Giorgio Armani Rouge Ecstasy CC Lipstick in #501 Peony Review and Swatch

Okay... I need to admit it that I wanted to get hold of one of those Giorgio Armani Rouge Ecstasy CC Lipsticks since I received its first promotional email. I am totally a sucker for its glorious red packaging. I couldn't stop thinking whipping out this lipstick out of my purse... Yes. I went for it when I first saw it at the Giorgio Armani counter at Nordstrom. I tried a couple of the colors and I was completely in love with the one I picked in the end - #501 Peony. Ever since I started wearing Jo Malone's Peony and Blush Suede scent, I've been obsessed with anything Peony. But I have to tell you, this lipstick offers more than the packaging and the beautiful name. 

I will start with the packaging. It's simply bold and glamorous. The level of luxurious feeling it offers is no less than the Tom Ford black/gold combination... I LOVE IT. It also has the magnetic lipstick cap -  same as the Burberry one. 

It's called "CC Lipstick" and claimed to be the newest technology which combines lip care with high impact color effect. The color is gorgeous as you can see from the swatch below. It's quite long lasting -  4 to 5 hours - drinking but no eating. I will do a kissing test and report back but for now I'm quite satisfied with it! I apologize that I took the picture at night time so the lighting might be a bit off but I really wanted to rave this product before I leave for my vacation! Of course, I'm totally carrying this in my purse with me!

The color definitely looks better on my lips than on my wrist. It totally brightens up my complexion and I absolutely adore it! I'm already thinking what the next color I should reward myself with next time I go shopping, maybe Heat? maybe Scarlatto? maybe Dolci? Ohhh I want them all...

x

Mimi

Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer Review + Swatches (Celestial, Nova, Galaxy, Stellar)

Ever since there was the hype on Rimmel's Apocalips, I've been wanting to get hold of them! However, it took a while for us in the US to get them. Finally, I found them in Walgreens on one random visit. 

Now, I will start off with the packaging. They look pretty much the same as the UK version Apocalips. Average drug store product packaging, note the color on the packaging is similar or say a representative of the color inside but don't rely on them! I got four of them at once, as shown below. 

Color: From top to bottom in all three pictures are Celestial, Nova, Galaxy, and Stellar.

The swatches look nice, don't they?! They are extremely pigmented! All of the swatches above are just one stroke of each. 

Application: Easy. The sponge tip is great for application. It's super smooth and silky. It settles into a semi-matte finish which is very nice.

BUT, let's talk about the wear. The wear of these lip lacquers are so disappointing!! They are definitely not long lasting. The amazing pigmentation only lasts for less than an hour and starts to wear off. The part that's very frustrating is that it settles all on the boarders of my lips and that's not an attractive look. I'm not someone who checks in the mirror all the time so I really can't deal with this. Due to this reason, I've only worn the color Stellar once even though it's such a bright and beautiful color. My favorite color would be Celestial - lightest of all and it doesn't cause any embarrassment even if the color faded quickly because it faded "quietly" too.. The way I use to reduce the fading effect is apply some similar color lipstick underneath, blot lips, and use Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer as a lip-gloss. Even that, it doesn't prevent it from fading, just a better fading effect...

x

Mimi