Illamasqua Kontrol Lipstick Review, Photos, Swatches
Illamasqua Kontrol Lipstick
Illamasqua Fall/Winter 2011: Kontrol Lipstick
Illamasqua Kontrol Lipstick
($22.00 for 0.14 oz.) is described as a “blue-violet” by Illamasqua, while Sephora lists it as a “matte deep lavender.” The texture of Kontrol is actually quite different from Illamasqua’s line of lipsticks–it’s very, very creamy. It’s not dry at all, and the reality is the finish isn’t exactly matte either. It’s has a noticeable shine though it wears off in an hour or so, and then it takes on a more satiny, semi-matte finish. I was utterly shocked by how creamy the consistency was! It glided on like butter with mostly opaque color coverage.
The color is a dark purple, which doesn’t read “blue violet” to me, though it’s not red-toned either. It’s more cool-toned than warm, especially as it brings out the yellow undertones in my skin. I felt like I had seen this color before, but I couldn’t think of anything and nothing matched in the Swatch Gallery. When it comes to lipstick, most purples lean red, so if you’ve always wanted something truer, this might be the one.
Illamasqua’s lipsticks wear well, usually four to six hours because of the drier, mostly matte formula, but some of the darker shades wear as long as eight hours before reapplication becomes necessary. Kontrol wore about five hours on me, but it was more comfortable to wear compared to other Illamasqua lipsticks. I don’t find the formula to be drying, but the lack of slip does decrease overall comfort a tad. The lipsticks are unscented and taste-free.
Kontrol
PPermanent. $24.00.
See more swatches!
Illamasqua Kontrol Lipstick
Illamasqua Kontrol Lipstick
Illamasqua Kontrol Lipstick
Illamasqua Kontrol Lipstick
This lipstick is FANTASTIC! But as you say, it’s a hit or miss depending on your taste. Plus, the ashy undertone could easily make anyone warm toned look ultra dead..
That is a really nice colour. Not one I’d wear, because cool-tones look horrendous on me, but I’m sure people who can pull it off will do it excellently.
Amazing colour!
Nice collour for halloween 😛
I want this color so bad! I think it would look gorgeous either mixed with other lipsticks or patted on the lips with a finger! I just wish my local Sephora stores carried Illamsqua products! I Will prob end up getting it either way though.
If I could pull it off and if I had an occasion to wear this shade, I’d definitely jump on it. I envy you for successfully rocking every single lipstick shade on the planet.
THAT is PURPLE!! Have you ever rocked purple, blue or black lips out of the house? I say it can be done!
… Orange blush helps. Serious! 🙂
I’ve gone to Starbucks a time or two 😉
Hehe awesome 🙂
it’s a dare-to-wear colour,for sure..personally, I wouldn’t normally wear it on its own….perfect for Halloween though…!
This does look really creamy!
This is not exactly a daily wearable color, but its just too unique to be missed.
I wish it were easier to get this brand in Canada! You’re certainly right about it being a love-it-or-hate-it colour, but I’m definitely in the “love it” camp. I adore these sorts of offbeat shades!
Reminds me of all…. cute
I love it! I’ve been searching for a good purple forever, but every one that seems to come out isn’t opaque enough, or doesn’t wear well…this one seems perfect!
I wouldn’t wear it, but it’s so gorgeous and the swatch is amazing! Kinda makes me think that this is edible for some reason. o_o
GORGEOUS. makes me wish I had a reason to wear it!
good for Halloween…imagine going to work at a restuarant/ fast food joint for this: “What would you like to order?”
i’ve been looking for a shade like this! it would be awesome to own….what a deep gorgeous purple
Wow.. I love this shade! Buying this!
Heh, I wore a similar color in high school as a sorta goth but I had to layer a lavender lipstick over a black one (Wet n’Wild) to get the right shade. This would’ve been much easier. 🙂
I think this shade is GORGE! too bad we don’t get Illamasqua here in Canada 🙁
KAPOW! What a lipstick! I’d almost never wear it, but it sure makes an impact.
I really like it! I think people as pale as I am, however, will have to offset it with warmer shades, like golds or oranges. Too much grey and blue will make for a bit of a deathly pallor.
