I completely adore Illamasqua, everything from their general aesthetic and ideas to the people behind it and of course, products. Completely ideal for my first post (finally).
From Illamasqua.com: "Let your lips speak volumes. Indulge in colour-intense lipstick with a highly pigmented formula, available in a choice of flawless finishes, from matt to glossy. Illamasqua Lipstick glides on smoothly, for the perfect all-night pout."
Sonnet is described by Illamasqua as a "cool peachy nude in a matt finish". Like the majority of other nude and matt lipsticks on the market, Sonnet, is drying on the lips, making exfoliation and lip balm an essential step before application. Out of the two, this is my least favourite. Poison is a "rich burgundy brown in a matt finish". This too can make the lips dry and I recommend to also exfoliate and apply lip balm before applying this. Poison is well pigmented and applies much better than Sonnet. I prefer to wear it as more of a stain, rubbing it into my lips after application. This is very much a plum colour, on a skin or paper swatch the brown tones come out but for some reason, on my lips, I see it as more of a purple with cool undertones.
Above L-R: Liquid Metal in Surge and Liquid Metal in Enrapture. RRP £17.00 each (buy online)
From Illamasqua.com: "Prepare to dazzle with this gloriously rich and highly pigmented metallic cream. Use to adorn eyes, face and body, apply with fingers or a brush. Release your inhibitions and illuminate your alter ego."
I feel that my pot of Surge seems to be an almost completely different product to Enrapture. Why this is I do not know and have yet to find out if it's also the case for others who use them. Surge is very easy to apply, the pigmentation is immense and the product glides on smoothly as it is extraordinarily creamy. Unlike how it looks in the pot this is not a pure silver colour, Illamasqua describes it as "a molten pewter". I find Enrapture to be quite dry when applying and I often find myself dipping my brush back into the pot again and again to build up colour. An unnecessary step with Surge. The pigmentation not as vibrant either yet when built up the bronze colour ends up as gorgeous as it looks in the pot. When doing my own make-up I tend to use these only on the eyes, I find they really make the rest of my eye make-up "pop", but they can be used elsewhere. They do crease, but try putting a primer underneath or translucent powder over the top to put an end to that.
Above L-R: Nail Varnish in Victory and Nail Varnish in Hectic. RRP £13.00 each (buy online)
From Illamasqua.com: "Leave your mark with bold, rich, vibrant colours. Hardwearing and chip-resistant with individual finishes from matt to high gloss. Apply two coats for intensity and use with Illamasqua Nail Base Coat and Illamasqua Nail Top Coat for the perfect finish. Talk with your hands and make a statement."
I'm going to have to confess, I am terrible at painting nails, especially my own (although I have improved recently so all hope is not lost just yet). Hectic is a "warm olive green" and Victory, a "pale gold nude in a shimmer finish". Victory needs at least two coats, if not three. I personally prefer Hectic. I have never come across an olive nail varnish before and I've become infatuated with it! Much more thick and easy to apply than Victory, sometimes I can get away with just one coat, a plus in my book. But two coats of Hectic, with a base and top coat, makes it last for at least a week if not more with no chips! Excellent. On the other hand Victory, when dry, reminds me a bit of some sort of foil. It tends to flake away easily, which is unfortunate because it is a lovely colour.
Above: Powder Blusher in Sin. RRP £16.00 (buy online)From Illamasqua.com: "Illuminate, radiate, make your face come alive with the colour and drama of Illamasqua Powder Blusher. Colour-intense and highly pigmented, use it to shade, brighten, enhance and define the shape of your face. Be bold, be daring, be the centre of attention"
Sin has to be one of the most pigmented blushers I own. For fair skins, a blusher brush only needs to be gently dipped once on the powder and then once on the skin, even then it has to be thoroughly blended in (perhaps a fan brush would apply easier). A bonus as I'm sure this will last its full 18 month "sell by date". In it's packaging Sin looks a very plum purple colour, it can be off putting to some as it is quite dark, but on the skin it is a gorgeous berry pink.
Above: Gleam Cream in Flex. RRP £22.50 (buy online)From Illamasqua.com: "Containing iridescent, pearlescent pigments, this lightweight cream is suitable for face and body, lifting and highlighting wherever it’s applied. Use on its own or mix with foundation for an immediate skin brightening effect that will illuminate the night."
The only way I can describe this is "fish scales". When walking past a fish counter, my eyes are always drawn to the shimmering scales of salmon, or whatever other produce is on display. Turn your head one way and they are silver, turn your head another and they are pink, blue, almost holographic. Well those pink tones are what Gleam Cream reminds me of. For example, put this on the back of your hand and move it in and out of sunlight. Out of the light it is a sparkling, almost clear highlight, but once in the light it turns into a gorgeous cool pink shimmer. The only other products I have used similar to this are Moon Beam and High Beam from Benefit, both are no where near as good as this. Gleam Cream is ultra easy to use and like most Illamasqua products, doesn't slide off the skin or wear away throughout the day or night.
Above L-R: Eye Liner Cake in Devout, Eye Liner Cake in Zeal (buy online) and Powder Eye Shadow in Synth (buy online). RRP £15 each.Apologies for the following slight HTML mess ups, I shall fix them as soon as I can get the Blogspot Editing thing to behave!
