ILLAMASQUA Lipstick – Kontrol

Brand: Illamasqua
Range: Lipstick
Shade: Kontrol
Swatched by the lovely: Bluebell

Kontrol is a striking deep blue violet launched as part of Illamasqua’s Theatre of the Nameless Collection, inspired by a heady mix of opulence & decadence.
Bluebell describes the texture has highly opaque and creamy, and the shade is more experimental than for everyday.
On Bluebell’s lip swatch (NC10) the blue hues show really well, where as on my lips (NC20) the violet hues are more evident. Click here to view my swatch of this shade
Thanks Bluebell for the swatch!

Brand: Illamasqua
Range: Lipstick
Shade: Kontrol
Swatched by yours truly: akisa

Kontrol is a striking deep blue violet launched as part of Illamasqua’s Theatre of the Nameless Collection, inspired by a heady mix of opulence & decadence.
Creamy moisturising “non slip” finish that’s much more comfortable to wear than other matte shades.
When worn sheer, it has more of a blue tone which transforms into deep violet when layered on as I have done below.
Verdict: Although Kontrol is not for the faint hearted, I highly recommend Illamasqua as the go-to brand for deep lipstick shades (I’m talking deep wines, deep purples etc.) as those from many other brands tend to “slip” and looks patchy. Patchy wine lips is not cool. With Illamasqua lipsticks, you can guarantee even coverage that’s durable and doesn’t budge. Plus if you have a steady hand, you won’t even need a lip liner as it’s so pigmented.

Applied directly on lips – no lip balm.

I love how this striking shade compliments the plum eye and cheek makeup below.
[Image: Illamasqua.com]

RRP: $39 AUD
This product was sent for consideration.

MAC Lipstick – Bust Out!

Brand: MAC
Range: Lipstick
Shade: Bust Out! (Surf Baby Collection 2011)
Swatched by the lovely: Stef

Read Stef’s review to see if this shade of purple is her cup of tea!! This shade has also been swatched by me here.

Brand: MAC
Range: Lipstick (Surf Baby Collection 2011)
Shade: Bust Out! (Lustre) Limited Edition
Swatched by yours truly: akisa

Bust Out! is a limited edition shade described as “dirty mid-tone violet”
The lustre finish is simply a delight to wear, as it’s semi-sheer yet pigmented and gives a smooth “wet look”.
Covers lip tone and surface evenly without any streaks
The sheer watery finish is what makes this purple shade work. If you’ve been meaning to try purple lipstick, make it this one.
Verdict: I never expected to fall in love with purple lipstick, but I’m loving the violet hues in this one. I can just imagine how eye popping this would look on medium/dark skintones!