My favorite part about the Sephora Friends & Family sale is that the savings makes me want to try new products that I might have not picked up otherwise. My shipment got here today, and the thing I was most excited to test drive was the Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss. And except for the color, I was totally pleased.

I ordered Fume, expecting it to be a cranberry with maybe a bit of a purpley-pink undertone, and I basically got hot pink. I knew I was going to have to send it back as soon as I opened the packaging, but I decided to give it a spin anyway to see if buying a different one in the future would be worth the $19. And ultimately, I definitely think it would be.

This is probably the most pigmented gloss I’ve ever tried, and it sits perfectly between a lipstick and a traditional gloss. If you’re looking for a pop of color on your lips, this gloss is exactly as advertised – intense. If the color had looked anything like the swatch on Sephora’s website, this might be my new favorite lip item.

What I didn’t like, besides the inaccurate swatch, was the packaging. It was nice-looking, sure, but it wasn’t at all practical for putting on a gloss with that much color. It was a squeeze gloss instead of one with a wand, and with that much pigment involved, I ended up looking like The Joker in drag. My attempt with a lip brush was much more successful, which would make reapplying difficult away from home, but I think it would be worth it.

Now if only the swatches were at all connected to reality…

Sephora, $19.