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.

Illamasqua Icons: Edward Scissorhands

This time I have asked Halimah, our Product Development Intern, for her Icon and she was absolutely inspired to come up with Edward Scissorhands! Amazing.

So I asked Halimah, a professional make-up artist in her own right, to advise us on how to get the look [a bit late for Halloween, but ah well!]

"Prep the skin with Rich Liquid Foundation in 100, buffed on with a highlighter brush so it's not too geisha white. Hollow out the eyes and cheeks with Powder Blusher in 'Disobey' and then use Powder Eye Shadow in 'Feint' to enhance the depth of shadow in the collarbones/ cheekbones/ jawline/ temples etc.

If bleaching your eyebrows is going a bit far, use a little extra Rich Liquid Foundation to smooth them down and de-colour them.

For a deeper socket, blend in a generous amount of Powder Eye Shadow in 'Lestat' - a pure black, with a touch of 'Savage' for a multi-tonal look. Powder Eye Shadow in 'Fluke' - a fleshy tone - underneath the eye and around the lash line for a wide-awake, innocent look. Using Medium Pencil in 'Vow' on the waterline will enhance this.

On the lips, line with Medium Pencil in 'Severe' and fill in with Lipstick in 'Diablo' for a gothic berry colour.

Hannah Marshall - Get The Look

I promised a Hannah Marshall SS2010 Get The Look a while ago so here it is. I just spotted Alex walking down Old Compton Street in Soho and it reminded me!

Hannah and Alex discussed the look prior to the show and agreed on a "very sexy, very desirable look. Something that was both soft and strong at the same time. I wanted to use minimal products and focus on the technique," Alex told me. "I wanted a real masculine, strong graphic from the front and yet when the model is on profile, it looks soft and ultra feminine." I have tried to source a profile shot, yet no such luck!

Face

Alex used Matt Primer to create a very matt, one dimensional base. This was then built upon using Cream Foundation to create a very real, but quite full coverage.

The strength of the look is based on the contouring. Alex told me she was going for a "slick goth" look. She used Powder Blusher in 'Rumour' to contour the temples, sides of the nose, cheeks and under the jawline and emphasised the hollowness of the cheek with Powder Blusher in 'Spite'.


Eyes

As previously mentioned, Alex wanted to use minimal products, so using an Eye Brow Cake mixed with Sealing Gel to create a strong line across the brows, she blended the colours down, mixing with a slate grey [try Powder Eye Shadow in 'Incubus'] concentrating the colour at the point where the side of the nose joins the eyebrow and fading down across the browbone and eye lid until there is minimal colour on the eye socket. Build up the concentration at the outer corner of the eye again. A touch of Pure Pigment in 'Furore', a nude champagne shimmer, on the centre of the eye lid added a touch of depth and photographed beautifully. This look used no mascara.

Lips

Alex painted over the lips with the Cream Foundation to tone down the colour of the lips and keep the focus on the brows and the cheek bones.

Product of the Week: Powder Blusher in Katie

This month's Product of the Week [yes, yes I know, I know...] is the unbelievably popular Powder Blusher in Katie.


I have personally never been a big fan of pink blusher [coral, coral, coral for me!] but I can't deny the sales figures and the shouts-from-the-rooftops about this blusher! It was named after Illamasqua's Brand Director Kate Massarella [before Katie joined the team!] as it was her favourite blush in the collection - she has quite pale skin, deep brown hair and brown eyes [the italian in her!] and the pop of pale pink that this blush gives her means that it is never out of her handbag.

Katie even has it's own Youtube video, it's that popular! I mean, a nine and a half minute video dedicated to a blusher?! Has to be put forward for a Product of the Week nomination!

This blush has received a massive amount of coverage both in Editorial and online, being described as

Weheartthis.com gave a great review:

"As a self-confessed blush addict, I was euphoric when I received the powdered blusher in Katie to test. A little background on my coloring—I am ridiculously pale with dark hair and pale hazel eyes. I need blush to look alive. Most of my blushes tend to be in a deep rose or red shade and I blend them down, but even then, it’s probably a little too much color for bolder lips.

