Illamasqua Gender Intense Lipgloss Review, Photos, Swatches

Reviews
Contains: Sample
Christine |

Illamasqua Gender Intense Lipgloss
Illamasqua Gender Intense Lipgloss

Makeup That’s Just Pure FUN!

Illamasqua Gender Intense Lipgloss (£12.50 for 0.2 fl. oz.) is not a wearable shade by any stretch of the imagination.  This is a shade that completely embodies the word fun.  It’s different; it’s unusual.  It’s something to be used for that just-right-occasion, which might be Halloween for some, an avant garde photo-session with your best pals, or lightly patted on over your favorite lipstick to give it a bluish cast.

Gender is a medium blue that leans a little teal–it’s described as a sky blue, but it definitely had this teal edge to it that made me think less sky blue.  I could not smile in swatch photos – it just did not look right!  I felt like it made a mockery of the shade, so “straight faced” it was.

It’s almost opaque, but it didn’t apply as evenly or as solidly as other Intense shades have in the past.  I would probably lay down a concealer/foundation base (or even a blue eyeliner) and then use a lip brush to apply this–I think that would help it look more even.   This is a shade that’s only available through Illamasqua; you won’t find it at your local Sephora!

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Illamasqua Gender Intense Lipgloss
Illamasqua Gender Intense Lipgloss

Illamasqua Gender Intense Lipgloss
Illamasqua Gender Intense Lipgloss

Illamasqua Gender Intense Lipgloss
Illamasqua Gender Intense Lipgloss

Illamasqua Gender Intense Lipgloss
Illamasqua Gender Intense Lipgloss

About Reviewer
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Reviewer

Christine Mielke is the editor-in-chief and has been reviewing products for over 14 years.

She has normal-to-dry skin with occasional dryness on cheeks and nose. She has a light plus skintone with subtle, warmer yellow undertones (view her foundation matches here).

Learn more about her review process here.

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163 Comments

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Julia

With such an outrageous color, I think it would look better if it were completely opaque (like OCC Lip Tar RX is). But this would look so cool on top of RX!

Abby

I’ll admit it: I had to giggle a little at the preview image! I was expecting the usual big, pretty grin, but instead see a total 😐 face.

kenneth alan

I love the Illamasqua Intense lipglosses, but I hate how Sephora only carries a few colours. I wish they sold the entire line

Arantzazu

When I was a teen I bought a lipstick in that colour!!!
I wore it twice or three times. But people stared at me… don’t know why ¬¬ Haahahahaha

Margot

Oh I love it. Well, I don’t know if I love the colour or your full face picture more !!
I’m buying it as soon as I’m back in the UK. It’s calling my name for the halloween season 😀

Courtney

Whoa…

Interesting, but too thin. A thicker formula would make it more opaque and seamless. It just looks uneven at that sheerness.

Christine
Light Medium, Neutral, slight yellow undertones. Normal-to-Dry skin. »

Yep, you can! You’ll just pay whatever it converts to in USD and it’ll be shipped overseas. Not SUPER cheap, so I don’t recommend *just* buying the gloss, but yeah. I can see why it’s not available at Sephora, though, lol!

Brittany

Thanks for the info! I figured we couldn’t since it’s an international company. Personally I LOVE this and I actually thinks it looks good! It’s a super FUN lip and of course you wouldn’t wear this to class, work, date, etc. This is like an editorial color. I’m gonna buy it along with the black and lime one I saw on the website. Lol

Ashley

Blue shades are supposed to make teeth look whiter – so I wish you’d smiled so we could see if it worked & made teeth whiter. if it does, maybe i’ll just wear it and look strange :-p

Kalee

lol, Ashley, dont look weird and use whitestrips.
and that works if its the right blue (which this one probably wouldve worked), because sometimes lighter shades of blue can actually make your teeth look yellower, (ive seen it happen) but i wouldve loved to see christine smile anyways.

Princessflttrby

Wow, that’s the most opaque blue lippie I’ve seen that wasn’t Navy! Very cool & definatley for a special occasion unless you’re a rock star or something LOL This screams 23 & under at a punk concert to me, with tons of UD Oil Slick shadow, crazy hair & torn up black clothes that have safety pins all over the place… I have a vivid imagination HA HA

Hend

LOL 😀
I’m an interior design student in a school of arts
and believe me , every day here is a halloween
so probably I will see this gloss on someone next semester lol

MatryoshkaDoll

Lol, even if I were to wear something that out there, it would probably be for a one time special costume event, and I definitely wouldn’t pay Illamasqua prices for it! Still Christine, you rock it! I swear you make anything look good.

baby in a corner

You look scary in this photo! LOL! this is a bit of a girl who has everything lipgloss! i do love the intense formula though and its good to see what this one looks like on!

AnGeLwInGz

Well, I can say for one thing that color matches perfectly with the majority of my eyeshadows! Christine that pic actually looks like the glamour shots in the Sephora catalog. You should consider modeling for Illamasqua!

Katie

You look so different when you are not smiling! If anyone is going to rock this shade, or make it look half-way wearable, it is you, Christine! It does make the whites of your eyes look whiter. Bravo for taking a chance on a shade like this!

