IMAGE Beauty Awards

The prestigious irish magazine Image has recognised Illamasqua as a leading luxury beauty company and awarded us two of their highly coveted awards: for Best Cream Blusher and Best Lipgloss.

“Every model and actress I tried this on wanted to buy it off me. Take care when applying, as the colours are very strong, but they blend out beautifully. They double up great as stunning lip shades too, last for about five hours and give a fab dewy finish.” Colette Cassidy.

“Unreal colours – this is like a stain and gloss in one. It’s not too sticky, has a fantastic, precise applicator, and it lasts on lips forever. I’m addicted.” Natalie Kinsella

Illamasqua Loves... Lucy Gibson Make-up Artist

One of the things that I love about working at Illamasqua is hearing about all the shoots and shows that our artists have worked on. One of the hardest working freelancers I have met is Lucy Gibson. I frequently receive texts from her about who she is working with and where they are working - for instance, recently she has worked on diverse shoots such as the come-back video of Bananarama, Agent Provocateur's latest shoot and a SHOWStudio shoot with Nick Knight amongst many, many others.

So, I thought I would showcase some of Lucy's work right here for you all to see. I took inspiration from the berry lip girl today - I have layered on Medium Pencil in 'Severe' to match my new burgundy coat [I say new; my pregnant friend gave it to me... she can't fit in it anymore, what a shame!] - and Lucy has given me a breakdown of the look below...

"The berry lip girl is wearing Satin Primer (which I use for almost all shoots!) and a little light foundation, with a touch of Cream Blusher in 'Dixie' low on the apples of the cheek for a tomboyish, wind-kissed look. To open the eyes I added Medium Pencil in 'Vow' on the waterline and clear mascara to Alison's fantastic lashes. The lips that go so well with the model's gorgeous fair complexion were made up of a base of Lipstick in 'Poison' finished with a slick of Intense Lipgloss in my favourite shade; 'Repulse'."

"This was a shot from work I regularly do with Nevs model agency and the fantastic photographer Lee Mofo, who's recent clients include Firetrap, FrostFrench and 28twelve. We hold shoot days for the agency at my warehouse studio and often shoot up to 8 girls a day, so it's important to create strong, camera ready looks with minimal time and product. Illamasqua's huge colour pay-off and great range of shades makes my job a lot easier, and needless to say my male flatmates never complain about having a house full of gorgeous models!"

"The dark, smoky eye was created for a Shoreditch clothing label called Blank, shot in the City with the fantastic Odi Caspi. Despite dodging heavy downpours of rain and having to adopt a somewhat guerilla approach to shooting to avoid the hoardes of rather unfriendly security guards, we managed to get some fantastic shots on the day!"

"Our stunning model Ashley had incredible blue eyes with a great fierce stare that I wanted to accentuate, so taking inspiration from the runways of Versace, I created a very dramatic smoky eye. I used Medium Pencil in 'Sophie' as an eyeshadow - drawing it onto the entire lid, waterline and below the eye, then using my fantastic Illamasqua Blending Brush I, II and the Eyeshadow Brush to disperse and blend the colour into a dramatic wing around the eye. I set this with Powder Eye Shadow 'Incubus' then added Powder Eye Shadow in 'Truth' to the brow bone right up to the eyebrow which was filled in with Illamasqua Powder Eyeshadow in 'Boomerang'. To finish I added lashings of Illamasqua Volume Mascara and a touch of Sheer Lipgloss in 'Brilliant' to the inner corners of the eye to give a tarry, rock chick look." [Note: Tarry! Awesome word for the look I think *mentally adds to dictionary*...]

"The skin was created using Satin Primer again, with Cream Foundation buffed into the skin using Blending Brush II (I love using this brush with foundation, it really gets into all the "nooks and crannies" giving the fantastic coverage of our foundation, but with the texture and feel of natural skin). I contoured the cheeks with a darker shade of Cream Foundation (this will differ from person to person, ask one of Illamasqua's fabulous on counter artists to match your skin tone!) before finishing the look with another of my favourite products, Lipstick in 'Submit', pressed into moisturised lips with the finger tip."

On an all day shoot like this, it's important to use longwearing products, especially in the rain, and luckily with Illamasqua's range I don't have to compromise my creativity for durability :)"

Professional Selection Kit No1

Those of you who have visited our website recently will have seen our Professional Selection kits. The idea behind these was to work with several key Illamasqua make-up artists to create their idea of an indispensable kit. As our gift to you in the miserable month of January, the kits offer up to 25% off RRP.

