Illamasqua in ASOS

With the office being a little quieter these days without the constant Alex Cummins jibber jabber (I do miss you really!), I thought I'd blog some more!  Last week saw ASOS host their 'Access All Areas' event.  I wish I'd been there!  Basically, the chosen few got to peruse the new Spring collection right in the centre of the ASOS headquarters.  They got to try on their favourite pieces, select some matching accessories and then move on to be pampered by hair and make-up.  The latter was provided for by us, of course!  They then got to strut their stuff on the infamous ASOS catwalk with photographers to hand as well!  This pic is one that caught my eye for obvious reasons - how cute! 

We sent two of our top London artists along, Zahra and Rhiannon, to bring out those blogger alter-egos!  

I caught up with Zahra yesterday and, albeit a little tired, she was full of lovely things to say about the event!  It was beautifully organised, everyone got on really well and all the bloggers were given some goody bags which included an Illamasqua Lip Gloss.  All in all it seems like it was a brilliant event (note cookies)! 

There are some more pics and great write ups of the event on the ASOS blog if you fancy a view! 

Halimah x

New Years Beauty Resolutions

It's coming up to the end of January and I thought I would recap on my New Years resolutions and give you an update on how I'm doing!

1. Start Pilates - Had my first class yesterday, used muscles I never knew existed, now muscles I never knew existed ache...

2. Drink more water - Well I have upped my tea intake from 2 to 5 cups a day ... does that count?



3. Eat more seasonal foods - Accidentally bought some kiwis from South Africa the other day. Whoops. And my favourite place for lunch in Soho? Patisserie Valerie. Not a good start...

4. Start walking more - Not great when the likes of ASOS start bringing these beauties out...



5. Start expanding my colour palette from black and black and yet more black ... - Again, ASOS has got me hooked. Is it just me or are they bringing in a whole host of fabulous up-and-coming labels? This Beyond The Valley kimono jacket is just my cup of tea...


6. Spend less money on facials and more time on DIY skincare - I assessed the damage from facials last year and it was not a pretty sight. This time, for gleaming skin I am going to pick up some home facial packs, scented candles and put aside some me-time to chill. ASOS [again! Ah!] have got some fabulous bath and body brands such as the uber-luxe Elemis, eco-friendly Green & Spring and beautifully packaged and amusingly named products from Cowshed. If you haven't tried this brand yet, do it!! No excuses if you live in London as their fabulous shop/spa near Carnaby Street is just fabulous.


7. Expore alternative alter egos - Definite check against this one! Last weekend I was inspired by Cruella deVil with my silver Birthday Lashes, Eye Liner Cake in Mislead and plenty of Powder blusher in Intrigue to whiten up my face. This weekend it's IMATs and I am considering channeling Beyonce's look in her Kitty Kat video... we shall see!


ASOS THEO Suede Ruched Peep Toe Shoe Boot £40

Karen Millen Leopard Print Peep Toe Shoe Boot £150

Beyond The Valley Mountain View Silk Kimono £200 Cowshed Products from £8 Elemis products from £12 Green & Spring products from £10

Christmas Gift Ideas

With December just around the corner, it's time to start thinking about Christmas shopping [unless you are like my Mother and got it all done in August and are now sitting smugly whilst everyone around you loses their heads...!] so I have put together some ideas for Christmas for you!

£15 and under

Cabaret: 30th Anniversary Special DVD - Liza Minelli stars in this highly entertaining 1972 musical whose cultural and stylistic influences reaches far beyond the confines of cinema.


Nail Varnish in 'Velocity' - £12.50 - 'grurple' at it's best! A perfect balance of grey and purple with a hint of blue, 'Velocity' instantly became one of our best selling pieces from the Dystopia collection.


£25 and under

Pantomime Nail Duos - £25 - for the Nail-ista in your life, you can bet they will love the Pantomime Nail Duos. 'Boo' has the best selling shimmering purple Nail Varnish in 'Baptiste' with the limited edition sparkling purple top coat. 'Hiss' contains the best selling pure black Nail Varnish in 'Boosh' with a glittering top coat of red, gold, silver and bronze.


Limited Edition False Eye Lashes - £25 - choose from 'Decadence', a beautiful, fluttering set of lashes with antique silver crystals, or 'Opulence', with vintage gold crystals to create alluring, party season eyes. Oh-so-OTT ...