Christine
Light Medium, Neutral, slight yellow undertones. Normal-to-Dry skin. »

I think I mentioned it in the post how I felt this was more of an editorial gloss and thus a big smile seemed inappropriate…

Kimberly

I have got to get this. Such a lovely color – too bad it’s online only. 🙁 Is it sticky, like lipglass? I like things that stay put (not travel across my face or up to my nose).

Christine
Light Medium, Neutral, slight yellow undertones. Normal-to-Dry skin. »

Hey Lyndsay,

If you check out the post, it’s because I felt like this isn’t a gloss you *do* smile in – it’s a little edgier than that!

Dusty

haha! i LOVE the full face shot! this is an awesome gloss! (you know how i LOOOVE blue lips!) It’s difficult to get an even application of something that’s so cyan though. I actually like the LimeCrime blue for this – SHHHH!!!! Don’t tell! LOL 😉 I find that the LC lipsticks work quite well as a base personally. I take a little bit of their blue and mix it with something else (like this gloss for example). You get a very opaque, but much easier to work with product. I like the LC lipsticks I have but the ones I have ARE on the heavy side.

This over that Hi Def Cyan pencil of MAC’s that came out would be pretty snazzy looking though I bet 🙂

Christine
Light Medium, Neutral, slight yellow undertones. Normal-to-Dry skin. »

Yeah, I definitely think if I were actually going to use this (whether for myself or on a shoot) – would use a blue liner like Hi Def Cyan (which is gorg!) – bet it would really POP!

Christine
Light Medium, Neutral, slight yellow undertones. Normal-to-Dry skin. »

It just felt like that kind of gloss! I had pics smiling, too, but they seemed hokey – almost like it was mocking the color!

tricia

U can wear anything,everything looks great on you…I love this, but no i wouldn’t actually wear it, except for oct 31……I would have love to see the full face pic of the lip swatch, and other pics of u playing around….I agree with the no smiling pi

RR

When I went to the website to take a look, I nearly passed out seeing the variety of colors they have for lips. I love really out there colors, and now subsequently I am broke…

Debby

About 10 years ago, in my goth phase, I would have absolutely loved this. I’d love to see it layered over a different lipstick, though, like maybe a pale blue-pink.

Fey

This gloss is absolutely stunning. I love it how it is, the not-quite opaque color. I’m a huge fan of the white and black colors. This blue, though…it’s really great.
Thank you so much for the swatches. Your dead-pan expression made ME smile.

Christine
Light Medium, Neutral, slight yellow undertones. Normal-to-Dry skin. »

I’ve had others, but not for awhile, I’d say. I think smiling usually makes you look your best (and thus shows a product in its best “light”), but I felt differently about this product.

Evelyn

oh my. You know, I would have expected it to be completely opaque, it would look better that way. Kind of looks like you were having a blue Italian ice that left blue on your lips!

JayJay

I love the colour! I wouldn’t wear it out, but I could definitely have some fun with it.

Christine, the full face shot is awesome! You don’t look impressed by the blueness at all.

Lena

I used to have a blue Lancome Juicy Tube that I would pat over my lipsticks and it really made my teeth look good! I think this gloss could totally have the same effect. I like it 🙂
I think that full face shot looks REALLY cool!

Stef

If you were saying something, I imagine you’d be yelling at your Mom to get out of your room, that she doesn’t understand you, and you’ll wear any shade of lip gloss you want! I think I had that same exact fight once…

I kinda like it!

Elle

This is serious lawyer Christine face 🙂 You still look awesome though! This would be awesome for halloween or something…and I can totally see Lady Gaga wearing this…

anna

best photo ever!
haha, the serious face is amazing!
you should do this every time when something crazy comes out (;
unless you do already.

Casey

I have this gloss! It’s sooo pretty but I have nowhere to wear it 🙁
I made a purchase from illamasqua a few months ago and this color was too unusual and fun to pass up!! 🙂

Hilana

I just burst out laughing when I saw your pic, Christine!
You are even pretty with blue lips and no smile.
I will give this to my little niece to play with. She has a wild streak. 🙂

Claudia

Lol omg I expected a big smile. You look mad Christine. But yes this color is not for everyone. If it was a eyeshadow then I would wear it 🙂

Victoria Maria

I wonder if this could be used as a gloss over a blue shadow, just carefully applied with a MAC 239.

What do you think Christine??

Miss Silver

This feels so futuristic and avant garde; totally a party lip gloss for a wild night out. Love your choice of photo; simple with eyeliner and gloss. 😀 I looked at the photo and the first thing that came to mind for some reason was AEON FLUX! Love it, but I’m not the party kinda gal.

Helena

Oh, man, I’d love to see Shaun wearing this with that seriou business-face. I bet he’d make it even funnier. :p
I like Gender, but I have OCC Rx (which I <3! Goes really well with a ridiculous, cheap, blue wig I have xD) so I definitely don't need this.

Evanna

Christine, your expression cracked me up!! 😀 It seemed like you thought “I just can’t force a smile with this crap on my lips!”
But seriously Illamasqua, what was the point of this lip gloss?

Christine
Light Medium, Neutral, slight yellow undertones. Normal-to-Dry skin. »

Well, that’s definitely not how I felt at all – didn’t think it was bad at all, very avant garde – perfect for something editorial, a particular look, etc. It’s by no means meant to wear everyday or to the office, lol!

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