Both Adam and Mika, who work at Selfridges London, have put together two kits each containing their favourite colours and tips on how to use them. To back this up, we are filming tutorials over the next few weeks that will then be uploaded to Youtube - I have Adam coming in this afternoon to film with me!

The first video to be uploaded uses the Professional Kit No1 and No3. These were created in collaboration with Spob, our Head of Professional Development at Illamasqua.

Find out new ways to use products like Cream Blusher in 'Libido' and Intense Lipgloss in 'Repulse'...

To watch it, click here.

Illamasqua Icons: Greta Garbo

When I think of Greta Garbo, I think beautiful, curved skinny eye brows, perfect cupid bow and one of the most strikingly symmetrical faces of Hollywood's Golden Age.

Garbo was a beautiful actressm, of Nordic origin, who became legendary for her beauty and enigmatic personality. In 1955, she received an Honorary Oscar for "unforgettable screen performances" and has subsequently been ranked as the fifth greatest female star of all time by the Ameican Film Insitute. She was also one of only a handful of actresses to successfully make the transition between silent and "talkies" movies.

Get The Look

Prepping the skin with Matt Primer With SPF 20 is a great start - Garbo loved her skin pale and milky. On top of this, Rich Liquid Foundation, buffed in with a Highlighter Brush would ensure maximum, flawless coverage [and would have made Garbo's skin perfect under the harsh set lights]

Garbo's cheekbones were sharp enough to not need any contouring, but I would suggest Powder Blusher in 'Risk' or 'Mischief' depending on your skin tone, to create the illusion for those of us not so blessed!

The arches look very pencilled, so try Fine Pencil in 'Peace' to lightly trace them in. If you have thick brows, Alex Box taught me a trick of using an old toothbrush, rubbing it in soap, and then slicking your brows back against your skin. Stipple on Rich Liquid Foundation and they just disappear; it's quite extraordinary. You can then line on top of this. Highlight underneath with Powder Eye Shadow in 'Sex' to keep the look matt.

To enhance the depth of her eyes, Garbo has exaggerated her crease line using a cut crease technique - this means minimal blending! I would try a deep slate grey Powder Eye Shadow such as 'Gimp'.

A slick of Eye Liner Cake in 'Mislead' mixed with a drop of Sealing Gel would complete the eye look. Our Eye Liner Cake's were designed with the traditional cakes of the 1920s in mind, so the finish and packaging would be very similar to what Garbo would have used!

Alex Box once told me that actresses in black and white movies used to paint their lips all kind of colours to create different effects of grey within the movie and to add alluring depth to their faces. What a challenge! Garbo would have used a dusky pink for this kind of finish - I love Lipstick in 'Resist' for a beautiful matt result.

Otherwise, we do have a grey Intense Lipgloss for the ultra brave - 'Liaison' is a thick cement grey.

Halloween Looks From Illamasqua!

I hope everyone had a great Halloween! I almost forgot about it as we had been concentrating on the first anniversary of Illamasqua, so I loved it when some of the pictures from Propaganda's [our creative partner] Halloween party started to sift through to my inbox!

I am loving what our Account Manager Natalie did - an evil ladybug! Inspired choice, Nats!


I gave the normally platinum blonde bombshell a call to find out what she used...

"Well, the lashes are from a fancy dress shop," she tells me, "but everything else is Illamasqua! I used the Cream Foundation in 100 and topped it off with Loose Powder in 100 for a semi-matte glow. I used Powder Eye Shadow in 'Forgiveness' on the cheeks to sculpt the look and defined my eyes and eye brows with Eye Liner Cake in 'Mislead'. I love mixing this product with the Sealing Gel for maximum longevity."

What about those high impact lips? "I lined them with Medium Pencil in 'Spell' and painted over the top with Intense Lipgloss 'Besotted' for a juicy red lip!

Natalie also spread the art to her fingertips, using Nail Varnish in 'Ruthless' for a rich red base and blobbing on Nail Varnish in 'Boosh' for the ladybug effect.

