Janet Van De Graaff* Would Love These: Rimmel Show Off Liquid Lip Lacquers

Okay. So, way back in December, a blogger that I just adore posted some swatches of a brand new long-wearing liquid lipstick from Rimmel. The shades were gorgeous, and Rimmel's a good brand, so I was gutted to learn that Apocalips (how cute is that?) were only available in the UK.

Well, fast-forward to last week, when Rimmel released their line of Show Off liquid lip lacquers (read: Apocalips) here in the States. I was so excited, that I ran to my nearest Walgreen's to grab one of these $4.99 beauties before they flew off the shelves!

Okay, okay...I got two. Sue me.

The first one that I picked up was Celestial, which you will not see here because I am a horrible photographer and none of the photos turned out worth a darn. It's a really lovely peachy-beige, if that's any help. The second one, though, was Big Bang, and it's a true red. Seeing as I was just hired to be in an Andrews Sisters tribute group (that's a whole 'nother story), I could definitely use a long-wearing, pin-up red.

Now 50% Blurrier!

The packaging is flat-out cool. It's identical to the UK version, with the exception of the name change. The tube is just shy of cellphone length, and features a faceted cap in black that gradates down to a clear bottom half, which displays the color inside. The Rimmel branding and Show Off name are in silver foil. My one complaint is that the shade name can only be found on the little safety sticker, so you can't peel it off unless you have a fantastic memory for color names. I don't.

You know what red lipstick is great for? Learning that your lips are really asymmetrical.

The Good: The doe-foot application is smooth and even, and the pigmentation is top notch. The product is insanely glossy, and that gloss remains even after blotting (as you can see from the above photo. Yup...that's blotted). Eating and drinking does affect the wear time some, but without eating, and with drinking only through a straw, it can go four hours, easily. Not too shabby for five bucks.

The Not So Good ('Cause It's Not Really Bad): The smell. It smells like aloe vera, which is really strange, since there isn't any aloe vera in it, that I could find. Luckily, that does fade after application, so it's not unbearable. This is also a very drying product. After four hours, my lips were pretty much screaming. You can apply a balm over the lipstick to help with the dryness, but there's a process:

• Apply the balm, which will ball up and remove some of the color in patches.
• Blot off the excess balm, removing the flakes.
• Reapply lipstick over balm.

So, yeah...that part's kind of a pain. There is also some feathering, but that's to be expected with bold colors. You should also exfoliate and moisturize before applying, but again, that's the norm. Also, please bear in mind that, while this is long-wearing, it's still prone to transfer.

I really like this lipstick for those times when you know you're not going to be able to touch-up for a while. Filming, stage work, weddings (just be careful kissing!)...any time you need to look really good for a really long time, but also need to be fairly low-maintenance. Would I wear it every day? God, no! It's way too drying. Will I pick up every color? Not on your life. I'm definitely more of a lip gloss girl, and rarely wear "real" lipstick. Can I recommend this to others? Absolutely.

Final Verdict: This is a lovely product with great staying power and an even greater price tag. Pick up a couple if you're into shiny lipsticks. 7 out of 10.

*For those of you who aren't musical theatre geeks, like myself, Janet Van de Graaff is a character in The Drowsy Chaperone, and she sings a song called "Show Off". The more you know...