Only brand making bright colors, eh Lime Crime? 😉 This is fabulous!
wow, crazy color 😀 i would try it if i could <3 looks like it came outta a fairytale
Interesting color and the finish looks lovely!
That color looks amazing! I think I might have to check this out.
On a side note Christine, how do you do your eyebrows? What do you use to make them look so perfect and beautiful?
I just tweeze them using Slice tweezers! I fill in with MAC Espresso eyeshadow + 266 brush.
This is a color that I personally could never wear. But I would absolutely love to see it on a very dark woman. I bet it would be fab.
I have a huge amount of love for purple lipstick/lipgloss, so this…this might be a holy grail item for me. Between this and the Freak perfume I might be making my first Illamasqua purchase soon!
I have this one! Love, love it! It even smells and tastes good as well. It’s my first Illamasqua lipstick, too, and I was definitely impressed. I got compliments and a few odd looks at school, but all in all, I’d say it was a hit as I got asked out by a dude. Boo yah!
I wore it with purple eyebrows and a neutral eye.
I’m sorry, but this looks like clown makeup. Purple nail polish and purple eyeshadow are one thing, and they actually look beautiful if applied correctly, but purple lipstick makes me think of the circus.
I love strange colors. Can’t wait to pick this color up for sure!
I don’t live my life by whats ‘daily’ wearable or not. Life is too short for that. 😛
PERFECTLY SAID! 🙂
That is a phenomenal color that would look hideous on me. Guess I’ll leave it to the cooler types.
I wish I could just go out and buy this (I’m in Canada). I love extremely bold lips… I started out with reds, then got obnoxiously bright pinks and moved into blacks, purples, greens, blues, etc.
This color is dreamy and I wish I had it!
I love it, but I’m too old for it and my mouth is too small – I have a “rosebud” kind of a mouth and lips, and these dark colors tend to make my mouth look smaller. If I wear darker colors, I wear them as transparent stains or glosses.
I simply love the color..!
Can you please give an idea if it will suit a warm toned person (NC 42).
Thanks
It will always give warmer skin a slightly sallow or corpse-ish look because it is cool-toned but you could certainly still wear it!
I think that the finish and the way this covers the lips is very nice. But I, personally could never wear this color. But if you can pull it off more power to ya! (:
Not for the faint of heart!
i love it but know it will not work on me 🙁
wow that makes your teeth white!
I love the idea, and it sounds like the formula is awesome, but man that’s so unwearable! At least for anything more than some eclectic look around Halloween or something….
I am in love with this color. I may have to finally pop my Illamasqua cherry with this one. LOL
Ugh! I want it so much! So intense in a fantastic way on my pale skin with some orange blush and tightline…
I love purple lipsticks – I have very fair, cool toned skin and very dark hair, so I’m lucky enough to be able to pull shades like this off 🙂
I went to the Illamasqua concession at Selfridges in Oxford Street a few weeks ago when Kontrol was first available, to compare it to my current favourite purple lips blend – Morgana Cryptoria lip balm in Hathor, with a dab of Manic Panic liplocked lipstick in Deadly Night to bring out the blue a little more – I actually preferred what I was already wearing, although I may buy Kontrol later as an alternative. The MAs on the Illamasqua loved my lipstick too – it’s a great combination if you love to rock purple lips 🙂
Even if this isn’t your taste, you have to admit that it is a true PURPLE. Not purplish red, purply blue.. it’s PURPLE!!
its fabulous, ive put off buying this for a long time
but i just cant help myself any longer
This is one of my absolute favorite lip colors, in general. I wear it often and the purple looks quite good on me. So I definitely keep this in my stash.
You also look great with this color. It suits you well! I’d love to see you do a review on the Apocalips lip color. It’s the new teal green color! I’m curios about your rating on that and would love to see not only swatches but a shot of how it looks being worn.
From promo photos, it looks like a true green in the tube (an almost dark forest green) but on the Illamasqua website, it looks sort of like a dark muted teal in a sample shot with a model wearing the color, so it’s hard to tell what it truly looks like. And then on other shots through Google images, it looks even pastel (which is definitely odd and confusing).