Review: Black Radiance Illusions Lip Gloss in Rose Desire

Every once in a while, the lovely Joeybunny (of Pink Sith fame and also author of her own blog) takes a break from the NARS counter (heh heh) and chats with me about her latest drugstore finds. Well a few weeks ago, she was raving to me about one of the new Black Radiance Illusions Lip Glosses until I finally broke down and had to get one for myself. I had been eyeing these babies for a couple of months now, but after Joey's glowing recommendation of Posh Plum (she's been wearing it nonstop and swears it's a dupe of a high-end gloss, which of course I can't remember the name of right now) I decided to pick up Rose Desire at my local Rite Aid.

Before I proceed with my review, I just want to state for the record that I believe Black Radiance glosses are THE hidden gems of the drugstore. I would even go so far as to say they're my favorite drugstore glosses of all time, for these reasons: the textures are lovely (not sticky or heavy), they have great staying power, and the pigmentation is incredible. You can see my review of the Ice Angel Refreshing Lip Gloss here, the Radiant Lip Gloss here and the Moisturing Lip Stain here, to see what I'm talking about.

Black Radiance Illusions Lip Gloss in Rose Desire

(retail: around $2.99)

In the above pic, you can see that I tried to peel the safety seal off but then stopped. I realized I had not yet taken a pic of this gloss, and I wanted you to see that it says "Prismatic Color" on the label. In other words, these glosses have a duochrome-iness about them that is just GORGEOUS in real life.

You can kind of the see the duochrome effect in this gloss in the above pic. It turns from coppery golden to rose depending on the angle. So pretty!

The only negative about this gloss is that it has a standard doe foot applicator which doesn't pick up a lot of product on the first try. You kind of have to reapply this gloss a few times on the lips before you acheive a nice level of pigmention.

As for the shade, Rose Desire, I don't think it's as opaque and pigmented as the magenta shade that Joey bought, but I think it's beautiful for a natural look, and it would be stunning to layer over a matte lipstick.

As you can see, the base is pretty much clear, but the shimmer particles are so beautiful in real life--they almost glow. I tried to capture it in the above pics but it really is prettier in person.

As with all the other Black Radiance glosses I own, the texture of this Illusions gloss is so pleasant on the lips. It's thin, but not too thin, and it's not sticky or tacky in the slightest. It's also a bit moisturizing, which is a nice bonus. There is very little flavor or fragrance to this gloss--I would almost consider it fragrance-free and unflavored.

FINAL VERDICT: If you're in the market for a fun new (and very affordable) gloss with a pretty duochrome-y effect, I would definitely consider trying a Black Radiance Illusions Lip Gloss. The texture, consistency and staying power are fantastic, and there's very little fragrance or flavor to these glosses, which is nice if you're sensitive to those types of things. I definitely plan to pick up a few more shades--and I'm not even gloss person--which should tell you something.

To see all of the shades in the range, click here. You can purchase Black Radiance Illusions Lip Glosses at select Rite Aid, CVS, Walgreens and Walmart locations, and you can also purchase them on the Walgreens website.

Do you own any glosses from Black Radiance? How do you like them?