Rimmel ‘The Only 1’ Matte Lipstick Collection – Review, Swatches, and Looks

My favorite kind of lipstick post to do is the kind where I get to show all of the colors in the collection.  I love getting to show the obvious as well as the subtle differences between each shade.

rimmel the only 1 matte lipstick review swatches

So needless to say, I was pretty pumped when I got my hands on all 10 shades of the latest matte lipstick from Rimmel.

“A no compromise all-in-one velvet matte lip color.  The perfect balance of high impact matte color, moisture, all day comfort and staying power.”


The lipsticks come in a red tube that has the Rimmel crown logo on the top of the cap, and a band around the base of the tube that corresponds to the lipstick shade.

rimmel the only 1 matte lipstick review swatches

The lipstick bullet is a smooth-cut, slanted shape.

rimmel the only 1 matte lipstick review swatches

First from the collection is ‘Leader of the Pink’ (110), a watermelon pink.  Like many light colored shades of lipstick, this one settled into my lip lines.

rimmel the only 1 matte lipstick review swatches 110 - leader of the pink

‘Call the Shots’ (200) is a candy apple red, with a hint of fuchsia.

rimmel the only 1 matte lipstick review swatches 120 - call the shots

‘Salute’ (200) is a light pink nude.  This shade would fall into the pink “my lips but better” category.  Fun fact, I misread the shade name for this one, and thought it was called ‘Sauté’ for a solid three days.

rimmel the only 1 matte lipstick review swatches 500 - take the stage

‘Take the Stage’ (500) is an orange-toned red.  It was easily the best formula of the bunch – very creamy during application, and set with even pigmentation.

rimmel the only 1 matte lipstick review swatches 500 - take the stage

‘Keep It Coral’ (600) is a tiger lily coral.

rimmel the only 1 matte lipstick review swatches 600 - keep it coral

‘High Flyer’ (610) is a light nude rosewood.  It is quite similar to the Rimmel Kate Lipstick #104, however it leans more red.

rimmel the only 1 matte lipstick review swatches 610 - high flyer

‘Trendsetter’ (700) is a warm nude brown.  This would fall into the brown “my lips but better” category.

rimmel the only 1 matte lipstick review swatches 700 - trendsetter

‘Look Who’s Talking’ (750) is a brown-toned crimson.  It’s just shy of being considered a vampy shade, so it could be a good “gateway lipstick”, if you’re looking to try something a little more dramatic.  This one was a bit stiff, and because of that, the product dragged during application.

rimmel the only 1 matte lipstick review swatches 750 - look whos talking

‘Run the Show’ (800) is a straight-up Barney the Dinosaur purple.  You all know how much I love purple lipsticks, and this one had me grinning ear-to-ear.  Sometimes purple shades can be patchy, but ‘Run the Show’ had an easy-to-apply formula.

rimmel the only 1 matte lipstick review swatches 800 - run the show

‘The Matte Factor’ (810) is a raspberry red.  Like ‘Take the Stage’, the formula was fab.

rimmel the only 1 matte lipstick review swatches 810 - the matte factor

rimmel the only 1 matte lipstick review swatches

rimmel the only 1 matte lipstick review swatches

rimmel the only 1 matte lipstick review swatches


These lipsticks were hit and miss for me.  If you aren’t into scented lipsticks, these might not be for you, as they have a very prevalent watermelon scent.  The formula changed depending on the shade – the lighter shades were lacking in formula, while other shades like the reds totally nailed it.  As far as wear time, these lasted about 3 hours on my lips.  Application was a bit tricky because they all require about 60 seconds to truly set and melt into your lips.  Once totally set, they were about 90% transfer-proof.  The one thing that I would want to improve with these lipsticks would be the creamy-ness.  Once the product set, you could really feel the lack of moisture – I couldn’t really rub my lips together without it feeling chalky and pulling.  But I suppose that the dryness is a risk you take when you are making a matte lipstick.

My top pick from this collection is ‘Take the Stage’ because it has good pigmentation, and makes for  a smooth application.

In the USA you can find the Rimmel ‘The Only 1’ Matte Lipsticks at stores like Target, CVS, Walmart, and Walgreens, and in Canada, you can find the Rimmel ‘The Only 1’ Matte Lipsticks at stores like Shoppers Drug Mart, London Drugs, and Walmart.

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1 Comment

  1. Theresa
    June 26, 2021 / 9:19 pm

    1st – as soon as I’m done with this I am going to jaunt over to Instagram and YouTube because

    2nd – you do a wonderful job of showing these shades. Dang, 3 way! I also like how you can touch the first set of on lip swatches and get a larger view.

    3rd – (almost everyone who shows shades does this. You do such a wonderful job so I’m going to ask you. It would be great to see your natural, bare lips, say a no makeup (literally) day. It really makes a difference on how the colour looks. (Don’t mean to complain just wishing upon a star)

    4th – thank you for going to all this effort for us. I hope your lips can take it. What kind of lip/care routine do you use to help them survive?

    Thank you so much, off to subscribe now (magpiesneedle on all social medial),
    T –

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