Body Electrics - Nail Varnish Breakdown by Sophy Robson

The brand new SS10 Body Electrics collection has now been live to purchase for three days and every day this week I will be focusing on a particular piece within the collection.

Today, I bring you the highly anticipated Nail Varnishes!

Sophy Robson - the nail maestro behind the likes of Louis Vuitton and Henry Holland, owner of Sophy Robson Nailcare Clinic at the British shopping emporium Fortnum and Mason's, London and co-judge on our fabulous Nail Varnish Competition [update coming soon!] - created the tantalicious talons of the models for our campaign.

She tells me: "For the new Body Electrics collection I created long powerful nails, to show off the light reflecting pigments of the electrifying colours from the new collection. I wanted them to be extreme but ethereal at the same time, almost like insect wings. I love the versatility of Prism - it can be used on its own for a very modern, chic pearlised white nail or over any other colour to give it a subtle glimmer.


On the Force nails, I added jewels to show off the richness and intensity of the deep electric blue."

The main colour gracing the nails of the Illamasqua HQ team at the moment is Jo'Mina, a beautiful pink/purple/lilac creme [don't you just love my colour descriptions...] - it's a perfect season transition colour. Not too bright as to screaming "Summer time!" but not too muted as to remind us of Autumn. Spring in a bottle, then!

Alex Box By Rankin - The Fallout

Several of us are nursing Champagne induced hangovers today - always the sign of a great night - and have been gossiping about the Alex Box by Rankin book and exhibition launch all morning.

Sam Chapman of Pixiwoo fame, Talita from theglossgoss, Helen from Helen and Sheenie's Nice Things, Ian from Diary of a Fashion Mister , Sophy Robson, the gorgeous Tricia Woolston, Johnny Blue Eyes, Anouck Lepere, Rankin, Tuli, Erin O Connor, George Lamb, Jefferson Hack, Gareth Pugh ... lots of familiar faces were present to witness Alex's finest moment - a collection of stunning images that she has been working on for over two years. I felt very priviledged to witness Alex's special moment... but I'll start at the beginning!

The plan was to leave at 6. . .

... the plan was to leave at 6. . .

... but girls being girls in an office full of make-up ...

... so at 7pm [!], Kate, Katie, Halimah and I hailed a cab and were whisked off to the gorgeous contemporary gallery/ studio space of the one and only Rankin , the newly built Annroy Gallery in Kentish Town.

As you walk up to the gallery, you are confronted with two images that seductively lure you in to the gallery - as it is all glass fronted, we could see that the crowd inside was already pretty big and it turns out we arrived about a minute after Alex has made her grand entrance!

She looked her usual kooky glam self in skintight Gareth Pugh and top hat and what I suspect were those headlining monochrome Chanel tights...

After grabbing a quick glass of champagne [which seemed to magically stay full for the next three hours....hmm] I managed to grab a few words with all the bloggers that I had invited to come along - everyone seemed genuinely thrilled to be there and be a part of Alex's triumphant night. I can't begin to comprehend how stressful the past few days must have been for Alex!

After about half an hour, Gareth Pugh made a grand entrance with a bunch of red balloons and after congratulating Alex on the exhibition, he handed the balloons over to her. She spent the rest of the night holding them so you always knew where she was!

I spent most of the night chilling with Gillian, Francesco and Mika from the Selfridges Oxford St counter and the Head Office staff - Julian, Illamasqua's Chairman and his PA Jo even made it down so it was lovely to see them, as well.

So a bit more about the images! To understand the full magnitude, I suggest you get down to the exhibition - which runs until 22nd December - or check out the book which is available to buy from today.

By using a variety of different mediums - including Illamasqua make-up, pigments, poster paint and post-its! - Alex pushes the boundaries of make-up application and conventional techniques and uses the face as a canvas with which to create innovative, thought provoking and sometimes radical art. No rules, so to speak.

