Since I fell in love with Rimmel's Kate Matte Lipstick in 107, I've been on a search for a similar shade in a matte lip cream form which is my favourite formula to wear. I didn't find a matte version yet, however, I stumbled upon a post about new shades of Apocalips by chance (is it just me, or did this launch go mostly unnoticed in the blogging world?) and the deeper shade called Eclipse landed in my cart in minutes.
I already own the shade Stellar which is an absolutely gorgeous, bright pink-coral and it landed in my Best Buys in 2013 post. Apocalips are very pigmented liquid lipsticks with a glossy finish that gets more satin/matte when it's wearing off. The doe foot applicator is excellent for a more precise application (you'll notice in my review for 107 how difficult it is to apply nicely based on my lip swatch, but I managed to get some nice results with this one). The applicator has a small depression on one side of the applicator where the product gathers, so there is no need to dip the applicator in the tube several times. Due to the pigmentation, it's better to apply it gradually. I apply it in dots, then spread the product by rubbing my lips together and fix the edges with the applicator. I'm not a fan of a shiny finish, so I almost always blot it and I'm left with a matte finish, but there is enough intensity left for my taste. I also love wearing this as a stain as shown in the last picture. I apply a dot of product and rub it in with fingers. What's left is a nice berry stain that is very everyday appropriate.
Eclipse is a deep burgundy, a very vampy colour and perfect for autumn/winter if you're into such shades. Compared to Rimmel's 107 it's more red/burgundy and less berry. When I saw it in the tube, I thought this is not what I expected. It looks different in the tube than on the lips, almost a bit grey and brown.
What bothered me most at Stellar was the horrible scent, but it looks like they fixed that problem since Eclipse has a much more mild and a bit different version of the scent.
It lasts so long on the lips and leaves a lovely stain behind. Like Essence matte lip creams, it does transfer on the glass when you're drinking, however it does survive a meal well enough, providing you don't eat anything greasy. It looks great as it's half worn off since it fades evenly. It doesn't dry out my lips at all.
(A prime example of my hair misbehaving, but I'm wearing a matching cardigan - my favourite at the moment.)
As a stain. It's a bit more burgundy and not as intense, but my camera picked it up as too pink.
Rimmel is available almost everywhere with a notable exception of Slovenia. You can get Apocalips lip lacquers on Feel Unique, All Beauty, Fragrance Direct and Asos. I paid 7.49€ on Feel Unique.
I've been feeling über crappy today, but writing this post made me feel so much better, so I hope you enjoyed it and have a great day!