Here is Natalie with Jo, Julian Kynaston's PA. Jo is rocking the new Birthday Lashes in 'Decadence' as well as plenty of Dystopia! On her lips is the shocking pink Lipstick in 'Avenge' and she has Powder Eye Shadow in 'Matter' smudged around her eyes for a sexy smoky eye.

Swatches: Cream Foundations - the lighter shades

In response to some recent requests, I have done a quick swatch of the lighter foundations colours.

To give some perspective, I am a 210 in Cream Foundation. I am also wearing Intense Lipgloss in 'Drag' - a lovely tangerine.

From left to right: CF140, CF135, CF120, CF110. Above without flash, below with flash.

I'm off on holiday tomorrow, so Lindsay will be taking over the blog posts next week!

Pink Lips!

London Fashion Week heralded the return of the statement Pink Lip. It has been almost impossible to open a magazine and not see plumped up, barbie like lips and if your alter ego is a Barbie doll-esque type, this is the swatch post for you!

Antonio Berardi, House of Holland and Marc Jacobs [at New York Fashion Week] all created beautiful looks with dazzling pink lips.

I absolutely love a pink lip - depending on the shade and your outfit it can be cute, girly, tongue-in-cheek, sophisticated but always, always confidence boosting.

I had a flick through our Intense Lipglosses this morning and thought I would put together a swatch post that demonstrates to you the depth and range we have of pink lips.

So here we go ...

Petulant

I have to start with Petulant, because it is without a doubt my favourite Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss of the moment [I say that because I am so fickle with lipglosses!] The intensity of the pink is very unexpected judging by the lipgloss case - it's definitely a case of trying it on the back of the hand and then picking your jaw off the floor. The photos below are NOT doing it justice - I really suggest getting to a counter and trying this gloss out for the sheer wow factor!

Below is without flash.

Below is my face of the day with Petulant Intense Lipgloss - this picture has made me realise I need to do some serious eye brow grooming! I am also wearing Powder Eye Shadow in 'Geisha' and Medium Pencil in 'Please' [a really lovely navy pencil that I can't get enough of right now] and a touch of Illuminator in 'Fondle' on my cheeks to perk up my desperately-in-need-of-a-facial complexion!



Frenzy

A great, hot pink that is fuschia - the photo below is not doing it justice as it really is hot hot hot! I think it looks great on all skin tones, but I think blondes with blue eyes who do not wear a lot on their eyes or cheeks would absolutely adore the 'pop' that this pink would give them.

Above is without flash, below is with flash


Indulge

Indulge is our most vibrant pink - very cool and very bubblegum. Again, photos not seeming to do much justice - very frustrating! Extremely pigmented [as ever!] this pure neon pink cannot help but get you noticed!

Above is without flash, below is with flash.



Perform

Perform is a very warm red/pink that is as hot as Petulant but reddier. This colour works extremely well on olive and black skin tones and makes a gorgeous glossy flush on the cheeks, too.



Mistress

Mistress is a gorgeous coral toned lipgloss, with a touch of pink. It is universally flattering, as corals tend to be, and I love it for it's blendability - if used quite sheer [or mixed with Sheer Lipgloss in 'Brilliant'] it becomes pinkier, whereas used generously it builds up into an almost neon orange/coral.

Above is without flash, below is with flash



Femme

A lovely warm gloss with an even mixture of pink, orange and red tones. I love this because it is a softer way to wear red on your lips if you are not 100% confident to wear red.

I personally think this is a colour that would look amazing on black and olive skin tones due to the warmth of the shade.

Above is without flash, below with flash.

Dystopia Look On Counter

So, you've placed your first order of Dystopia and now you have them sitting in front of you at your vanity unit.

So. What to do?! Well, one of the beauties of this collection is the versatility that it provides - an array of looks from robotic, smokey and stylistic, romantic, soft and shimmery through to full on, glitz and glam.

Our lovely artists on counter are here to give you inspiration for your new products and Krystle at Selfridges Trafford has sent in some photos of her work - Leanne from the Newcastle counter was her model!

So what products did she use?

Eyes

Concealer in 350 as a base with Pure Pigment layed on top. This was then followed by Pure Pigment in 'Lust' on the inner third of the eye for a romantic effect. Pure Pigment in 'Furore' kept the shimmer levels on full and was lightly dusted under the brow and across the cheekbones. Powder Eye Shadows in 'Virus', 'Maybe?' and 'Sex' were also used to add a multi dimensional look and to mix up the textures. Eye Liner Cake in 'Mislead' was mixed with Sealing Gel and a bold eye line created both under and on top of the lash lines.

