International Trainer Daniel Talks Australia...

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Cult Week 3...

Continuing our ever-popular Cult Week countdown to Summer [although if you are in England, it's finally arrived!] we have four more fantastic products with 20% off for a limited time only...

Nail Varnish in 'Nudge'

Looking for that extra incentive to pick up one of the must-have Varnishes of the Summer? Then look no further than Nudge - think a slightly blue leaning mint ice-cream colour and that's Nudge.

*thanks to Vampy Varnish for the swatch*


Eye Liner Cake in 'Mislead'

The hero shade of the Eye Liner Cake family, Mislead is an inky black that, when mixes with Sealing Gel or a mixing medium, becomes a thick paste ideal for creating eye liner flicks, or for general face and body art!
The packaging was inspired by the cake products that were popular in the 30s and 40s. It reminds me of a by-gone era of Golden Hollywood when the art of making up was at it's height. I love how it dries matt, too.


False Eye Lashes 021

Anyone who knows me, knows that false eye lashes are my go-to on a night out! When you have been working in the office all day and you have no time for touch-ups [or don't work in a make-up office like me and so don't have hundreds of products at your disposal!] then reaching for a pair of lashes is an instant day-to-night look.

These lashes are my absolute favourites, as you can see below!


Pure Pigment in 'Android'

We heard last week how Debbie Harry - lead singer of Blondie - had stocked up on this product in Fenwick Newcastle. Not a surprise, as Android is a rock stars dream product; shimmering, sparkling and perfect for smudgy, smoky eyes.

A favourite tip of our artists on counter is to layer it over Concealer 350 [pure black] on to the eyes; the concealer encourages further intensity and longevity. This is the technique I have used in the picture above, so I know that it works!

Wednesday Night At Q Bar, Sydney

Monday, June 28, 2010
Wednesday 30th June sees the highly anticipated relaunch of 'Paradise City' at the Q Bar on Oxford Street in Sydney. The monthly night will be run in association with Illamasqua and the rock and roll night will be hosted by Familia and L.U.S.T.

The Illamasqua Lounge [a recurring theme at recent events!] will be a hive of activity, with some of our artists from Myer Sydney coming along to meet and greet guests and introduce them to the world of Illamasqua.

Now, I know that hardly anyone goes out for a night on the town without creating a make-up look, but ever feel that you have the same smokey eye, or the same retro lip, or same false lashes every week and want a bit of a creative hand in shaking things up? Then it's definitely worth speaking to one of the team that will give you an alternate point of view and encourage you to explore a variety of alter egos that you may enjoy releasing for nights out to come...

We will also be creating looks for the bands, so if you get along early enough you may be lucky enough to spot them in their transformation stage...

I'll post pictures as soon as I receive them from the Illamasqua team in Sydney.

Last Chance for Birmingham Masterclass!

Following on from the extraordinary success of the Masterclasses in London and Manchester, Alex will now be appearing at the Selfridges Bullring on Saturday 3rd July.

Two sessions - one at 2pm and one at 4 pm - will showcase the work that made Alex Box one of the most exciting, innovative and forward thinking artists of the modern era.

Come along and experience for yourself the dramatic artistry of Alex and get the chance to ask questions and interact with her and the amazing group of artists from the Selfridges Birmingham Illamasqua counter.

Call 0121 600 6818 to reserve your place.

Poseidon

Sunday, June 27, 2010
All Saints is not usually a shop I go in to. Not really my type of clothing - very dark, military inspired and a lot of animal skeletons. However whilst trying to find an unusual ball dress for my sister I came across theses Poseidon dresses and I have to say I have fallen in love with the print.





It features drawn flowers, coloured birds wearing jewelry and military style helmets. I prefer the white background to the black and you can see the detail so much more. The cut of the dress is really interesting as well - drape and structure - Yum!

Hope you have had a lovely weekend! Fashion Fantasist xx

Love or Hate?

Friday, June 25, 2010

Anarchy Multi Buckle Wedges in Grey and Cream
I personally love these boots but I think my feet may be too narrow for them... When I next pop in to Topshop I will try them on.

But what are your thoughts? Love or hate?

Fashion Fantasist xx

Sydney Myer Has Launched!

I have just had word from the Sydney team at Illamasqua that they are enjoying a roaring days trade in Australia as guests to Myer clamour over the new counter...

1 Day To Go To Myer Sydney Launch...

Thursday, June 24, 2010
Very exciting stuff here right now... I can barely contain my excitement for all those who live on the other side of the world! Australia is having it's beauty moment of the decade as Illamasqua launches at Myer Sydney tomorrow.

