I am loving all of the deep, vampy lips available now. I find that the metallic finish makes dark colors more wearable. This smells like Juicy Fruit Gum or Chiclets! It's not overpowering, though. This gloss is very full pigment, but could also be worn sheer and soft. It feels moisturizing and comfortable on my lips and not too sticky. I do not care for brush applicators for lipgloss, but that is just a personal preference. I would describe this color as deep metallic raisin. (Sephora describes it as a deep wine red, but I disagree entirely with this-there's more brown and purple than red) I feel it would be flattering on many skintones despite the deepness of color. It is more neutral and doesn't lean too cool. FWIW, I am about NC10 red hair, green eyes.

This is by far the sexiest color that has ever been on my lips. I was worried that the shimmery red-brown wouldn't work on my skin, but it totally does. It's the color of red wine. Dark, mysterious and stunning.

My tube is a squeeze tube, which is a bit tricky because the gloss is so thick, but I've noticed that Illamasqua has changed the packaging to include a wand applicator. Can't wait to finish mine and buy one that way.

My only real complaint is that this stuff is really sticky and a bit hard to spread. Don't kiss anyone with this on. Lol. It helps to use a clear lipliner under it for a nice smooth base. Personally, I'm willing to put up with the stickiness for such a gorgeous color. If you don't eat or drink, it lasts several hours. Not perfect, but I still love it.

I love these lip glosses. Hermetic comes out as a shimmering reddish brown on my skin and is going to be all I wear over the autumn and winter.
This formula is very thick though, more so than the other intense glosses that I have.

If applied dry and I purse my lips together there will be a line, also applying this dry results in full on vampy colour - Illamasqua do mean "intense"! Applying a lip balm with some slip underneath seems to remedy this and sheers out the colour making it more suitable for work/daytime.
These glosses last for ages because you only need a small amount.

This is an absolutely gorgeous gloss, the colour is just amazing. However, I can't stand the texture- it's really sticky and goopy, more so than just about every gloss I've tried! If anything it's a sort of dry stickiness, if that makes sense? I had a hard time getting an even and clean application from the tube, a brush did help but it was still a bit tricky because of the texture. It does last quite a long time and is very opaque, both of which are positives... but I find it unpleasant to wear, sadly.

For reference, my skin tone is NC/NW 20-25, sensitive and leans dry/combination.

First, the color. This color is a rich, black/brown based metallic cranberry red. It is very very rich and heavy looking, and has a subtle shimmer to it. It is really like the lip gloss version of Illamasqua's Scarab nail polish. It is simply gorgeous, and very flattering with my dark brown hair and brown eyes.

The formula applies easily, however, it isn't like a traditional lip gloss Once applied, it dries to a feel that reminds me of the Revlon Colorstay lipsticks. It feels like a traditional gloss going on; e.g., that slightly tacky/sticky feel, but then it dries to feel like you might need to apply a balm over it for moisture. I chose not to apply a balm, and one application lasted several hours without the need for touch up.

The applicator is a clear plastic slanted tip, which I really like. It makes application easy, and you can see exactly how much product you are dispensing.

Overall, this is a fantastic product, and I highly recommend it.