You can really see Alex's art school [not make-up school!] trained obsessions about fantasy, science, environment, fashion and illustration jumping out at you from the canvases - it's powerful stuff. From strongly sculpted, directional images to impressionist-like images, there is something here that will make even the most jaded art critic go "wow!"

So what sort of gossip do I have for you? Well, there was some cracking outfits, funnily enough! There was also lots of directional make-up. Kate, Halimah and I rocked the new coloured lashes that are to be released on 31st October - in time for our birthday celebrations! We have three sets; one that is shot with purple 22, one that is shot with green [no. 23] and one that is shot with pink [no. 24] I had so many compliments on them [even some girls on the tube on the way home!] that I think these may soon replace number 19s as my favourite!

How cute did Katie look? Halimah created her look for the night and it looked stunning. I'll ask Halimah to do a look break down at some point!

Mika was modelling his new undercut...


I also saw a girl with a painted face mask and crystals around the edges which looked terrific - unfortunately I didn't take as many photos as I should have, something to do with the lack of canapes and abundance of champagne I am inclined to think!

Johnny Blue Eyes [from the House of Blue Eyes] turned up dressed as Jesus [!] with a full-on crown of thorns and stigmata!

I had a really, really great night and would like to thank Rankin and his team for pulling together and hosting a wonderful event.

Alex will be at the Illamasqua counter in Selfridges Oxford St on the 5th November to sign copies of Alex Box by Rankin.

Nail Art Competition : WINNERS!

The Runner's up [and winners of three Nail Varnishes from our core range] are...

Helen's Wonder Woman Alter Ego

This was such an unexpected and unique entry. Well done Helen! Helen also has an absolute must-read blog. Click here to check it out.


LoungiesPunk Rock Alter Ego

Such an imaginative use of self expression [and use of props!] and beautiful application has resulted in this absolutely wonderful entry.


And the winner is...

OriginalWacky's Naughty/Nice Alter Ego

Sophy and I just fell in love with this entry - the contrasting colours, the creative theme and the explanation in to how this look was obtained and the inspirations behind it meant that this is a very worthy winner. Originalwacky has won both of the new Nail Varnishes from the Dystopia collection and two Nail Varnishes of her choice from the core range.

Thanks to everyone for entering and if the winners can contact me at info@illamasqua.com to let me know what products they would like, I can get those sent out to you! Thanks also to Sophy Robson for judging the competition - it was great fun!

Nail Art Competition: Finalists

Hi Everyone! Hope you had a nice weekend! I'm in a great mood today as it is nearly London Fashion Week and I'm really excited to see what all the designers are up to for Spring Summer 2010 - which means the noughties are nearly over! ['noughties' still sounds weird doesn't it...]

Sophy Robson popped in last week and we went through all of the Nail Art Competition entries to pick out some winners. Thanks to everyone - it was very difficult to pick our finalists, but we have and here they are...

First up is Sasa, who has entered this fabulous corsetry entry. She says "I just LOVE corsets. They look and feel so good. I guess I was a victorian lolita in my previous life." Sophy thought this look was very inspired and well executed. I think a victorian lolita is a great alter ego!


Next we have the hungry asian's entry. Sophy loved this because "pointed nails are where it's at for this season." I think the design is beautiful. "I call this the stiletto optical illusion. I am a quiet and shy person. I am the epitome of fufu girly: pink, bows, anything pastel, cute puppies, you name it. I don't like to wear dark eye makeup (maybe I don't know how to put it on, yeah!), I usually wear jeans and a t-shirt. My alter ego would be bold, loud and striking! She would wear 6 inch stilettos and a mini skirt." Sounds fab.

I really loved this entry from Myriam - beautiful colour combination and texture blend. I think the image that inspired it is also lovely.

Next we have Helen's entry from the fabulous nail blog helensheenie.wordpress. Helen says, "By day, your average office worker. By night – Wonderwoman!" Sophy and I loved the inspiration behind it and Sophy was very impressed with the execution - it was all done freehand! Fabulous design, Helen.

Following on from Wonderwoman, we have Punk Rock girl! "Sleeping all day, drinking all night, spitting on the floor and making loud and wild music." That is Polish Lounge's Punk Rock alter ego. Loungie gave us three entries, but we loved this one the most. Sophy thought it was very inspired and original and I just love tartan!

Next we have Happyberrynaiad's pole dancing alter ego entry! This is just beautifully executed and we loved the representational ideas behind it all. "The black line down te middle represents the beloved pole. I've tried to indicate movement by 'drawing out' some of the black. The red and white lines depict the dancer's movements. The dots are the audience." I think it looks quite japanese inspired. Very pretty.


Sophy adored this next entry from Chinda-Chan as she is a big cappucino fan! I was really inspired by the texture of this design and the unusual colour combinations to create the cappucino look! Chinda-Chan tells us: "I'm inspired by Coffee because I would not make one day without!". I hear that!

Next up we have this Naughty/Nice entry from original wacky. I was really excited by this entry as the nails were different on each hand yet the execution was spot-on. Sophy loved the inspiration, the style and the mixture of textures and colours. "By day, I am a nice person, who enjoys spending time with family, and volunteering for an animal rescue. By night, I'd like to think I turn into a hedonistic woman who demands fun at all costs." Sounds like my kinda woman!

We both also agreed that Lacquerlaine's Gunslinger had the perfect mix of humour and uniqueness. We were also suprised to see that this was one of only a small number of entries that utilised matt polish, which I thought was meant to be TNBT [the next big thing...] in the nail world! I also love her take on the Illamasqua Alter Ego poem that she put on to her blog:

My Alter Ego is the person I want to become.
She is a braver, gunslinging version of me.
She doesn't hold back.
She loads, cocks and fires.

We both also loved the textural mix of Holly's entry. The gorgeous matt black swirl over the glitter base looked beautiful. Holly tells us how she unleashed her inner Van Gogh, " was thinking about the famous painting "Starry Starry Night" when I created this design." Sophy and I both thought it extremely artistic!

Thanks to everyone who entered, we really appreciate saying all your work! We will host another competition before Christmas.

The finalists will be posted this coming Thursday 17th September!

Adam in Cardiff

One of our fabulous International Make-up artists [he flew to NYC for the launch in July] and personal make-up artist to The Pussycat Dolls whenever they are in London, Adam, will be in Cardiff today, tomorrow and Saturday to help launch the Dystopia collection in Debenhams Cardiff.

We are also offering a free minicure with any purchase of two Nail Varnishes - the perfect excuse for buying the hot new colours 'Obsess' and 'Velocity'. The lovely Helen described 'Velocity' as a grurple - grey/purple - which I think is the perfect way of describing it!

Here is a pic from Sophy Robson's blog of the nails she created for one of our Dystopia looks - these colours look great together and the yellow is our neon 'Rare' Nail Varnish.

Nail Art Competition Now Closed!

Thanks for everyones entries - we have had some great ones here through the blog and also emailed through to me - we will be working on deciding the winners all week so stay tuned!

Thanks again guys - and here is a pic of Sophy Robson creating the fabulous nails for the Dystopia collection!

Nail Competition Update

I have received some great entries for this - but we still want more! If you went on a great night out and got creative with your nails - then send it in! This is all for a bit of fun - we will put the winner on to the website and you can win some as-yet-unreleased Autumn Winter collection Nail Varnishes, which will be exclusive to the UK stores and online upon release - so if you live abroad, time to get those entries in!

For inspiration - here is Sophy's idea of creativity! I love how the girly tips contrast with the tough, structured ring she has on!

Nail Art Competition in Association With Sophy Robson

Calling all nail addicts! Been feeling a bit left out of the Mizzworthy/ Illamasqua Alter Ego make-up competitions? Fancy showing us your nail alter ego and be in with the chance of having your work seen by top nail artist Sophy Robson?