Cheeks

Cheeks were sculpted using Powder Blush in 'Primal' and a subtle flush added with Powder Blusher in 'Unrequited'.

Lips

The lips were shaded in using Medium Pencil in 'Titivate' - a bright fushcia pink and coloured in using Intense Lipgloss in 'Petulant' mixed with Intense Lipgloss in 'Galactic' - my new favourite combo - for a vivid 80s twist.

Nails

Krystle's nails are a mix of Nail Varnish 'Obsess' [as the base colour] Velocity, Boosh and Glory - don't they look fantastic?!

Anyway, hope this has given you some ideas and I will keep posting new looks from the collection!

Illamasqua Loves... Nights Out!

The perfect Saturday Night outfit [or Thursday, or Friday...] is something that we are all eternally looking for, right? Well, I think I may have found mine. Alexander Wang, not only do you have a great name, but you are a genius with material.

This gorgeous grape dress will perfectly compliment all my new Dystopia products and give it a real 80s twist.

I am adoring this little number. Pair with Lanvins gorgeous black shoeboots and add a gorgeous cuff [loving this Anita Ko diamond encrusted piece].

Then all you need is False Eye Lashes in 13 for fluttering lashes and a slick of Intense Lipgloss in 'Petulant' mixed with Intense Lipgloss in 'Galactic' and your good to go! See you on Monday!

All available to buy at www.net-a-porter.com

Dystopia Launches On All Counters!

Yesterday saw the launch of the Dystopia collection nationwide across our counters in Selfridges Oxford St, Selfridges Trafford, Debenhams Belfast, Debenhams Glasgow, Debenhams Cardiff and Fenwick Newcastle.

I had a quick catch-up with some of our artists on counter to see whether the buzz that I have seen on the internet has translated on to the counters!

First, I called Cardiff where I spoke to the lovely Chetna. "We only have four pairs of the False Eye Lashes 21 left!" She tells me, "The customers have been absolutely loving the dark and dangerous feeling of the Collection. We have received lots of pre-orders and spent most of our day yesterday calling all our customers back to let them know the Collection had arrived."

Any tips? "I have been playing with the products constantly and have found that mixing a drop of Sealing Gel with the Intense Lipgloss 'Galactic' creates a gorgeous, shimmering glossy eye liner." Great tip. Unfortunately I have yellow and brown eyes today, so I couldn't demonstrate, but will definitely swatch this look one day soon!

The artists at Fenwick in Newcastle said that same thing "It's absolutely flying!" Leena excitedly tells me, "I am just loving it all - especially the Pure Pigment in 'Android' - I have never seen a product fly off the shelves so quickly. I am currently rocking a look of Nail Varnish in 'Velocity' with Pure Pigment in 'Static' scattered over the top for an irridescent effect, followed by a coat of glossy Top Coat. I have had so many compliments - it looks awesome". I love our artists, they are always exploring outside the box with how to use our products.

A great tip also comes courtesy of Krystle at Selfridges Trafford. Sharon, the account manager at Selfridges, tells me, "Krystle has been mixing the Intense Lipgloss in 'Galactic' with just about everything! Her favourite mix is with Intense Lipgloss in 'Petulant'." Intrigued, I followed up on this and absolutely LOVE the results. I was not expecting the pinky/grape colour or the finish - I think it would go a bit murky in truth! But I am loving this and it is making me love 'Galactic' more and more as the days go on! I was, like many I think, a little sceptical on its versatility but I was so wrong - this is not just a professional product as you can see it turns solid glosses shimmery and is very buildable, for a subtle silver gleam or full-on knock out Silver glitter lips. I am going to keep an eye on the fashion mags and their photoshoots - I think this could be big.

I also spoke with Sian in Glasgow whose favourite tip is "to start with Lipstick in 'Avenge' all over the lip and mix in Sheer Lipgloss in 'Explode' into the inner third of the lip. Add a pop of interest with Intense Lipgloss in 'Galactic'." See my version below!


Belfast have also been seeing some great interest from customers - "The new Pure Pigment in 'Android'. Wow. It has been absolutely flying!" Explains Nykkol, account manager. "I have been using the Liquid Metal in 'Phenomena' all over the eye lid and smudging in this Pure Pigment to create a dramatic smoky eye."

