Apocalips hit America!! Rimmel Show Off lip lacquers (Review & Swatches)

So I have been waiting for months for these lip products to hit the shelf here in the U.S. and finally as I was walking through Walgreens the other day I found a display of them hidden in the back corner and I literally let out a squeal of happiness. The collection had 14 different lip colors and were a mix of cream and shimmery/glittery formulas. I picked up 4 of the cream shades and after testing them out I want to purchase the rest, but alas I'm getting ahead of myself in this review. I knew from reading some other reviews that these lip lacquers would not be called "Apocalips" over here, as they're called in the U.K. and I have to say that made me quite sad. They are called "Show Off" lip lacquer and it makes me wonder why the name change. I mean I know we can be sorta slow over here sometimes, but I am pretty positive we could handle the play-on-words and get the joke of "Apocalips" lol. But a name is just a name and all that jazz. What I really cared about was how these babies performed

Claims: Earth Shattering Color

• For the first time, the intense, richer color of a lipstick is enhanced by a smooth satin shine
• Ultra-intense, ultra-comfortable-it lasts all day
• It's neither a lipstick...nor a gloss... it's BIGGER than both

The earth-shattering lip lacquer from Rimmel London combining the intense color of lipstick with a lacquer like shine, Show Off lip lacquer is an explosive make-up phenomenon that represents the end of color as you know it. Packed with pure color pigments, it's lusciously creamy, conditioning formula promises a never-before combination of color, shine, and comfort that lasts and lasts

(description from www.walgreens.com)

My thoughts: I have to say for once I fully agree with all the claims. Now I have only tried 4 of the cream shades so I can't say anything about the rest, but these lip lacquers have to be one of the best I have tried, low end or high end. The lacquers go on smoothly and opaquely in just one coat. You can build them up if you want but I didn't see any point in doing so. They feel super smooth and very hydrating on the lips. For the swatches I applied each color one right after the other and scrubbed them off with a wash cloth in between and my lips still felt moisturized and nice. I normally have pretty dry lips, especially right on the inside of my lips, and I didn't have any of that weird bunching up where the dry patches were. It smoothed on right over it and actually made those patches look and feel better. I still recommend exfoliating your lips before applying any lip color, even if you just use a cloth, just because over all it looks better. The lasting power of the lip lacquer is quite nice. I wore the nude shade today to the movies and it was still there after the movie, although I didn't eat anything and just had a few sips of drink it did last nicely, about 3-4 hours before I wiped it off. However, I feel like if you were eating the color would probably dissipate a lot quicker. The lacquers set to a shiny, satin finish and do keep there shine the whole time. The applicator is a doe-foot, sponge applicator and it helps you apply the lip color evenly and precisely. I recommend applying them in front of a mirror, as these are not something you can just apply blindly. I definitely find these a lot easier to apply than the OCC Lip Tars, however the outcome is quite the same. 

Overall my opinion of these lip lacquers are that they are AMAZING! For the price ($4.99) they feel like your putting on a luxury lip product. The finish is gorgeous and comfortable and I would recommend everyone giving them a shot. The selection of colors and finishes are broad enough that anyone should be able to find a color that suits them.

On to the swatches:

600 Nude Eclipse (Toffee colored Nude)

101 Celestial (Neutral, mauve pink)

501 Stellar (Hot, coral pink)

400 Big Bang (Bright, blue based red)

(with flash)

(w/out flash)

Hope you all found this review helpful.