Thorough review of Rimmel's Coral Shimmer and Airy Fairy

Hey guys. Earlier this week I picked up two new lipsticks. They didn't have the shades I wanted for one line, but they were on sale at Walgreens so I got one anyway just to try the formula.

Both of the lipsticks I picked up are from Rimmel. I got the ever famous Airy Fairy from the Lasting Finish line, and Coral Shimmer from their new Moisture Renew line.

(Note: All picture taken in natural lighting, to give you the most accurate representation of the lipstick's true color.)

Moisture Renew - Coral Shimmer: 

Pros: 

SPF 18
Creamy
Doesn't cake up or dry out lips
Goes on smoothly
Buildable color without looking cakey
Nicer packaging than older line

Cons:

Smells (not good)
Doesn't last long on lips

This lipstick does have an SPF of 18, so that's nice, but if you're going to be out in direct sunlight for a long period of time, this isn't going to do you any good. A lot of the lipsticks in this line that I saw seemed to have shimmer. Maybe it's just me.

And of course, the name does say shimmer, and it's obvious it has it, so if you aren't a fan of shimmer, just stay away from this color. I only grabbed it because it was the only color available that I liked. I'm not normally a fan of shimmery lipsticks. 

Lasting Finish - Airy Fairy:

Pros: 

Creamy
Doesn't cake up or dry out lips
Goes on very smoothly
Buildable color without looking cakey

Cons:

Bad packaging
Smells (but not as bad as the Moisture Renew)
Doesn't last long on lips
No SPF (I don't consider this a big con because if I'm going to need a sunscreen on my lips, SPF 15-18 or whatever just isn't going to cut it.)

COLOR:
To start, these shades look way different in the tube, but when swatched and worn on the lips, they appear VERY similar to me. They both have specks of gold shimmer in them and they have the same golden sheen to them in the light. Airy Fairy has some pinky-purple tone in it, while Coral  Shimmer is warm toned all the way. However, Airy Fairy still appears very similar to Coral Shimmer on me due to the gold in it. They both go on pretty sheer initially, but you can build it up.

Here are some pics: (Coral Shimmer left, Airy Fairy right)





You can probably tell that the golden specks in Airy Fairy are less, but I promise you, the golden is there.

Coral Shimmer appears darker on the lips, but because they both have the same golden undertone and the same finish to them, I could probably walk down the street with one on each half of my lips an no one would notice.

I can't really grade the color, as how good they look on someone completely depends on what that person prefers and what suits them. On me, these lipsticks are just too warm toned. 

PACKAGING:                                                                                 Airy Fairy (left) Coral Shimmer (right)

Now that I've covered the lipsticks themselves, on to packaging! In their new Moisture Renew line, Rimmel has improved their package quality, but it could still use some improvement. But don't worry, they've kept the signature crown on the top. It comes in this new shiny purple, square packaging, as opposed to the old round, red-brown one. The thing that they have improved on is not in the appearance itself (though I have to say, these new lipsticks are much prettier than the old ones), but the way it holds. What I mean by that is, when you open the Lasting Finish lipsticks, you could do it with one hand; the cap pops off really easily. With the new packaging I have to use both hands (I worry if I open it with one hand I would apply too much pressure and crack the cap). I consider this a good thing, because the cap stays in place. With the Lasting Finish lipstick, the cap could open up in your purse. The Moisture Extreme packaging is also easier to turn up the lipstick.

I don't prefer the look of the new packaging either. I feel like it's too "tween" for me, but it's nicer than the older, more boring package. 
(2/5 Airy Fairy, 4/5 Coral Shimmer)
TEXTURE:
The texture of these lipsticks is interesting to me. They both feel the same. Isn't the new line called Moisture Renew? I guess it's a good thing they're both creamy, but I was expecting the Coral Shimmer to top Airy Fairy. I like that the formula is creamy, and I've only worn these without chapstick so far, and I've had no gross cakiness on my lips and no dryness that I've detected. So that's great! I think the gold flecks of shimmer in the Coral Shimmer color make it less smooth. It's not like it changes the texture so much you can feel them like you would feel glitter or something, but to me its still noticeable. They both glide on my lips very smoothly regardless.

Due to the fact that the Moisture Renew lipstick is no more moisturizing than a lipstick they don't even advertise for moisture, I have to remove a point.

(5/5 Airy Fairy, 4/5 Coral Shimmer)

SMELL: 

Oh, the smell...
I don't prefer the smell to either of these lipsticks. They smell slightly different; Airy Fairy being the more bearable one. The smells aren't THAT strong, but if you try to smell them, you will. They pretty much smell like any other drugstore lipstick. It bothers me because I've seen a lot of other brands up their game in the smell department for their lipsticks (take Maybelline's Moisture Extreme, for example. It smells like watermelon candy! mmm!), or at least have been able to cover that smell better.

Airy Fairy almost smells like they tried to add some kind of candy scent to it, but the rest of the formula took over and overcame it.

I am a sucker for good smelling lipsticks, and I don't think the smell really lingers with these, but if you have the smell stuck in your head, you're going to keep smelling it all day. : P If smells don't really bother you, then you should be fine with these. I wouldn't stop wearing a lipstick for the smell unless it smelled completely foul. 

(Airy Fairy 2/5, Coral Shimmer 1/5)

PRICE: 

I got both of these on sale at Walgreens. I think they were both half off sales. I can't find my receipt but I know the Moisture Renew lipstick was around $2.60, and the Moisture Renew was around $3.40 or so. So if you want these just to try out, wait for a sale!

You don't get a lot of lipstick for the price you pay. The Moisture Renew says it's 0.14 oz, and the Lasting Finish doesn't say how much you get, but they look about the same.

If you don't get these on sale, the deal is still great, just not as much. ;)

OVERALL:

I won't be repurchasing these lipsticks, just because they are simply too warm toned for me. I wish the colors from the Moisture Renew that I wanted to try were in stock. I'm planning to buy more of those next time I get a chance, so I haven't given up on the whole line yet. As for the Lasting Finish, though I liked Airy Fairy overall more than I did Coral Shimmer, I think I'm going to go for the newer line.


If you're a fan of smooth, warm-toned, wearable lipsticks, and you don't mind a not-so-fresh smell and having to reapply fairly often doesn't bother you, you'll probably love these lipsticks.

Airy Fairy

Coral Shimmer: