A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

So a few of you asked for some tips and to see a FOTD with the Illamasqua Halcyon Illuminator that I swatched in this here post so I made sure to dig it out this morning.

I hope you can make it out!  It’s more apparent in the right hand photo… a fairly neutral champagne shimmer.  My only issue with it (that I was reminded of when applying today) is how quickly it dries.  You gotta blend quick!

I usually squeeze a little onto my finger tip, tap 3 dots across my cheekbones and blend, blend, blend!  I tend to struggle a little with liquid highlighters as they settle in and accentuate my pores (I’m looking at you Eyeko cream thing) but this doesn’t.

Anyway, hope that helps!

I love this packaging!  It allows me to dispense just the right amount of product.

And *what* a product it is…

Illamasqua‘s Halcyon Illuminator is a creamy ivory highlighter that would suit both dark and pale tones beautifully.  It’s just about neutral enough to be kind to most complexions and imparts a “lit from within” shimmer.

With a smooth texture, it blends effortlessly wherever it’s placed.  This is (if you haven’t already noticed!) one of my favourite highlighters in my collection and I reach for it often.  Which reminds me, next time I’m near a counter I need to pick up Poised (it’s cool pink counterpart!)

Priced at £13, I consider this to be good value for money when you realise just how little you need to use to achieve a great result.

Illamasqua’s Illuminator in Halcyon is available from counters nationwide or online.

An edgy release from an edgy brand that fits perfectly with the Body Electrics ethos of makeup to enhance movement, dynamics and light.

Illamasqua released two Illumine Oil’s with the Body Electrics collection and it was the oils that first drew my attention.  Pulse is a golden bronze shimmer, whilst Volt is an iridescent silvery violet shimmer.  I was very kindly sent a bottle of Volt to slather myself in so I thought I’d do the good blogging thing and not keep my opinions to myself.

Firstly, I’m put off by the price…  £32 is a lot of money to pay to decorate your decolletage with shimmer.

Don’t get me wrong… the shimmer is beautiful, it’s radiating and it catches the light perfectly.

You could DIY it, I think it would probably look chunkier and less effortlessly elegant if you did… But still… £32? *whistles*

Anyway, I swerve from being wildly extravagant with my money to tighter than a ducks arse, so let me review this on it’s own merits first before you all get out the fans to revive me from the price tag.

They Say:

Create a sultry shimmer with an after-dark edge.  Smooth Illumine Oil over skin for a light-reflecting finish that makes every movement a drama.  Infused with pearlised particles, passionflower seed oil and vitamin E, this luxurious dry body oil is quickly absorbed and leaves skin illuminated.  Bask in a radiance of your own making and demand to be worshipped.

You get 100ml of product for your money and to be fair, you only need a very very small amount (2 fingertip fulls) to fully cover your entire decolletage.  I could imagine this lasting easily over a year of regular use.

I’ve tried very hard to capture the iridescence in the bottle, it’s quite breathtaking… kinda like the Prism nail polish but on a much larger scale!

If there was one time this blog needed smell-o-vision, it would be now.  Volt smells ah-mazing.  It’s tropical and heady, perfect for warm summer nights.

The packaging, whilst elegant and simple is a source of irritation for me.

Picture the scene… glass all over the floor, £32 Illumine Oil soaking into your floorboards giving them an ethereal, sparkling glow… only to be matched by the sparkles in your eyes from the big fat tears.

Maybe it comes with being a Mummy… I mean… I’m not asking them to sell it in this:

…. but accidents happen.  And that bottle with it’s standard bottle opening is asking for trouble.

Anyway, how does it sparkle?

Ohhh… I tried and I tried to capture it’s delicate shimmer… here’s the best I could do.

You can see the sparkles that are suspended in the oil… and yes, they are indeed mostly violet which gives a true ethereal (though not Edward Cullen) type glow to your skin.  The sparkles are very, very fine and small… not at all chunky.

The sparkles stick firmly and whilst transfer is still very much apparent (hello strange glitter speck in the corner of my vision) the sheer density of sparkle ensures that you will remain suitably spangly all evening long.

I think I’ve covered everything…

Is it expensive? Yes.  Is it beautiful? Yes.  Did I rock it whilst doing a trolley dash in Tesco last night? You betcha.

Illamasqua Illumine Oil in Volt is £32 for 100ml and available at Illamasqua counters nationwide or online at Illamasqua.com

“What a snore!” I proclaimed, looking at Illamasqua’s latest collection, Body Electrics.

It’s not that it’s a bad looking collection… it’s just… not me.

I don’t really do bronzers…. I don’t want liquid metals (regardless of how lovely they look in their pans)… I don’t go anywhere to warrant slathering myself in sparkly body oils and I’m a bit blued and purpled out in the nail polish world too.

I actually really quite like the theory behind the collection…. the dynamics of movement and light reflecting… all great stuff, but I just felt disappointed seeing the theory put into practice.

I received a parcel from Illamasqua containing a couple of pieces from the new collection and to be blunt, I was expecting to give the products a “these are nice but ultimately dull” review based on how uninspiring I’d found them thus far.

I was wrong.

Initially, when I opened the parcel… my spirits weren’t lifted when I pulled out one of the new Nail Polishes in shade Prism.

“Oh… it’s not the purple” thought I… sounding far too much like a spoilt child to admi… oh

I twirled the bottle in my hands, watching the iridescence and blue flashes catch the light…. yeah, it’s pretty… but I kept thinking about my yellow stained nails and how ugly they’d look combined with this blatantly sheer polish I was holding.

Wanna see?

Admitedly, this is 4 coats… 1 coat was as horrible as I’d envisaged.  But this is beautiful.  After a year of solid, opaque polishes to cover up stains and dodgy ridged nails… this is delicate.  It’s like a veil…. it shrouds all the imperfections, but leaves a hint of nail tip and blue irridescence that simply says…. feminine.

Not only that, but the formula is stunning.  This is my first Illamasqua polish… drying time blew me away.  I was able to apply and finish 4 coats in 25 minutes.  Hand on heart, this is probably the greatest formula I’ve used so far.  Whether or not other Illamasqua polishes are the same, I don’t know.

Prism is perfect for weddings, french manicures… it’s one of those polishes for people that don’t like polishes.  If you don’t paint your nails often but want something for those times when you need to up your game… get this polish.  I imagine it would also look rather lovely layered over a dark base too… I shall have to experiment!

Thanks ever so much lovely Illamasqua makeup fairies, a genuinely lovely surprise that simply made a makeup addict’s week!

Available from counters nationwide or online at Illamasqua priced at £13.00

Illamasqua have a hot new competition open… I’ll let the press release give you all the information you need to know.

Check it out:

2010’s hottest new nail colour is in your hands!

Whether it’s the standout shade of your favourite killer heels, your must-have cupcake frosting or the glow of the city skyline, Illamasqua want to hear what inspires your soul.

The UK’s hottest and most talked about make-up brand, Illamasqua is famed for its unique and daringly different collection of cult Nail Varnish colours.

And now they want YOU to get creative.

Illamasqua is asking finger fetishists the world over to submit a description of their dream nail varnish colour, for their chance to make it a reality.

Run in conjunction with luxury retailer, Selfridges, this incredible competition is giving nail varnish fans the world over the opportunity to push their imaginative boundaries further than ever before and design their very own perfect shade.

Entrants must explain in no more than 50 words what inspired their unique choice, and provide an image or photograph to illustrate their big idea.

The prize? Two winners will see their dream colour created and sold exclusively at Illamasqua.com and Selfridges in London, Manchester Trafford and Birmingham from October 2010. In addition, they’ll receive a bottle of their winning colour before anybody else!

The winning entries will be selected by a high-profile judging panel consisting of legendary make-up artist Alex Box, nail artist to the stars Sophy Robson and YouTube sensations Pixiwoo.

The rules:

In 50 words or less, submit a description of your dream colour and the thinking behind it – please include pictures to illustrate your inspiration if possible.

Entries must be submitted in one of the following three ways, no later than 14^th March 2010:

Via email: competition@illamasqua.com

Via blog post: email the link to competition@illamasqua.com

Via mail:

NAIL COMPETITION
c/o Illamasqua
6-8 Amwell St
London
EC1R 1UQ

One entry per person. Competition is open to entrants globally.

Renowned makeup artist Alex Box of Illamasqua fame is the latest fabulous addition to the IMATS London guest speaker line up!

She will be speaking at the event on Saturday 30th January and as someone who’s been lucky enough to hear this amazing lady talk about her craft before… I urge you not to miss it!

More details will be appearing on the IMATS London website very soon, so keep your eyes peeled!

Have you booked your tickets yet? Not long to go now!

These are the first Xmas releases Illamasqua have put out, last year they were too busy being all shiny and ‘noo’ to get into the Christmas spirit, so I was interested to see what they had wrapped up for us this year!

Introducing…

Golden Goddess

Containing: Liquid Metal Solstice and Pure Pigment Furore with a Medium Pencil in Sophie and the fabulous false lashes 019.

Silver Seductress

Containing: Liquid Metal Phenomena and Pure Pigment Android with a Medium Pencil Sophie and false lashes 019.

The gift sets cost £54 each, saving £12 if you were to buy each product separately and can be purchased online.

Which is your favourite of the two?

When I got up this morning, I was determined to brave this adventurous (for me) lipgloss, so here we go!

You can probably tell that this is a sheer application.  It’s applied over the top of Illamasqua Sheer Lipgloss in Lily-Rose.

It’s consistency is sticky, but not as sticky as MAC’s lipglasses.  Longevity is good, it hasn’t faded much at all throughout the day so far.

Galactic is a really lovely item to have in your kit, glamour in a tube!

[starreview tpl=14]

It was a real treat to be invited to tonight’s Dystopia preview event at Kettners in the heart of Soho, a fab venue which perfectly complemented the informality of the evening ahead.

There were around 30 bloggers present (Tali counted. Real Slow. She had to use her fingers once she got past 10.) and we were treated to delicious cocktails and a Guinness/champagne medley which was surprisingly delicious!

OK, enough about the booze already!  On to the makeup!

Illamasqua are still a very young brand, and it’s clear that they’re having to evolve and grow very rapidly thanks to the huge global success that they’re currently enjoying.  Since their launch nearly a year ago, they’ve become synonymous with bucking the mainstream trends.  They have strived to create a brand intent on celebrating and encouraging one’s alter ego.  But how does this translate for mere mortals like me living in Bobbi Brown land?

I will be truly honest and say that I went to this event with certain preconceptions.  I believed that whilst being very beautiful to look at, the brand and collection would hold little for me that I would consider wearable in my safe little world of boring neutrals.

Hands up, I was wrong.

Dystopia has something for everyone regardless of your attitude toward what (on the surface at least) seems to be a brand and collection that caters to a niche market.  Hand on heart, out of the 6 products I had the opportunity to play with and swatch, 4 of them are now on my shopping list (and 1 of them I received in my goodie bag).  Not bad going from a brand that I thought would have minimal appeal to me in the flesh.

My Must Haves: (I don’t know the names of most of these products but will update when the collection is released on Illa’s website)

~ Pure Pigment – Static – a beautiful iridescent lilac/pink which was met with “oohs and ahhs” from everyone who swatched it.  A real Christmassy affair for the little girl in all of us!

~ Nail Polish – Velocity an on-trend muted purple

~ Eyeshadow in Synth, a beautiful shimmery pale pink shade – gorgeous for highlighting.

~ Intense Lipgloss in Galactic – the most awesomely pigmented silver lipgloss that scared the crap out of me in the tube.  On the lips, it’s pure love.

Here’s a couple of images:

Intense Lipgloss in Galactic – how beautiful is this?  Non sticky and blends out so well that I will be finding more uses for this aside from being a lipgloss. 

Eyeshadow in Machine, a soft nicely pigmented black with a little sparkle.

A huge thank you to Illamasqua for hosting the evening and an even bigger thanks to the whole team for being so approachable and friendly!  It was really lovely to witness how genuinely passionate and proud the Illamasqua team are about their company and to hear how all our feedback (both good and bad!) is being taken on board and used to improve the brand for our future enjoyment.

I had a lovely evening (despite not getting home ’till nearly gone midnight thanks to a signal failure!) and it was great to meet some of my fellow makeup addicts, you’re all fab and I can’t wait to see you all again soon!

Check it out!  Click the image below for more details…

Available to purchase online and in selected stores from 18th August 2009.

I know it’s already available at some Debenhams stores (and I can browse the Illamasqua range on the Debenhams website already…) So I hope this means they’re rolling the brand out to additional instore locations.  Anyone any more clued up than me?

Fingers crossed my provincial local store is one of the lucky ones!