If you are around and fancy a complimentary make-up lesson by one of our new team of fantastic artists, check out this blog post that will tell you all you need to know...

Nail Varnish Competition - Winners!


Drum roll please...

The winners of the competition have been announced and we are so excited that these are now in production, with an early October launch date currently planned... although the winners will receive their shades in August - it's only fair they get theirs before everyone else!

Before I begin talking about the winners [and why they won] I want to personally thank everyone who has entered - and there were over 6,000 and I was thrilled with how people to took the brief of Create Your Dream Nail Varnish and really thought outside the box in terms of what their ultimate lacquer would look like.

We were originally going to have two winners, but we couldn't decide on just two, so we went for three!

Here they are...


Raindrops - by Ann Black

The inspiration was a photograph of pouring rain and how it settles in to drops on the window - we liked that it was a first hand image from Ann. Read her full idea here on her blog.

The consistency of the varnish is quite sheer, but very buildable and has they wonderful flecks in, a variety of silver, white and darker grey that actually look like raindrops on nails. This varnish was considered so unique and desirable that the nail artist on our Autumn Winter shoot used it on almost every model!



Eclipse - by Dami Lawal

The thing that, to me, was most beautiful about this was the rich purple/grey/blue/black colour that the image conjured up. We felt that this colour was missing from the current colour collection at Illamasqua and yet everyone at HQ started getting very excited when the first samples landed - it was always going to be a winner. There were several colours that came back from our supplier's interpretation of the image and many of them were beautiful; it was extremely difficult to chose but the final colour is a real black/blue/purple colour with a hint of shimmer.


Shrapnel - by Loren Perry

The entry submitted by Loren told us that she was looking for a copper that leaned pink - something she had had real difficulty finding. Her image below is of a pair of unbelivably desirable Lanvin brogues, although she also described a copper coin, so it gave us plenty of ideas in how we could translate that in to a Nail Varnish. We asked our supplier to show us satin finishes, high-gloss finishes and sparkling finishes. We ended up going for a mixture of all three and trust me - this is a really unique finish...

Degree Show

Tuesday, June 22, 2010


Well the degree show indicates the end of everything. All our hard work is over and now it is the next big step...... careers and jobs in the big wide world! Hopefully I will still post fashion related things over the summer - I will hopefully go to some exhibits, do some more outfit posts and keep you up to date with any design work I do!

However I had a lovely afternoon yesterday manning the exhibit - got told by some lovely little old ladies how talented I was and how they would wear my stuff! hehe! At least someone wants to wear it - how sweet! :)

Much Love Fashion Fantasist xx

Artist Profile: Mikele Simone, Counter Manager Myer, Sydney

I spent part of yesterday looking at the portfolios of the five make-up artists who are launching Illamasqua's first Australian counter in Myer Sydney this Friday 25th June and they are truly, truly phenomenal. Trudi Kynaston, International Brand Director in Australia, is as excited as I am, so I asked her to grab an interview with our new Counter Manager, Mikele Simone...

Who/ what inspired you to go into make-up?

My Mum was a runway and magazine model in Italy; I still have copies of the Vogue Italia she appeared in. I used to sit watching her at her dressing table as a child and I always wanted to play with the make-up and dress up myself!

Did you know back then that you would be a make-up artist?

No, I went down an academic route because that was what was expected of me. I spent 6 months at Veterinary college before I found the courage to tell my family I really wanted to go into fashion. I studied fashion design and worked as a couture designer for two years - I spent endless hours stitching sequins on to exquisite ball gowns. While I was doing that I learned all about make-up from the professionals around me and became fascinated with creating looks. I love the transcience of it as an art.

What are you most proud of in your career so far?

I've done so much in such a short space of time - once I found my vocation in make-up opportunities kept flowing my way and I am very proud of my photographic portfolio. Something that I am truly proud of is when I worked in Myer in Perth - a very conservative part of Australia when it comes to self-expression. I used to go to work with full avant-garde make-up every day - it raised a few eyebrows!


How do you think Australia will take to Illamasqua?

They will love it! I have been following Illamasqua online ever since the brand launched and I could barely breathe when I heard it was coming to Sydney. I know there are many, many make-up lovers in this country who are ready for a brand that dares to be different. What I love about Illamasqua is that we don't just sell make-up - we are professional make-up artists who inspire our customers and give them lessons in how to create the looks they want. A little bit of know-how really gives you confidence.