Then start getting your ideas together to win some fabulous Illamasqua Nail Varnishes that the Nail World has been going crazy for...

FEAR NOT if you have untidy cuticles or a slightly wonky hand [like me!] as this competition is being judged on creativity and artistic flair as opposed to technique and professionalism.

So How Do You Win?

Sophy and I want to see inspired and creative works that reveal your alter ego - either through your hand nails or toe nails [or both!] and with a brief introduction to yourself and why this look is your alter ego! For example, are you normally a pretty-in-pink princess?! How about unleashing your inner vixen with black and blood red talons?


Rules?


1. To enter, go to the Illamasqua Blog and post the entries in the comments section of the competition page [top right of blog page] with a link to entry. Entries can be submitted in video format on Youtube or can be a blog post, or just a link to the image with some details as to what you used and what your inspirations were. Alternatively, email me directly [please put Nail Art Entry into the subject] at info@illamasqua.com and I will put together a blog post of all entries that I receive through email.

2. The edgier, the more unique and the more creative and adventurous the better! Let us know the inspiration behind the look, too!

3. You don’t have to use Illamasqua products for this competition – but please list what you do use – this can include konad stamps or any other product you may have at your disposal.

4. The competition is open internationally.

5. Entries can use nails on their hands, feet or both.

6. You can enter a maximum of three different looks for this competition.

7. The competition will run from Thursday 13th August 2009 to the 6th September 2009 [midday UK time] so plenty of time to get your thinking caps on!

8. There will be a short list compiled on the 6th September and these will be shown on the blog on the 7th September. Sophy Robson will then choose a winner that will be detailed on the blog by the 16th September.

9. The winners will be notified and the winning looks will appear on the Illamasqua website and blog. Prizes will be sent out within the week to all winning



What Are The Prizes?

As well as getting world renowned nail artist Sophy Robson to view and assess your work, you could win...

1st Prize of the two brand new Autumn Winter collection nail varnishes + choice of two others from core range...

Two runners up win the 2nd Prize of choice of three varnishes from core range...


When Can I Enter?

From now until the 6th September! The winners will be announced on the 17th September, so plenty of time to unleash your alter ego and get entering!

The Next Episode...

For those of you that follow Illamasqua on Twitter, you will know that we had our Autumn Winter collection photo shoot on Friday. Very exciting times! Organised and co-ordinated by Kate, the team had an early 8am start and was eventually finished well into Friday night...

The shoot was at a studio in London and we had a formidable team including:

Alex Box - no introduction needed! Plus her fab assistant Suzy.

Lee Bennett - Art Director.

Natalie Hargreaves - General organiser of time!

Matthew Shave, photographer - A photographer with a special talent in fashion and beauty photography, Matthew's clients include Jimmy Choo, Vogue, Elle, Harpers and GQ.

Guillaume Vappereau, hairdresser - A regular at the London, Paris and New York fashion weeks, Guillaume has worked with such influential names as Basso and Brooke, Emanuel Ungaro and Issa and now has his own luxury salon in Winchester.

Susie Lloyd, stylist - Having worked with clients such as The Feeling, The Noisettes, Kate Nash and Sadie Frost, Susie Lloyd is an established stylist with a great reputation in the fields of fashion and music.

Sophy Robson, Nail Artist - Nail maestro Sophy is a regular at the London and Paris catwalk shows and has her own Nailcare Clinic at the prestigious London department store Fortnum and Mason that has an elite celebrity clientele. She creates looks for the likes of Tom Ford, Vivienne Westwood and a host of magazines from Vogue to Harpers. If you love nails, make sure you follow her blog!

I also have a sneaky peaky photo from the shoot.... but I can't say anything more just yet other than think Sirens.... then think opposite.... not very helpful am I ;)