Ilia Beauty Lipstick Review & Swatches – The Brides, Lucy’s Party & Madam Mina

I was trying to stick to Spring colours but then I saw that Ilia released a new selection of limited edition colours. I scooped them up when they had a sale. I do believe that Lucy’s Party will stay in the rotation, but the other two may disappear after a while.

ILIA Lipstick combines organic ingredients with contemporary colors blended into a creamy semi-matte finish.

Organic Certification:

There are up to 72% organic ingredients

Ingredients:

Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil*, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil*, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil*, Beeswax (Cera Alba)*, Triisostearyl Citrate, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter*, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch*, Linum Usitatissimum (Linseed) Flax Seed*, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil*, Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Seed Oil*, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf*, Tocopherol. May contain: Mica, Titanium Dioxide CI77891, Black Oxide CI77499, Yellow Oxide CI77492, Red Oxide CI77491, Red 7 CI15850, Red 28 CI45410, Yellow 5 CI19140. *Certified Organic Ingredients. Ingrédients Certifiés Biologiques.

*These are not vegan*

Expiration:

12 months after opening

Pricing:

$26.00 US for 0.14oz or 4g. $37.00 AUS from Mecca Cosmetica. I am not sure whether Mecca Cosmetica will stock them in the future (for those in Australia)

Packaging:

If there’s one thing Ilia have right, it’s the packaging. The recycled aluminium feels weighty in your hand. It’s brushed, so the texture comes through and still looks sleek and elegant. Ilia is printed on both the lid and the lipstick holder itself. You can find the shade name at the bottom.

Scent:

There is a very, very slight sweet smell for me. I doubt it would bother most people if it’s that faint for me.

Texture:

This formula does not dry matte and there is a good sheen with every colour. There is slip to it when you layer it on your lips. It’s not heavy or thick feeling. The feeling of moisturised lips doesn’t wear off, even when most of the colour has gone.

Application:

Madam Mina and The Brides are easy to apply from the bullet as the colour is very forgiving. Lucy’s Party stains and is richly pigmented so apply with care.

Opacity:

Madam Mina and The Brides start with light opacity and build up to medium. Lucy’s Party is straight out high medium to full opacity from the first swipe.

Colour Purchased: The Brides, Madam Mina and Lucy’s Party

The Brides

A limited-edition pink tan creates a warmth and vitality to any neutral Fall palette. Curious about the name? It’s inspired by some of the leading characters of Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

This colour pulls a little cool on my lips and becomes a light, ballet shoe pink. It’s still wearable and the formula is comfortable enough to feel like a balm. It has a good sheen so it doesn’t flatten your lips.

Madam Mina

Inspired by one of the leading characters of Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula, this limited-edition blush mauve adds a natural flush, supporting Fall’s subdued fresh face.

This is the prettiest shade for my lips. It’s not too light or dark. It’s actually almost my lip shade, but with a hint of mauve. It reminds me of blush, just a flattering, soft hint of mauve that you can wear everyday. The first swipe has quite light opacity so you can leave it as a soft flush or layer it.

Lucy’s Party

This deep, oxblood red is our newest core shade, adding sultry drama on its first swipe. Inspired by one of the leading characters of Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula, this bold pinot noir works for a multitude of skin tones.

To be intimidated by a lipstick sounds ridiculous, but I was extremely intimidated by this one. When I swatched it on my arm I thought I could slowly build it up but when I applied it to my lips I was surprised by how bold it was. I had to be so careful as I applied it. In the end it’s an extremely sultry, deep red. Gorgeous for when you want it, however I’m not sure when I’d wear this.

PROS:

Extremely light sweet smell
Beautiful packaging
All colours suit me
Formula is very soft, smooth and moisturizing

CONS:

Not completely unscented
Lucy’s Party is strong no matter how lightly you apply it
Not a matte lipstick
Not vegan
Use of synthetic dyes

Final Word:

For a rich, creamy yet comfortable lipstick I think Ilia do extremely well with both their formulation and colours. All the ones I have tried, start off sheer but can be layered to give you the shade they describe.

Even though they’re marketed as fall shades, you can definitely use The Brides and Madam Mina to brighten your complexion in Spring. My favourite from this bunch is probably Madam Mina, though I’d definitely wear The Brides. The only one I’ll have trouble wearing is Lucy’s Party but only because I don’t have places to wear it. It’s a brilliant shade with plenty of depth, so if you’re looking for this type of shade I say buy it.