To book a lesson with Mikele, call the Illamasqua counter in Myer Sydney on 1800 66 12 10

Show Stopping Street Art in Sydney

Illamasqua's newly recruited team of make-up artists have been warming up for our exclusive launch at Myer Sydney in Australia on Friday 25th June [this Friday!!] with an alternative take on street art for Sydney-siders around the city. Our artists have been creating live portraiture for the entertainment of workers in prime lunch sites around the city, weekend leisure sports and Sydney landmarks.


You may have spotted Mikele, Jerry, Renee and Mariel at the Opera House, Martin Place, Grosvenor Square, the Bondi-Bronte walk or in Newtown. Their amazing work will continue in Myer from today where the team will be at the George Street entreance to the store, creating iconic Ilamasqua looks and taking bookings for make-up lessons and transformations.

For all you lucky Sydney based people, book in with our artists to get a real taste of Illamasqua on 1800 66 1210.

Special thanks need to go to the House of Fetish on Oxford Street, Sydney for the stunning clothes our model Jake is wearing.

Alex Box Masterclass Selfridges Bullring Saturday 3rd July

Monday, June 21, 2010
Following on from the extraordinary success of the Masterclasses in London and Manchester, Alex will now be appearing at the Selfridges Bullring on Saturday 3rd July.

Two sessions - one at 2pm and one at 4 pm - will showcase the work that made Alex Box one of the most exciting, innovative and forward thinking artists of the modern era.

Come along and experience for yourself the dramatic artistry of Alex and get the chance to ask questions and interact with her and the amazing group of artists from the Selfridges Birmingham Illamasqua counter.

Call 0121 600 6818 to reserve your place.


Feeling Grey...

Saturday, June 19, 2010
England's performance, the weather outside, finished uni, unsure what to do - what more can I say!?

White out

Friday, June 18, 2010
Yesterday helped set up the degree show.... This meant freshening up the room with white paint and stapling calico to the sides.... Exhausting and got absolutely covered! Good laugh though and we made fun of models on a catwalk made from bubble wrap - noisy!



Splattered Jeans are bound to make a come back now hehe!
Much Love Fashion Fantasist x

Lure Has Been Revamped

After a HUGE revamp, we are so excited that our Lure range has finally launched online at www.illamasqua.com .

We’ve listened to feedback from our customers, make-up artists and industry professionals, and revitalised our entire Lure range. The colours are better than ever [ie, they match across all the lines from Concealer, Under-Eye Concealer, Powder Foundation, Rich Liquid Foundation, Cream Foundation, Pressed Powder, Loose Powder and of course the brand new Light Liquid Foundation] and we have also got real skin swatches on the website to help you make the best decision.

To view the unique colour swatching, click here.

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Finally, a little more on the Light Liquid Foundation...

Not only is it lightweight and has a dewy finish. It has been designed to mimic the skin’s natural look, whilst still covering blemishes. The formulation also has moisturizing and hydrating properties and contains skin-conditioning ingredients including Vitamin E.

Alex Box has been using it on today's shoot on one of our models and everyone has loved the dewy texture; like mixing Satin Primer with Cream Foundation commented one assistant.

Lure Revamped has been a major project for Illamasqua and new shades are arriving daily. So if the product you want is showing as out of stock, click ‘Email me when available’ to be among the first to know when it arrives.

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Countdown Until Australia Launch...

We have been so busy with collection shoots, events in and out of London that we haven't posted anything on the progress of the Myer Sydney launch...

Well, it's still underway and doesn't time fly... our counter will launch to the delight of the Sydney night-time scene, press, beauty eds, bloggers and general beauty fanatics!

With a stellar team now set up in Sydney, they are really looking forward to meeting all you Australians who have yet to explore and reveal the other, darker you. I will be running interviews with the new team to showcase them to the blogosphere - these are the creme de la creme of make-up artists in Sydney and we are so excited to have them at Illamasqua! They have spent the past month in intense training for their new roles and have learnt all about the heritage, beliefs and artistry of Illamasqua.



There has been a fantastic buzz about the brand and the likes of Harpers Bazaar and Vogue have been knocking our doors down to get interviews with Alex Box ahead of her visit in August.

We are also preparing a HUGE fashion show ... but more on that later.

Live Twitter Feed: Day 2!

Thursday, June 17, 2010
Follow us on twitter for the final day of the Autumn Winter 10 campaign shoot....

Adam and Mika visit Selfridges Trafford

Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Mika [star of Dystopia and underground club scene extradonaire] and Adam [national make-up artist for Illamasqua and celebrity artist with the likes of Fergie, Pussy Cat Dolls and Rihanna amongst his extensive list of clients] will be visiting Selfridges Trafford on Thursday June 24th.

Appointments are booking up quick, so call the counter today on 0161 629 1187 for a personal, unique consultation with two of the most celebrated make-up artists in London.