How about Selfridges Oxford St? I spoke to Francesco - "I had a lady come in this morning and buy the whole range." He says, "Everything is so beautiful - I am using Cream Eye Shadow in 'Wail', a muted, soft grey and then then Pure Pigment in 'Android' for a smoky effect with Pure Pigment in 'Static' in the inner corners. Perfect." So what are the best sellers in London? "The Nail Varnish in 'Obsess' and Intense Lipgloss in 'Galactic' are the standouts at the moment."

I have also been doing a little bit of experimentation myself - I took home the Sheer Lipgloss in 'Explode' to have a play around with it and discovered that when I put it on top of Box Lipstick, this look came out. This is so me - a red lip with a real edge. It also flashes bluey in some lighting and pinky in others.



To purchase Dystopia online, follow this link.

Illamasqua Icons: Karen O

Lucy, our Product Development intern, has chosen Karen O as her beauty icon.

We are all massive fans of the Yeah Yeah Yeah's at Head Office [we frequently have the amazing 'It's Blitz!' playing through the speakers] and their lead singer, Karen O, has become a style revelation with her unusual half polish, half korean looks and unmistakable voice.

With her dark, tom boy hair cut and pale skin she can pull of a variety of make-up looks but tends to rock her trademark red lip.

To recreate a Karen O look, prep your skin with Matt Primer + SPF20 to help even out skintone and lightly mattify oilier areas. This will also allow your foundation to sit on top more evenly and achieve that flawless finish that Karen O has. For a nod to the 80s, apply a contour colour [Illamasqua has a great selection of contour specific Powder Blushers for all skin tones] such as 'Mischief' Powder Blusher just under the cheekbone to define and sculpt.

This is a very matt look, so dust some Loose Powder in '010' for a translucent finish to the skin. Add a little more to the lips to help lip products 'grab' on. Line lips with Medium Pencil in 'Spell', a gorgeous, rich pillar box red and fill in with Intense Lipgloss in 'Besotted' for a rich, edgy red that is both intense in colour and juicy in finish.

Line all around the eyes with Fine Pencil in 'Classic' which is a lovely dove grey and then smudge with Illamasqua Eye Liner Brush to break up the line and give it a Rock N Roll edge. The look is very matt, so try Powder Eye Shadow in 'Incubus' all over the lid and contour under the lashes and in the crease of the eye socket with Powder Eye Shadow in 'Lestat', a very buildable matt black.

Three coats of Volumising Mascara in 'Harness' will give you dark, fluttering lashes and apply a touch of Sealing Gel with your Eye Liner Brush around the lash lines to give the colour ultimate staying power. Add some False Eye Lashes in '17' if you want maximum impact.

Let The Swatching Recommence!

Today I went and bought a replacement camera after the sad demise of the last one, so I have a lot of swatch requests to catch up on!

We also have an update on the website swatches - we are working on it. I have asked several people for their feedback [leave a comment below if you have any ideas] on how we can improve it and we are currently in discussions on this topic.

I am looking for a berry coloured lipgloss - please help!

'Berry' has always been a questionable colour shade for me - similar to 'nude' or 'taupe' - it depends on what you define as berry, so I hope that the below helps.

Below is Intense Lipgloss in 'Fierce' - as you can see this is a bold, quite bright purple-plum shade that I think would look great on both porcelain and black skin tones. As you can see, it covers all elements of natural lip colour and replaces it with a very bold purple.


This is a swatch of Intense Lipgloss in 'Move' - one of my favourites. In the photo below it looks a little bluer than it truly is. Again, I think this is a shade that is most impactful on either very porcelain skin or more olive skin tones.


The next photo is with a flash on as I think it does Sheer Lipgloss in 'Tantrum' the best justice - it really enhances the slight shimmer aspect of the gloss and is a very fresh purple/ pink with plenty of pigment for a sheer lipgloss! I also find this is very buildable, and looks lovely over bright pinks to 'tone them down' a little, or if you just want to add a bit of sparkle.

It remind me of Boysenberry butter [see below]!

The last berry I wanted to show you is Lipstick in 'Resist'. I know this isn't a Lipgloss, but it's my favourite lip colour at the moment and a really great transitional colour - by that I mean it looks bright and fresh with a Summer tan but also has that wine/ berry undertone that would make it really great for Autumn.