Up until this lipstick fell through my mail box the red lipsticks I owned were either orangey-red or a rather vampy red that makes me look like I kill puppies in my spare time. I was getting a little fed up with my uninspiring red lipstick collection and was longing for a true red hence my excitement for Virgin.
The packaging is the typical sleek black that Illamasqua is known for. The lipstick container is sturdy, luxurious and is incredibly prone to the dreaded fingerprint. The lipstick itself is a gorgeous red and exactly what I hoped it would be well, that is until I actually used it.
I wanted a bright red without any orange or “vampiness” or any of the other crap that typically comes with red lipsticks. I thought I got that based purely on the look of the lipstick but alas, it wasn’t meant to be. To me Virgin is a very pink red. When I first applied it to my lips I was incredibly disappointed but hoped the pinkness was due to poor pigmentation so I started layering it up. The pinkness of the lipstick only intensified with each layer and it eventually got to the point where I felt like I was drowning in lipstick so gave up trying to get the red I so desired.
Now don’t get me wrong, I like the shade it turns out to be and I do enjoy wearing it. The lipstick itself is bright, somewhat glossy and doesn’t dry out my lips. It’s not overly intense when you first apply it and can easily be manipulated into being both a day and evening shade.
I do find Virgin bleeds a little even with a lip liner applied beforehand (although according to Elle US you’re supposed to apply red lip liner after you apply the lipstick but I like to break rules) and it transfers something chronic while eating and drinking. I swear my cheese and onion Panini had more lipstick on it than my actual lips. If you eliminate the eating and drinking portion of your day (y’know, the things you need to do to live) Virgin lasts for around 6 hours before reapplication is required.
Needless to say I am slightly disappointed by Illamasqua’s Virgin. Although I do see myself wearing it on a regular basis I’m still slightly miffed at the fact it’s more of a pink on me than it is a red. Overall the lipstick is of great quality and I would happily buy more lipsticks from Illamasqua should any take my fancy but my excitement for Virgin was really all for nothing. Note to self: never buy lipsticks at 3am again.
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