ILIA Beauty’s newest product is a twist-up Lipstick Crayon with a semi-matte finish and a healthy formula that includes sesame oil, rose hip oil, papaya seed oil, and candelilla wax, among other natural ingrdients. I’ve been trying it in the shade Dress You Up, which ILIA describes in this way:

Our first true mauve that will suit most skin tones. This rose-berry hue is just enough color to take your lips from a day to night look.

This shade really does complement my cool-to-neutral fair skin (and dark-brown hair and eyes). The lipstick itself is not as mauve-pink as the plastic cap at the base; it’s more of a neutral dusty rose. Dress You Up is natural-looking enough for daytime use, and its subtle (but polished) look makes it especially useful for office wear.

Here are two swatches of ILIA’s Dress You Up on my arm, one in diffused sunlight and one in direct sunlight. As you can see, this shade appears a bit warmer and sheerer in bright light.

This crayon applies easily and, if you’re going for a little more intensity, it builds smoothly. It lasts well; it’s not technically a long-wearing formula, but I’ve gotten a full morning or a full afternoon out of it. And, thanks to its botanical oils and waxes, it may look semi-matte but it doesn’t feel drying.

ILIA’s Lipstick Crayon is available in five additional shades, including Karma Chameleon and Call Me. I have a hard time resisting references like that. Dress You Up happens to be the most suitable shade for my coloring, but it also reminds me of hours spent at my high-school friend Donna’s house watching MTV and listening to albums together.

You can watch a recording of Madonna performing “Dress You Up” as part of her Virgin Tour here.

ILIA Lipstick Crayon is available at B-Glowing and the ILIA website.

Product source: I purchased this lipstick from B-Glowing.

Images: product photos by Tinsel Creation; “Dress You Up” screen capture via YouTube.