A Goat - £25 from oxfam.com - For those of you who, like me, have too much 'stuff' as it is - how about a gift from oxfam? Hopefully my office secret santa isn't reading this post, as I bought them a present from this fantastic new venture from Oxfam. You can buy a variety of charitable goods from school supplies to chickens, goats and even camels! You then get sent a card - with a personalised note to the receiver - with details of the donation that you made in their name.


£50 and under

Silver Seductress and Golden Goddess Gift Sets - £42 - The most beautiful of gift boxes contains a cult Liquid Metal [Silver Seductress - Phenomena, Golden Goddess - Solstice], prized Pure Pigment [Silver Seductress - Android, Golden Goddess - Furore], best selling False Eye Lashes 019 and the iconic Sophie pencil.


Maitresse 50ml by Agent Provocateur - £46 - This delightfully packaged, seductive scent infusion including exotic ylang ylang and white lotus.


This Works: The Deep Calm Box - £28 at ASOS.com - Chamomile, lavender and vetivert are blended into a bath oil, shower gel and travel candle. A great gift, but even better to enjoy on your own post-Christmas...


Alex Box By Rankin - £50 - Available to purchase at www.illamasqua.com, this collaboration has been two years in the making. Ideal for the Alex Box fan, photographer, make-up student or anybody with an interest in art this book makes an ideal present.



£100 and under

Ambience Candle Set by Kiki De Montparnasse - £59.98 - quite possibly the most seductive, exquisite candles I have ever tried [and I have tried a lot!] these are perfect for travelling, or for dotting around your bedroom and bathroom. Beautifully packaged, too.

£150 and under

C9 Styling Irons - £129.95 - If you are like me, occasionally you wonder how you actually functioned properly without your trusty GHDs. Well, I've recently been introduced to the Cloud 9 hair straighteners and these irons put my old GHDs to shame. The variable, flexible temperatures allow you to create styles from tight curls, luscious volume, soft waves or poker straight looks and the pack comes with a manual to help you achieve any number of different looks at home. They are, quite simply, a revolution.


Vivienne Westwood Crystal Embellished Orb Pendant - £145 - As a big fan of the eccentric punk-rock Brit, this pendant is high on my Christmas wish-list.

Illamasqua Officially Launches With ASOS.com

Have you ever wanted to buy a dress, shoes, necklace and make-up all in one order? Well, we have been fans of ASOS.com for a long time at Illamasqua as it is the ultimate one-stop shop. In fact, I regularly shop there as do many of our artists - its the perfect online department store where you can shop High Street brands, Jeans brands, Boutique brands, Independant brands and designer brands at the click of a button.

Where else can you find the likes of Adidas alongside Acne, Spanx and Sonia Rykiel, Lipsy together with Luella and Puma along with Preen?

With an already established stable of cult and designer cosmetic, skincare and haircare brands we are proud to announce that Illamasqua is now available on ASOS.com!

What I personally love about this partnership is now when you shop for that hot pink lipstick, you can get a pair of hot pink sandals to match, or that perfect teal eye shadow will look amazing with that teal handbag... the possibilities are endless!

I frequently lose hours on ASOS.com and I've come up with some great make-up/ clothing matches just for you...

This cute ASOS own label Border Print Dress [£28] would look gorgeous with a cat-eye [try Eye Liner Cake in 'Mislead' mixed with a drop of Sealing Gel] and Lipstick in Blaze is a fiery red/orange that would accentuate the pattern of the dress beautifully; see swatch below.


I adore this Stud Lace Body Con Dress [£40] - it's so tribal and tough. I would consider a matt red lip with this and a heavily contoured cheek for a real nod to the 80s. What could be better than Lipstick in 'Maneater' and Powder Blusher in 'Create'?



Lastly, this casual dip-dye dress from the Diesel Black Gold label [£110] is perfect for day or evening and I would add a flash of neon brightness with Nail Varnish in 'Rare' - an amazing fluoro yellow, or Nail Varnish in 'Collide' - a hot, hot pink.

Illamasqua Hearts ASOS

Exclusive News! We are excited to announce that we will be launching online at ASOS.com in the very near future - check out the mention in their fabulous magazine below.


The ASOS girl is individual, stylish, quirky and loves to push the boundaries on a good night out, so the brand fit was obvious.

We have a brilliant selection of cool and kooky colours and unique textures that will be hitting the website soon, so keep an eye out. In the meantime, check out their website - there is bound to be something that you'll instantly fall in love with - they have a great selection of Summer dresses. I am loving this check dress from Fred Perry - I'm getting into the tennis spirit!