When it comes down to it, cake eyeliners are basically a new take on spit block liners and mascaras. My only problem with them being I either use too much water or too little (I must get my hands on some Illamasqua Sealing Gel!). Devout is a steel grey, my favourite of the two liners. I feel that it is perfect for a "grunge" eye. Zeal is a forest green, I find it to be not as pigmented as the aforementioned.
From Illamasqua.com: "Take the art of making up to new extremes. Create bold, dark, dramatic eyes with quick-drying, non-smudge, intense colour. Mix with a small drop of water or Illamasqua Sealing Gel to make a paste, then apply with an Illmasqua Eye Liner Brush."
From Illamasqua.com: "Bring a room to its knees without saying a word. Each of these glorious colours makes a statement that's as individual as you are. Highly pigmented, these lasting colours ensure all-night intensity."
I am obsessed with Synth, I think out of all my various eye shadows this is my favourite! Perfect for highlighting the inner corners of the eyes, even up to the eyebrow and is especially beautiful when applied on the eyelid over pink, black, grey and purple eyeshadows. I've never come across a colour like it before, Illamasqua describe it as an "iridescent pale pink", it is also a glitter finish.
Above L-R: Medium Pencil in Sophie. RRP £12.50 (buy online) and Kabuki Body Brush RRP. £38.00 (buy online)
From Illamasqua.com: "Be whoever you want to be, and celebrate your right to individuality with this Medium Pencil in black, named in honour of Sophie. £3 from every purchase will go to the Sophie Lancaster Foundation."
I love the Sophie pencil! Everything about it is brilliant, especially as £3 from every pencil sold goes straight to the Sophie Lancaster Foundation. Sophie Lancaster was murdered for being nothing more than an individual and a "goth", you can find out more about Sophie and the charity here. It's quite a creamy consistency and applies like a dream. Very black, long lasting, everything you could want in a pencil - except I do not believe it to be very waterproof, disappointing!!
From Illamasqua.com:"Perfect for applying make-up to the face and body, the Kabuki Body Brush’s super-soft synthetic bristles glide over skin and are 100% cruelty-free."
A fabulous brush: the bristles are packed together nicely, making it firm. Not only is it soft soft soft (THE softest brush I own) but it is also synthetic, NO! animal cruelty whatsoever. Brilliant for blending foundations and applying powder to the face and rest of the body.
Above L-R: Pure Pigment in Marvel and Pure Pigment in Tingle. RRP £15.00 each. (buy online) From Illamasqua.com: "Made to be played with. A metallic, high-shine, pure-colour powder that highlights eyes, cheeks and brows. Mix with eye shadow, blusher or use it on its own to intense effect. Bring out your bold side."
These are lovely pigments. But firstly, the packaging is what seals the deal for me. Rather than a great pot of pigment with a flimsy lid and nothing to protect the product from flying around and covering everything in the surrounding area in fine glittery goodness these have little holes to allow a brush to be dipped in (I keep the plastic seals on top for extra protection!). Why no other make-up brand has thought of this is completely beyond me... These are really finely milled. Gorgeous texture, the silver one when applied is almost creamy, so fine it feels like it's almost melting onto the skin. Pigmentation is A+ but (personal preference coming up).. I do prefer the silvery white to the cool gold. It is an excellent highlight colour, the gold is also good for dusting over the cheeks very lightly with a darker bronzer. Personally I like to use it with a pink blush.
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NOT PICTURED: I also own the OLD light liquid foundation and their Powder Foundation in 135. RRP £21 each (buy online). The bottle of LLF I own isn't made anymore and I have yet to try out the new formula, but unfortunately this old formulation product has been one of my most hated of the year so far. Therefore I will not be reviewing it as it is completely irrelevant now it's no longer made.
On the other hand the Powder Foundation is a complete god send. When I first bought it I had no high expectations, just another powder foundation. Oh how wrong I was! This is the only powder foundation that has ever covered all my blemishes, not made my skin look cakey and lasted through the night (and way into the morning!) in a hot sweaty club ALL at once. Incredible!
Above L-R: Lipstick in Sonnet, Lipstick in Poison, Medium Pencil in Sophie, Liquid Metal in Surge, Liquid Metal in Enrapture, Pure Pigment in Marvel, Pure Pigment in Tingle, Powder Eye Shadow in Synth, Eye Liner Cake in Devout, Eye Liner Cake in Zeal, Gleam Cream in Flex (unfortunately my scanner did not pick this up), Nail Varnish in Hectic, Nail Varnish in Victory, Powder Blusher in Sin.
Above L-R: Liquid Metal in Enrapture, Liquid Metal in Surge, Pure Pigment in Marvel, Pure Pigment in Tingle, Powder Eye Shadow in Synth and Gleam Cream in Flex.
(EVERY PRODUCT WAS PURCHASED BY MYSELF OR RECEIVED AS A GIFT. I AM NOT AFFILIATED WITH ILLAMASQUA - although I wish I was! - MY OPINIONS ARE HONEST AND HAVE NOT BEEN INFLUENCED BY OTHERS)
(© All photos are my own.)
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