlon (Matte), or Flower Beauty (Matte) because the formula is contrasting (Sheen vs. Matte). The comparison would not be fair.   

I think my holy-grail favorite pencil-lipstick product is by BITE Beauty. 

I hope this post was informative and helpful. Your friendly comments are much appreciated. 

Come back soon. Thanks!

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