Provoke the Lips

Now, the Rimmel Provocalips* have certainly been making the rounds in the blogosphere, so when I was offered the opportunity to trial them - I couldn't say no! There have indeed been mixed reviews about them, but one thing that everyone seems to agree on, is that they are damn long-lasting. Keep reading for my two cents...

L-R, Top: Make your Move, Skinny Dipping, Dare to Pink, I'll Call you
Bottom: Little Minx, Kiss me you Fool, Play with Fire, Kiss Fatal

The Provocalips are your typical two-step, long lasting lip colour. The colour on one side, and the gloss/balm to seal for longwear on the other. Personally I've never tried a formula like this. They're usually marketed as being "kiss proof", etc, and I can't say I get much kissing action at all. What I can definitely attest to is their staying power. These babies last. The first layer goes on smoothly but will feel slightly tacky. You don't want to press your lips together at this stage as the colour can tend to accentuate lines if you do. After adding the gloss however, lips look smooth, with a slight sheen. Nothing too overbearingly shiny, and not sticky at all. I really like the texture of the gloss actually, it does feel fairly hydrating. Generally the colours have pretty opaque pigmentation, but some shades were almost a little watery or applied unevenly.

Once the gloss is on, the colour is locked in. I've worn these on multiple occasions and never have I needed to touch up. I think the longest I've worn one is for about eight hours or so? In this time, my lips never felt dry or uncomfortable, the colour didn't fade, transfer, or bleed. After eating a meal, you will get slight wear in the centre of the lips, but nothing major, and after the first couple of hours, the gloss will wear down, but the colour is still comfortable. Now, the removal. Lily Pebbles hated these because she couldn't get them off. Yes, they are tough to remove - you will definitely need an oil-based remover and some friction. I find they removed best with the Almay Eye Makeup Remover Pads which are quite oily. I actually wasn't left with a stain and my lips weren't terribly dry either!

The shade range is hit and miss. My favourite is definitely Make Your Move, a caramel type peachy-brown, which almost has a Kylie Jenner vibe but more peachy? Regardless very wearable. 

Skinny Dipping is one I can't imagine looking good on very many people...it's a pale nude with an almost brown/grey tinge. To make it worse, it has a bit of a frost and applies patchily. 

Dare to Pink looks good in swatches, but not on my lips. It's a pale, slightly peachy pink, with a similar frost to Skinny Dipping, and similar patchy application. Unfortunately not very flattering on me.

I'll Call You is a pretty medium pink with slight mauvey tones.

Little Minx is a bright, hot pink. Very bold and intense though not neon bright pink.

Kiss Me You Fool is the token bright red. Perfect for the festive season!

Play with Fire is your deeper red. This one had slightly weaker pigmentation.

Kiss Fatal is a slightly grapey-burgundy. Its brownish tinge coupled with the slight shimmer makes it a little less flattering. It also had slightly weaker pigmentation.

So overall, very good products if you're in the market for something uber long lasting, just make sure you pick up a good shade!

Have you tried the Provocalips?

*Products sent for consideration.