Product review: Rimmel Light Beam After Hours Lip Gloss
Sometime over the summer I was sent three tubes of Rimmel Light Beam lip gloss for review. I've been so busy using them and trying to pry them out of my daughter's hands that I sort of ... er, forgot to review them. Heh. Sorry about that! It was a weird summer, y'all.
Anyhoodle, you've probably seen this stuff in stores by now, and if so you know that the selling point is the packaging. The tube is squat and rectangular with a mirror along one side -- big whoop, we've all seen that before. The unique part is the cap -- there's a little push-button operated light in it. Yes, a teeny, tiny flashlight. Open the product, depress the button in the top of the cap/handle, and a tiny spotlight shines down the length of the wand and thus onto your lips as you apply the product. Kind of like in this dramatic photo provided to me for purposes of illustration:
So with the light and the mirror, you can apply this stuff in the dark! Cool, huh? The light also works while the cap is on, so you can dazzle everyone around you with your mysteriously glowing tube o' gloss, like in this picture I took myself in a dark (bath)room:
Yes, I AM easily amused, thanks for asking!
So let's talk about the product INSIDE the cool tube, huh? Light Beam is a thin, very sheer gloss that's only a little bit sticky. I received three shades -- In The Mix, a sheer pale pink; Spotlight, a shimmery raspberry pink; and After Hours, a sheer brownish-plum -- and they all look the same (read: clear and shiny) on my lips except that Spotlight is shimmery and the others aren't. They all taste fabulous, though. In The Mix is sort of fruity, Spotlight tastes like bubblegum, and After Hours has some nebulous sweetness (maybe a little vanilla?) going on.
The thin texture combined with the yummy flavor means these glosses don't really have much in the way of lasting power. If you don't eat them off your lips, they're going to wear off pretty quickly anyway. And let's face it -- do you really NEED a light and a mirror to apply what is essentially, on lips, a clear gloss? Maybe it's because I'm old and have been applying lip gloss to my own lips for 30+ years, but I really don't. Now if this gloss were actually pigmented, and I were the type to spend a lot of time in dark movie theaters and night clubs and ... basements? or something? then the swell packaging would be extremely helpful.
Now, as mentioned in the first paragraph of this review, I HAVE been using and enjoying this gloss all summer. No, it doesn't really show up at all, but it's yummy and I certainly don't hate it. However, my local supermarket is charging nearly $10 per tube for this stuff, and I really don't think I'd pay that much for this product. I guess if you think of it as a combination flashlight/mirror/gloss -- sort of the Swiss Army knife of the lip gloss world -- then it might be worth $10 to you. Or, as mentioned above, if the gloss were heavily pigmented then I can see the packaging being worth a couple of extra bucks for the convenience factor.
But for a delicious yet very sheer gloss with an admittedly cute gimmick? Eh. I don't think so.
Anyhoodle, you've probably seen this stuff in stores by now, and if so you know that the selling point is the packaging. The tube is squat and rectangular with a mirror along one side -- big whoop, we've all seen that before. The unique part is the cap -- there's a little push-button operated light in it. Yes, a teeny, tiny flashlight. Open the product, depress the button in the top of the cap/handle, and a tiny spotlight shines down the length of the wand and thus onto your lips as you apply the product. Kind of like in this dramatic photo provided to me for purposes of illustration:
So with the light and the mirror, you can apply this stuff in the dark! Cool, huh? The light also works while the cap is on, so you can dazzle everyone around you with your mysteriously glowing tube o' gloss, like in this picture I took myself in a dark (bath)room:
Yes, I AM easily amused, thanks for asking!
So let's talk about the product INSIDE the cool tube, huh? Light Beam is a thin, very sheer gloss that's only a little bit sticky. I received three shades -- In The Mix, a sheer pale pink; Spotlight, a shimmery raspberry pink; and After Hours, a sheer brownish-plum -- and they all look the same (read: clear and shiny) on my lips except that Spotlight is shimmery and the others aren't. They all taste fabulous, though. In The Mix is sort of fruity, Spotlight tastes like bubblegum, and After Hours has some nebulous sweetness (maybe a little vanilla?) going on.
The thin texture combined with the yummy flavor means these glosses don't really have much in the way of lasting power. If you don't eat them off your lips, they're going to wear off pretty quickly anyway. And let's face it -- do you really NEED a light and a mirror to apply what is essentially, on lips, a clear gloss? Maybe it's because I'm old and have been applying lip gloss to my own lips for 30+ years, but I really don't. Now if this gloss were actually pigmented, and I were the type to spend a lot of time in dark movie theaters and night clubs and ... basements? or something? then the swell packaging would be extremely helpful.
Now, as mentioned in the first paragraph of this review, I HAVE been using and enjoying this gloss all summer. No, it doesn't really show up at all, but it's yummy and I certainly don't hate it. However, my local supermarket is charging nearly $10 per tube for this stuff, and I really don't think I'd pay that much for this product. I guess if you think of it as a combination flashlight/mirror/gloss -- sort of the Swiss Army knife of the lip gloss world -- then it might be worth $10 to you. Or, as mentioned above, if the gloss were heavily pigmented then I can see the packaging being worth a couple of extra bucks for the convenience factor.
But for a delicious yet very sheer gloss with an admittedly cute gimmick? Eh. I don't think so.
Labels: gloss, lips, neat gadgets, product reviews, Rimmel
5 Comments:
This reminds me of Liparazzi...
Mrs. Badger,
Do you or your mom have any recollection of a make-up brand, probably, in the 60's or maybe 70's called "Campana". My mom used it all the time but we can't find anyone who remembers it. Also, does anyone remember Maybelline cake mascara in a little red box? It was cool.
Why don't more people make lip gloss for a real cause? I don't really put lipstick on in the dark. For example, Benefit makes a gloss called "Big Magic" and the proceeds go to helping youth achieve their dreams. I mean, maybe their dream is to make lighted lip gloss, but I think cause marketing with makeup is awesome. So, I won't feel guilty buying that extra tube of Benefit lip gloss - BECAUSE I'M HELPING PEOPLE. :)
I really miss reading this blog. Are you going to return to it?
OMG, Get with it sisters. This is a fun product. I found mine on sale for 2.99. I will use it for concerts and such. Please! Don't rate this lip gloss. This is mean't for fun, not quality. I bet some people out there are having fun with it. Good ice breaker!!
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