For years, I’ve been searching for a pale pink blush that is a good counterpoint to dark lips, but everything I’ve found was so pale that it didn’t show up on even me or it just didn’t last very long. Answering my prayers is Katie. First off, the packaging is gorgeous.

The blush itself looks like a nondescript pale pink. Looks are deceiving. Once applied with a big, fluffy brush, I had the prettiest rosy cheeks every. It was pale enough to not compete with my other makeup, but had enough color impact that I looked alive and fresh. The best part? I didn’t have to reapply and this carried me through a whole 12 hours before I finally removed it when I washed my face at night.
I don’t think I can say enough great things about this blush, other than if I could give 6 stars, I would. I can’t wait to try their cream blush now…"

All of Illamasqua's Powder Blushers are high in pigmentation and the size of the product means that the pieces last a long, long time.

Powder Blushers retail at £16 through www.illamasqua.com

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!

Ask An Artist: Porcelain Doll

The Porcelain Doll look is an iconic image now. We have had several questions as to how to recreate this look at home and so I asked Jon from Selfridges Trafford for his expert advice...

Jon: Start by applying Satin Primer all over the skin with the Foundation Brush to get a smooth, even and glowing finish. Then apply Cream Foundation in 100 or 110, depending on your skin tone and how porcelain you want to go! I find that using the Highlighter Brush to buff this product in gives the most flawless finish. Stipple the foundation over the brows to fade them out to fully replicate this look - the focus is on the lashes, not the brows. [nb: Alex Box likes to use soap and a toothbrush to press the eye shadow hairs against the skin to help them merge away!]

For the cheeks, apply Powder Blusher in 'Chased' under the cheekbones to faintly sculpt and work it up towards the temples, blending in to the hairline.

For the eyes, apply Powder Eye Shadow in 'Vision' all over the lid, then take the Powder Eye Shadow in 'Forgiveness' and apply all over the mobile lid and along the lower lash line. Apply Powder Eye Shadow in 'Wicked' to the inner and outer corners of the eye and along the lower lash line. Line the inner rims with Medium Pencil in 'Hex' for a natural colour that will make the whites of the eyes 'pop' - essential when using red and purple toned eye colours that can make eyes look a little bloodshot.

Take the False Eye Lashes '10' and apply several sets along the lower lash line for added impact. Heavily coat the top lashes with Volume Mascara in 'Harness'.

For the lips, line with Medium Pencil in 'Severe' and apply Sheer Lipgloss in 'Brilliant' for a glossy finish.



To book a lesson with Jon, call the Selfridges Trafford counter on 0161 629 1187

Illamasqua Icons: Lol

Julian Kynaston, Chairman of Illamasqua, has chosen the character of Lol from the film This Is England as his Illamasqua Icon.

For those of you who have yet to see Shane Meadows 2007 drama - an insightful portrayal into the 1980s Youth culture; in paticular the original skinhead subculture - it has a riveting cast, including Vicky McClure, who plays Lol.

Julian tells me more:

"With three essential parts of Illamasqua being ....1) Youth Culture 2) Professional Make Up for stage and screen and also...3) Human Fundamentalism [our term for respecting everyone no matter what their background] one actress sums this up for me more than any other.

Vicky McClure’s roles have always engaged me. As an actress I think she is simply awesome. Her portrayal of Lol in Shane Meadows This Is England is stunning. Playing a skinhead in the role Vicky stands for the beliefs of the original skinhead culture and is disgusted by the new wave of racism that is sweeping the country and dividing her gang.

In this role she delivers to me all what I recall from my own youth is best about youth culture and the amazing feeling that goes along with being part of something. Vicky is an amazing actress...what I would call a 'serious' actress.

Vicky's look as Lol is seriously Iconic for me. The skinhead girls looked and still look amazing... if ever their was a unique look... this is it for me.

Vicky...where are you? Come and play with us here at Illamasqua. We love you!"


Vicky rocked the Punk/New wave look that was popular in the 1980s, with an androgynous mix of skinhead and smoky eye make-up. The pale skin and sharply contoured cheeks was part and parcel of the 1980's makeup looks - try Cream Foundation in 110 and Powder Blusher in 'Disobey' would give a similar look to the image of Lol, above.

The lips are left bare [how would Lol smoke with lipgloss on?!] and the eyes are smudged with charcoal. Try Medium Pencil in 'Sophie' for a glossy black or 'Errant' for a navy/grey.

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.

Cabaret On Counter!

On Tuesday 7th July, the Illamasqua counter at Fenwick Newcastle welcomed a very special guest - Samantha Barks, who is playing Sally Bowles in the theatre tour of 'Cabaret' - currently showing at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle from 6th-11th July.

Samantha Barks shot to fame when coming third in the BBC TV Show 'I'd Do Anything' last year.

I spoke to Ursula, one of our brilliant Fenwick Newcastle artists, who created the signature Sally Bowles look on Samantha before her show began. "Samantha has a naturally gorgeous face that is strong enough to take a lot of make-up."

What products did she use? "Samantha has a peaches and cream complexion, so I used Cream Foundation in 215 and Loose Powder 135 to pale her skin tone down. I used Powder Blusher in 'Tweak'.

After using Eye Brow Cake in 'Thunder' on her brows [great for dark brunettes, see the Whatstyleistonickel video below for an idea of consistency and colour], I concentrated on vivid blues and greens to capture the essence of Sally Bowles. I used Powder Eye Shadows in 'Fiasco' a light greeny teal, 'Stalk' a darker teal, 'Anja', a creamy baby blue and the black 'Lestat' to create depth."
"Samantha wanted dark, dramatic lashes, so we went for False Lashes no 17 on top and no 14 on the bottom."




"On the lips I used Lipstick in 'Maneater' for a true, pillar box red. I topped this off with Intense Lipgloss in 'Fume' so a bright, lacquered finish."

"I also created a similar look on one of the supporting cast members! Samantha had a great time and loved her look. Chronicle magazine came down to interview her on the counter and this should be out sometime this week

*Thanks to Karen for the image of Lestat!*

A Swatch Request!

I got an email yesterday from an American customer who was having problems differentiating between certain colours on the website, so I took the liberty of swatching them all below! I've put in a couple of product descriptions too, that I hope help...

Illuminator

Below is 'Halcyon' on the left and 'Odyssey' on the right - Halcyon is a pale gold, beautiful on warm skin tones and Odyssey is a pale silver suitable for cooler skintones. Beautiful swiped over collabones too for a hint of glimmer. I have been asked the difference between our Liquid Metals and Illuminators and the answer is that Illuminators were created for more subtle highlighting and colour. Liquid Metals are more intense and creamier in consistency.

Pure Pigment

On the left is 'Furore' and on the right is 'Tingle'. Yesterday we recieved our first complete sales data from all our counters and the top selling product in Cardiff was Pure Pigment in 'Furore'. This shade is a gorgeous champagne colour that I believe is one of the most versatile and universally flattering colours we have in the entire collection. LOVE! 'Tingle' is a pale cream/ white colour with a silver undertone. Looks lovely on cool skin tones.

... and some swatches below [with Shimmer Cream in 'Eternal' on left...]


Lip Products

On the top row we have 'Obey', one of my favourite Lipsticks that have in our extensive collection - it's a nude/ pink colour that interestingly seems to look nuder on some people and pinker on others! Again, it looks good on all skin tones. 'Maneater' is our second best-selling red Lipstick [after Box, of course!] and is a very blue red. 'Nubile' is one of our shimmer based Lipsticks and is a lovely baby pink with tiny silver flecks.

Below this, we have a line of glosses! 'Rouse' is a baby pink Sheer Lipgloss that looks fabulous on top of reds and nudes to 'pink them up' a bit. 'Fierce' is exactly that; a very intense purple Intense Lipgloss that completely wipes out your natural lip colour, so if you are wary of wearing purple gloss because it starts to go a bit pinky as it fades, no need to worry with this one! It looks especially gorgeous on fair skin with dark hair, in my opinion. Lastly we have 'Embroil' - a difficult colour to pull off as it is a greyish nude. However, it still has a fan club judging by internet sales!


