Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer in Luna

I'm very late in trying out the Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquers, but better late than never, right?  I did recently pick up two, Luna and Stellar, and they fit in nicely with the peach and pink color scheme I've been gravitating towards lately.  Today I'll be showing you the more neutral peach colored Luna.

My issue with lighter colored lip sticks, or lacquers in this case, is that they more visibly settle into my lip lines.  Luna does indeed have that issue, but I may have found a way to minimize it.  I read that using a lip liner as an all over lip base prior to applying lipstick helps both with wear time and lip line settling.  So, I used Model Co.'s Illusion Nude Lip Liner as my base (you can see it reviewed here), and since it's a nude color, it doesn't really change the color of Luna. 

Luna over nude lip liner as base

The result?  Smoother lips with less noticeable lip lines!  I've also used a light pink lip liner, which turned Luna slightly more coral.  I found Luna comfortable to wear and it lasted not quite 3 hours before wearing off.  I'm happy that Luna leans slightly orange as opposed to beige, as that works better with my complexion.  The Show Off Lip Lacquers are reasonably priced at about $6, and frequent BOGO's make them even easier to snap up for a song.   I look forward to trying out the bold Stellar soon! 

Rimmel scandalEYES in Gossip Green vs. Urban Decay's 24/7 Shadow Pencil in Narc

I've got a thing for green - I just seem to naturally gravitate towards that color.  I also seem to be collecting quite a number of green eyeliners and shadow pencils, having bought both Rimmel's Gossip Green and Urban Decay's Narc in the last week.  They are different enough in color to justify having both, however one was an epic fail.  Which one was it?

Rimmel Gossip Green

First, let's talk about Rimmel's scandalEYES Gossip Green.  It is a darkened sage green that applied easily and smoothly as both a liner and a shadow.  Wear time was a respectable 8 hours before I started noticing fading and some slight creasing. 

Urban Decay Narc

Urban Decay's Narc is a darker green with gold shimmer, and of the two, is the more complex and interesting color.  That is, if I could get it to apply.  When I first got the pencil and tried to swatch it, absolutely no color would transfer to my arm.  So, I pressed hard, and promptly broke the tip off the end of the pencil.  Hoping against hope that the pencil would work better once I sharpened it....but not so much. 

Narc, Gossip Green

I can make multiple passes before it will start to lay down color, and that's on my arm.  I can't/don't want to press that hard on my eyeball. It also was not smooth and did this build up thing once I got it applying color - just an all around epic fail.  I've had other Urban Decay shadow pencils that performed just fine, so I'm not sure if this one pencil was a dud or if Narc was an underperformer all along.  I do know it's currently on sale for $11 at Urban Decay, so perhaps it's being phased out.  Sales at Urban Decay usually mean a product is being retired.  Sadly, sale items also cannot be returned to Urban Decay.

Wearing Gossip Green

It's too bad, as Gossip Green and Narc complement each other, if only Narc would play nice.  Gossip Green is less expensive at regular price ($4.49) than Narc is on sale ($11), so the clear winner between these two is Gossip Green.  Score Rimmel!

Disclaimer:  I purchased these.

Rimmel Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer in Precious Gold: Review and Comparison Swatches

Dark gold eyeliners are one of my most used items.  I've been wanting to find a good dupe for Urban Decay's 24/7 eye pencil in Honey, which was discontinued before I knew it existed.  I don't know if Rimmel's Precious Gold is a dupe or not, but I do like the color!

I've had good success with the previous Exaggerate pencil in Deep Ocean that I have, and Precious Gold is performing just as well.  It applies smoothly and worn over primer, lasts through the day for me on my upper lash line.  I'm finding that most pencils smudge slightly on my lower lash line, which Precious Gold did as well.  I rarely wear liner on my water line so have not tested the Exaggerate pencils in that area.  Love that there is a removable smudger/sharpener on the end of the pencil.

Precious Gold is a good complement for Urban Decay's
Limelight glitter shadow from the Mariposa palette
(outside lighting)

Precious Gold is a medium brassy gold shimmer, and surprisingly, I have no dupes in my stash. The closest is my beloved (and also discontinued) Baked by Urban Decay, but it is darker and has silver micro glitter in it.

At about $5.50, I think the Exaggerate Eye Definers are a good drugstore eye liner!  I got mine at Ulta, and I believe there are 6 colors in the current lineup:  Emerald Sparkle, Purple Shock, Precious Gold, Noir, Sable, and Deep Ocean.  If Rimmel comes out with more colors that appeal to me, I would definitely get more.

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

Deep Ocean Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer by Rimmel London

Rimmel's waterproof eyeliners have gotten some really good buzz, so I picked up Deep Ocean recently.  I've been on a search for a good dark blue matte eyeliner, which is not as easy as it might seem. 

Deep Ocean is indeed a darker blue that leans slightly teal.  While not the true navy I was hoping for, it's a lovely color and the texture is soft and creamy, making it super easy to apply.  There is a foam smudge tip on the end of the retractable pencil, and if you work quickly you can smudge out the line before it sets.  Cause once this sets, it did not budge on me!

I compared it to some other liners that I have.  Deep Ocean is the top swatch, an Ulta Smoky Eyes pencil in Cobalt is the middle, and Urban Decay's Binge is the last swatch.  Deep Ocean is definitely the most pigmented of the three.

Deep Ocean, Cobalt, Binge

The Exaggerate Eye Definers are marketed as wearing for 10 hours, and Deep Ocean did last all day with no smudging or fading and the line was still going strong when I removed my makeup before bed.  I'm impressed!  I haven't tried it on my waterline so can't speak to that. 

The downside is that there are only six shades available in this line.  I've seen prices ranging from $4.50 to $7, but these are easily one of the best low budget eye pencils I've tried.  I'll be on the lookout for new colors!

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

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Scandal Eyes Eyeshadow Sticks in Bulletproof Beige and Bad Bronze

The Scandal Eyes eyeshadow sticks are the first Rimmel London products I believe I've tried, and they are fabulous!  Smooth, creamy, easy to blend, long lasting, and inexpensive - what more could you ask for?

Bad Bronze

Bulletproof Beige

These remind me of Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide On shadow pencils, but at a fraction of the cost.  The UD pencils are $20, whereas Rimmel's are $4.49 each.  Given the frequent BOGO deals on drugstore products, they can be even cheaper.  UD does have a better color selection with 12 pencils, but I'm seeing nine current colors in the Scandal Eyes, which is not bad. 

Here I used Bulletproof Beige from lash line to crease, and Bad Bronze smudged out along the upper and lower lashes.  Scandal Eyes eyeshadow sticks are supposed to be smudge and waterproof, and in the week that I've been wearing them, I'd say that is true.  They are blendable when first applied and I've been using an eyeshadow brush to smudge them out, but once set, they wear beautifully.  I do use an eye primer, but my lids are very oily so a primer is a must for me. 

For this look, I applied shadows first and then Bad Bronze smudged along the upper lash line and Bulletproof Beige along my lower lash line.  I love that they can be used as both a shadow and a liner and find them really easy to work with!  I've got two more colors that arrived today, so it will be interesting to see if there is consistent quality throughout the color range.

Have you tried these?  What do you think?

Disclaimer:  I purchased these.