Review: Rimmel Apocalips in Stellar

Rimmel Apocalips in Stellar // £5.99
I'm usually fairly good at restraining myself when I see certain products being really hyped up in blog-world, and on the few occasions I have bought a really popular product I've usually been fairly disappointed. So, I had no intention of going out and buying any of the Rimmel Apocalips - I had seen lots of people talking about them and they looked quite interesting, but not something I was desperate to rush out and buy. The other day, however, I found myself walking past the Rimmel stand in Boots and decided to stop and give them a wee swatch. I instantly fell for the shade Stellar and as they were only £5.99 decided to live dangerously and go ahead and purchase one.

This is by no means a perfect product, and I'm not sure it deserves quite as much hype as it's getting, but it's certainly a very unique product and something I think I will use a lot. It's described as a lip lacquer, so it has the colour of a lipstick without the need for lipliner and the shine of a gloss without the annoying stickiness. I was expecting it to be a bit more like a lip stain, but I'd say it's most similar to a lipgloss. The colour doesn't really soak in to your lips (if that makes sense) so the product sits on top and transfers pretty easily. I haven't worn it on a night out yet, but I can imagine you'd probably have to spend quite a lot of time reapplying it.

I think the thing I like most about this product is the colour, if I'd chosen one of the other shades I'm not sure if I would love it quite as much. Stellar is an amazing pink-red hybrid shade - not sure how this is possible but it manages to look bright pink and bright red at the same time! The tubes are clear so the colour you see at the end is the actual product, and in the tube it looks quite pink. But once you apply it it starts to look much more like a bright red, but yet still pink - I realise I am doing a terrible job of trying to describe it and the photos really don't do it justice! The colour is really intense and pigmented, perhaps even more so than some lipsticks I own. I was worried it might be a bit messy to apply but it's actually really easy, as the applicator is really precise and it only requires one 'layer' of colour to make it this intense.

Such bright, glossy lips aren't really practical for everyday wear, however, so I've found another way to wear Apocalips without looking too over the top. By dabbing a couple of dots of the product on your lips and then blending it in with your finger, you can create a really nice matte effect which is still bright but a bit easier to wear. When worn like this, the colour lasts a lot longer too and you'd probably manage to go most of the day without any fading whereas the glossy finish disappears after a couple of hours.

Overall, I do like this product and I especially love the colour of Stellar - but it's not going to be a 'holy grail' product for me. The colour is amazingly bright, but it doesn't have the best staying power. For £5.99 you can't really complain though, so it's definitely worth a look if you're makeup shopping!

Gillian x