Illamasqua

Illamasqua is now available from sephora.com and a lot of people are asking for swatches, that's why I'm reposting this :) The contest at the end is over but don't worry I will be holding another one soon.

What kind of UK blogger would I be if I couldn't even tell you all about our very own brand new brand?!

Ladies and gentlemen, now presenting...

ILLAMASQUA!!!

Make- up for your alter ego!

Actually Illamasqua is not that new. It has been in existence since last year but has only just started blooming. The essence of the brand is for you to unleash your alter ego i.e the person you want to be rather than the person you are. It's meant for you to expose your darker side. I like to think of it as a gothic brand because of the nature of the looks created with it and the colours, and it has this aura of darkness.

You can find almost everything you need to know about the brand on their website. They have a make-up artist/ professional programme but you must submit a CV and some other things to get in. I'm not sure about the benefits yet, as soon as I register I will let you know. They deliver worldwide, although some products are not available outside of Europe.

What's not to love about the brand? The colours are very vivid and long lasting. A lot of the eyshadows are matte but some are shimmery. They have creme eyecolours but most of them are out of stock because it is a new brand and they did not anticipate the products would run out so soon' (well that's what the store girl said).

Personally I have a quad eye-shadow and lip colour palette and I love them. Unfortunately (I'm not sure when) it will no longer be possible to create your own quad and you have to buy the colours individually :(

Upside: Very long lasting products; highly pigmented shadows and if you use a primer, you are guaranteed all day colour; a very wide range of mate colours, worldwide delivery

Downside: The lip gloss applicator- very messy stuff; the names of the products do not last on the product packaging, so 3 months down the line you can't remember the name of your favourite lip gloss; It's not readily available in stores- you either go to one of three Selfridges stores in UK or you buy it online; the packaging is not environmentally friendly (That's what I think anyway).


So I visited Illamasqua at selfridges on Oxford Street London to get as much info as I could for you. Please understand that half way, I developed a headache and started seeing double and when I almost passed out I gave up the mission but I shall return again soon.

Here is what I got up to (clickable images):
Eye Shadows: left to right, top to bottom



This is what the Illamasqua matt primer looks like. There is also a satin primer which gives a kind of shimmery velvety finish. The primer is a pure white thick liquid but blends into the skin clear.



Drama, Fatal, Stalk, Fluke
Wolf, Christine, Sex, Succumb







Control, Spectre, Servant, Soul
Echo, Feline, Bronx, Stealth







Boomerang, Imagine, Slave, Feel
Heroine, Bruise, Truth, Forgiveness







Goddess, Tango, Justify, Virus, Illicit
Angst, Dance, Maybe, Can can, Rapture







Rapture, Maybe, Lick, Blame, Cry
Tempt, deity, Wicked, Dizzy, Geisha







Courtesan, Drama, Feint, ..., Never
Preen, Daemon, Creep, Wonder, Venus, Anja







Poem, Venom, Slink, Immortal, Vision, Idol
Vanian, Moonflower, Predator, Slap, Gypsy, Roulette, Vulgar, Trollo





Grope, Puzzle, Vapour, Gritique, Criptic, Sister
Yes, Torture, Bloom, Serpent, Gasp, Ambush, Suspicious, Moan





Lip glosses: Left to right, top to bottom
Absorb, Gender, Fume, Fierce, Mina, Embroil, Rescued,
Repulse, Torrid, Temper, Rage, Divine, Drag, Enchant,





Repulse, Torrid, Temper,
Indulge, Provoke,







Lily-Rose, Tantrum, Indulge, Liaison, Follow, Kindle,
Mistress, Frenzy, twist, femme, Torture, Fury





Lipsticks: top to bottom, left to right

Corrupt, Agony, Strip, Ignite, Underworld
Growl, drench, Poison, Brink, Blaze, Vengeance, Flicker
Utopia, Tramp, Liar, Prophesy, Faust, Ego, Diablo



Illamasqua also make brushes but I didn't buy any. I don't know much about those but next time I get there I will find out.

I hope you've been enlightened about Illamasqua. Feel free to let me know what you'd like to find out about the brand. This will help my next visit greatly.

You didn't think I was gonna post all this stuff and then leave you like that, did you?

Here's a photo of me (well my lips) in my favourite Illamasqua lip gloss. It is a gorgeous colour and will go with almost every skin tone. I have another one to give away and all you have to do to get it, is to correctly name the lip gloss at the bottom.







Stay beautiful...