Ilia Pure Lip Conditioners in Nobody's Baby and Arabian Knights

Ilia Pure is a range of six organic conditioning lip tints made from natural moisturising oils, waxes and butters. I was recently sent two colours from the range to try.

One swipe gives a subtle wash of colour which can be built up with a heavier application, and the colour applies evenly without gathering into lip lines. These lip tints feel light on the lips and are very comfortable, even on my dry lips. The Ilia feels thinner and lighter than the W3LL People Nudist tinted lip balm I recently bought; the texture of the Ilia is similar to Becca lip tints, where the W3LL are more like Chantecaille Lip Chics. I don't need to apply balm underneath the Ilia, although I still do use balm in the evening before going to bed.

The combination of the cocoa butter in the formula and orange, vanilla and jasmine essential oils give a natural and subtle chocolate orange scent to the Lip Conditioner. This is a pleasant change from fruity or flowery scented lipsticks which I tend to find overpowering, particularly if the fragrance has quite an artificial base.

The packaging is a simple but elegant brushed metal tube in a plum box. It isn't flashy, but it feels and looks high quality, and the tube closes with a satisfying click.

Nobody's Baby is the nude shade in the range. In the tube it's a peachy nude shade but on my lips it pulls slightly more pinkish (my lips have a mauve tint naturally). I wasn't sure that I'd like this shade as I generally don't get on with nude shades, but the texture and the shade actually work very well even against my pale olive skin, making it one of the very few nude lip shades I feel comfortable in.

Swatch:

On my lips:

Arabian Knights is not as dark as I expected it to be from the picture on the iliabeauty.com website. It is a reddish berry shade that gives a bitten lip look with a light application but can be built up to a brighter berry stain (on my pale lips, I can't get a very dark look though, although I am sure a more naturally pigmented lip could). Purple/berry lips are once again predicted to be popular for autumn/winter, and this is a flattering version of that gothic lip, particularly for more mature ladies (a dense dark lip can be quite ageing if you aren't very careful).

Swatch:

One coat applied:

Built up:

Ingredients list:

Finally, here's a full face picture wearing Nobody's Baby. I'm wearing my typical Rouge Bunny Rouge natural face (Solstice Halcyon eyeshadow, Lola kohl and Delicata blush) so it's not the easiest way to wear a nude lipstick (I always think nude lips work best with a heavier eye). Nevertheless, I think this actually looks flattering.

Yes, that is a grey streak I've deliberately put in my hair. It was meant to be lilac, but I couldn't get hold of a lilac toner/semi, so I used a colour correcting conditioner for darker hair and it turned out kind of blue. I still quite like it (although I will be looking for a proper lilac colorant). 

I took the Ilia Pure Lip Conditioners on holiday and rarely wore anything else for the two weeks. I would buy more of these, and I plan to purchase Blossom, a rosy shade. 

In the UK, Ilia Pure Lip Conditioners are available from beingcontent.com. More information on the line and the ethos behind it can be found at iliabeauty.com. 

Edited to add: actual product pictures and swatches of these products are hard to find at the moment, so here's a link to a review (in german, but with swatches) of Shell Shock, the coral shade, on beautyjagd.wordpress.com here: http://beautyjagd.wordpress.com/2011/08/07/ilia-beauty-pure-lipcare-in-shell-shock/ 

Disclosure: products were sent without charge for review.