When I was starting to wear make-up in my teens, Rimmel was my go-to brand as it was affordable and reasonably priced.  However, I started to veer away from Rimmel as I got older and began trying out other make-up brands.  The other day, though, I saw a YouTube collaboration video featuring Karima Kimmie and Michelle Crossan showcasing looks using the relatively new Rimmel ‘The Only 1’ Lipstick in the matte formulation, and that brought the brand back to my attention.

The lipstick that Michelle used – 120 – really caught my eye as it was such a beautiful, coral-red shade.  What also really appealed to me was that they found the matte texture to be incredibly comfortable, moisturising and smooth to wear on the lips.  I don’t tend to wear matte lipsticks much as I can find them very drying on the lips.  So when I heard that these lipsticks felt so smooth on the lips and I saw this incredible colour, well, I just had to try them out! Boots also had a ‘2 for £10’ across the Rimmel make-up range, so I picked up another of ‘The Only 1’ lipsticks to try out, this time in their traditional (satin-like) formulation.

Both lipsticks come in cylindrical shaped tubes with the ‘Rimmel’ slogan embossed on the side and a crown logo on the top lid.  The matte range comes in matte red tubes, whilst the traditional formulation comes in shiny black tubes.  The shade for each lipstick is swirled around the base of the product, which makes it nice and easy to select a colour if you have several in the same range.  The bottom of each tube has the shade number and the shade name.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upon opening, the lipstick tubes are silver topped with a flat edge to the actual lipstick.  The base of the lipstick tube allows you to swivel the lipstick up (or down) to release more or less product.  As mentioned above, I purchased two lipsticks from the two ‘The Only 1’ lipstick ranges: 200 ‘It’s a Keeper’ from the traditional formulation (a satin-like finish) and 120 ‘Call the Shots’ from the matte selection.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I tried out shade 120 yesterday and shade 200 today.  I was so impressed with both products! Both lipsticks are really smooth and glide on beautifully.  The lipsticks feel so light-weight and comfortable on the lips – almost as if you aren’t wearing anything at all.  Both lipsticks also have a faint watermelon-like scent which is very fresh and pleasant.  From trying out these two shades, I think ‘The Only 1’ lipstick range is worth a look if you are someone who likes the idea of lipstick but finds it a bit heavy texture-wise on the lips.  I am really tempted to go back and get a few more shades from ‘The Only 1’ range (both matte and satin) as I like the ones I got so much.

Shade 120 ‘Call the Shots’ is a beautifully smooth, coral-red matte shade.  There is a slight pink hue to the shade as well. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shade 120 is very fresh looking and I can imagine it looking beautiful in summer time.  I wore it without any other make-up yesterday and it gave my face a lovely ‘pop’ of colour.  I can see it looking lovely with neutral eyeshadows and flicked black liner or more colourful eyeshadow combinations.  

This particular shade wore pretty well on my lips.  It did wear down a little when I had something to drink or eat but it did so evenly.  It was really easy to top up and didn’t ‘pile up’ on the lips when I applied another coat.  I think there is sometimes a choice to make between having a matte lipstick which feels more comfortable and smooth on the lips (and so perhaps wears down more quickly) or having one which is a little drier (and so lasts longer).

Shade 200 ‘It’s a Keeper’ is a medium pinky-mauve shade with a slight satin sheen.  The shade reminds me a little of one of my favourite MAC shades – Hot Gossip.  I think Hot Gossip is a little lighter but the Rimmel version is a great alternative if you want to try out something different or want to keep costs down.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s worth noting that shade 200 looks a lot darker in a swatch than it does on the lips.  When I wore it today, it looked a lot lighter; I think the pink tone of my natural lip colour toned the shade down a little.  

I reeeeeally love the feel, finish and colour of this shade.  It gave my lips a lovely, slight satin sheen and had such a smooth finish.  I think this particular shade is neutral enough that it would look lovely everyday with whatever other make-up you might be wearing or if you are fresh faced.  It would also look really lovely with a smokey eye look – especially shades of silver, grey, blue and purple.

Swatches

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stockists

‘The Only 1’ lipsticks cost £6.99 and are available from Boots, Superdrug and other retailers selling Rimmel products.  Boots and Superdrug often have special deals (3 for 2, 2 for £10, buy 1 get 1 half price) so you can save some money if you purchase the products at particular times.

Have you tried ‘The Only 1’ lipsticks before? Any shade suggestions? Or any other Rimmel products which you would recommend for trying out? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.