Rimmel London Lasting Finish Lipstick 04 (REVIEW)

Lo and behold, your best drugstore lipstick--in PURPLE, DID I MENTION THAT--for under $10.00.

It's  the Rimmel London Lasting Finish Lipstick 04, an exclusive from the Kate Moss Collection ($2.59 at ULTA.com and other retailers).

Creamy, smooth, and true-to-bullet, Rimmel promises this lipstick "locks colour to lips for up to 8 hours wear," and it's truly one of those special, opaque formulas that you just can't help wearing over and over and over...

Just one catch: It doesn't last 8 hours.  It doesn't even last 4!

I totally took this picture on the top of my organ bench.  Yes, I own an organ!

Application

04 is an ease to apply, building up to a near opaque consistency with one swipe.  A couple of more swipes and you'll get this creamy, bold purple that nourishes lips without smudging or bleeding easily.

Although a lip liner is recommended for longer wear, Rimmel works just fine on its own, adding a smooth, semi-matte finish that lasts for around 3 hours.  It's a bold lipstick, but it doesn't last--but I expected as much from a drugstore lipstick.

Left: No lipstick, obviously.  Right: Rimmel London Lasting Finish in 04 applied, no lip liner.  This so speaks to my 13 year goth self.

Wear

As I mentioned earlier, the wear time isn't long; in fact, it's quite short, hours short of its expected 8 hour wear time.  As it wears off, it leaves a ghastly, purple ring around your lips and settles into lip lines without actually staining your lips.  It's the oddest thing I've ever seen from a lipstick, and I can't say I'm too fond of it.

On the upside: No stainage means easier clean up when you remove the lipstick.  Yay!

Color

It's not a wearable lipstick by any means, but it's bold and daring and even smells a bit like candy.  I also love how it manages to keep its opacity even without lip liner, which means less prep time for me (I rarely buy lip liner).  I think this color will work for most skin tones; if you're very dark, this color probably won't stand out enough to be noticeable.  On pale skin, this is about as gothy as you can get.

Would I Repurchase?

Absolutely--if Rimmel plans on selling them!  When I bought it, it was on sale at Target and most of them were gone; I'm afraid it might be discontinued soon.  I hope Rimmel won't, because this is a quality lipstick, despite the lackluster wear time.

XOXO,

Minsooky