I can’t decide if I like the new Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss in Opulent ($20) more because it’s weird, or because it’s wearable. A bit of both, I suppose.
In its tube, this blend of beige, gray and taupe could have fooled me. If I hadn’t known better, I would have guessed it was an eyeshadow. The complex color, the undercurrent of golden pearl, and the way it flashes purple and pink when the light hits it just right remind me more of traits I’d find in an eye product than something I’d slick on my lips.
Not that I’m complaining (at all).
I like it, but weird colors are always a risk… Some tend to sit unused at the bottom of my makeup bag like shipwrecks lost at sea (hear what I’m sayin’, Apocalips?).
But this time — hallelujah! — Illamasqua figured out how to combine weird and easy to wear.
The trick: they made it surprisingly sheer. When I’m standing in the shade, it’s a clear pinky beige on my lips, and not at all like the storm cloud of color it resembles in the tube. But then, when I step into full sunlight? — that’s when the real fun begins.
Wearing Opulent’s flecks of pink, gold and purple glitter, my kisser sparkles like Vampire Edward’s lips!
I tried to capture the effect in these pics, but I think it’s a little too subtle, except for some of the arm swatches, perhaps. In person, though, BAM!