Below are two more Intense lipglosses - 'Absorb' is a slightly warmer shade than 'Lucid' but they are both glossy nudes that completely take away any of your normal lip colour and replace it with a real nude hue.

Below those are two Powder Blushers - 'Nymph' is a bright bluey pink and 'Hussy' is a warmer slightly apricot pink. These are both intense but don't come out this bright if you use them with caution! They are also ultra blendable and easy to build up for exactly the right amount of intensity for your look.

Last, but not least, are the requested Nail Varnish swatches - obviously these look different on a black background, but I thought it made quite an interesting swatch. On the far left is Baptiste, which was our best selling colour in the Winter months. It's a glow-from-within type Nail Varnish. If you want to see some great and telling reviews of this product on an actual nail click here.

In the middle is 'Phallic', which is similar to 'Baptiste' in that it has a variety of colourful shimmers in and is a wonderful deep blue - the more coats you add the darker it gets but it never loses that wonderful shimmer. Click here for a review on this product. 'Collide' is on the right and dries to quite a matt finish. It's completely neon in colour and has a wonderful consistency. There are many swatches of this product on the internet, but click here for one of my favourites.

Illamasqua Icons: Ziggy Stardust

Katie Sangers, Product Development Manager, has chosen David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust as her Illamasqua icon.

A complete innovator in terms of music and style, David Bowie led the alter-ego brigade with Ziggy Stardust - and the Spiders from Mars, of course! Ziggy embodied the musical freedom of the 70s and allowed Bowie to explore his androgynous side.


Get The Look

The character of Ziggy is very theatrical - think bold colours and shapes. For the above look, I would recommend beginning with a base lighter than your natural colour - try Rich Liquid Foundation in '105' for a just off white colour and set for a completely opaque, matt look with Pressed Powder in '010' [a translucent colour]. After this, it's all about painting your blank canvas! Try Powder Blusher in 'Panic' all over the temples and down the cheekbones and let your inner artist emerge! Use Highlighter Brush to blend.

I love how the eyes are almost blended into the blush colour and so just smudge a line of Medium Pencil in 'Sophie' underneath the lower lid.

The lip colour is similar to the cheeks so I would try one of our matt Lipsticks in 'Tramp' for an off-red shade.

Now all you have to do is find some Spiders from Mars et voila!

Illamasqua Icons: Sally Bowles

Part two of our Illamasqua Icon series and this week Kate Massarella, Marketing and Product Director has chosen Liza Minnelli as Sally Bowles in Cabaret.

"It was a close call between Liza Minnelli as Sally Bowles in Cabaret or Edie Sedgwick, but Liza Minnelli won because I just love her!”

Liza Minnelli was born to be a star as the daughter of legendary actress Judy Garland and acclaimed director Vincente Minnelli. Her most successful role was in the Academy Award winning film Cabaret.

Get The Look

With the strong cameras and harsh lighting of the stage, a foundation that really steps up the task, such as Rich Liquid Foundation would be needed to create a flawless canvas on with which to work this strong 40s look. Work a peachy blush such as Powder Blusher in 'Lover' up from the apples of the cheeks to the temples.

The strong eye uses a bluey grey as a base colour and lashings of eyeliner. Cream Eye Shadow in 'Amour' is a beautifully textured blue-grey. Contour heavily with a teal-green around the eye socket [try Powder Eye Shadow in 'Melodrama'] and apply lashing of mascara [Volume Mascara in 'Harness' is an inky black] and a set of false lashes for added impact. I love False Lashes no 15 and False Lashes no 04 for the bottom lashes. Mix a dab of Sealing Gel with Eye Liner Cake in 'Mislead' and generously line both the upper and lower lash lines using a fine brush such as Eye Liner Brush. Create a beauty spot, too!

Use a fine brow pencil to shade in a high arch in the style of Sally Bowles. Fine Pencil in 'Uncanny' is a similar shade to the one in this photograph.
Finish with a bold lip colour – I reckon Sally would have loved Lipstick in 'Scandal'!




“Audiences are the same all over the world, and if you entertain them, they'll respond.” – Liza Minnelli

*Thanks to bubblegarm.blogspot.com for the wonderful image of Lover!*