little white truths

I picked up two Ilia lip products last year: a lip conditioner in Nobody's Baby and this lipstick in Funnel of Love.

While I loved the colour of this shade, I actually had to return it because the lipstick started to grow black/grey fluffy clumps of mould only two months after I opened it. ARGH. Maybe this is because Ilia products are organic and the lack of preservatives means they're liable to go off. Maybe some food or water got on it when I applied it after eating or drinking. Who knows.

All I know is that I don't plan on buying another lipstick from these guys! This is unfortunate because the lipstick itself was quite good, although I've certainly used better ones that cost a lot less than this did.


'Funnel of Love' is described as a 'soft nude with peachy undertones'.

I think that's basically right, although it's more peach than nude and you can see from the below swatches that it has more of a red base than eg a pink one.


Ilia claims/product details:

• Iconic and always a la mode, Funnel of Love channels the hues of a soft nude with peachy undertones
• Our inspiration hails from the much sought after look of Brigitte Bardot, a true beauty and forerunner in expressing sensuality 
• ILIA Lipstick combines organic ingredients with contemporary colours, blended into a creamy semi-matte finish
• Mix with ILIA Tinted Lip Conditioners to moisten lips and revive colours and in between re-application
• RRP $34 AUD for 4g

Unfortunately I didn't have a chance to take photos of me wearing this colour before it started sprouting mould everywhere, and I certainly wasn't going to put it on my lips once it did that!

I did use it on and off for a two-month period, however, so I can still comfortably write this review: it's just that this particular review won't include lip shots. I don't think that matters in this case because the arm swatches give you a good-enough idea of what it looks like.


There's the colour above, swatched in direct sunlight. Below I've taken the shot in natural light.


Verdict

It's hard for me to write a balanced review of this product, given that mine sprouted mould for no good reason and only a couple of months after I first opened it, but I'll do my best.

First off, the colour is gorgeous and it's my kind of colour - a soft peach that's perfect for everyday wear and one that I reckon would suit just about everyone. Indeed, I'm sad I had to return this because I liked the colour so much and it's one I would have reached for often.

In terms of formula, this was a little drying and it tugged a bit when I applied it, so I had to make sure my lips were buffed and hydrated prior to using it. The finish is indeed semi-matte, and I preferred to wear a gloss over the top because it tended to make the lines show up on my lips so a gloss balanced that issue.

In terms of longevity, this wore reasonably well but not as well as my HG Shanghai Suzy lipsticks, for example. It's hard to find lipsticks that go the distance, and this did perform better than most but it wasn't amazing.

A note on Ilia packaging: all Ilia products apparently come in recycled aluminium and I absolutely love how the packaging looks - sleek, classy and understated. It was almost worth not returning the lipstick just so I could look at the packaging, but at least I still have the lip conditioner in Nobody's Baby so I'll have to be happy with that ; )

In sum, I would avoid Ilia lipsticks, given what happened to mine, but I haven't seen anyone else complain about their products growing mould so maybe it was just a one-off.

A pity.