The Moment You've All Been Waiting For!

The List to End All Lists...

The roll out begins mid-September and will continue for approximately a month into the following stores - where will you release your alter ego?!

34TH STREET, New York City

WESTCHESTER , New York

TIMES SQUARE, New York City

UNION SQUARE, New York City

5TH AVENUE, New York City

711 LEXINGTON, New York City

76TH & BROADWAY, New York City

ROOSEVELT FIELD, NYC

SOHO, New York City

ALA MOANA, Honolulu

DADELAND, Miami

DOWNTOWN SEATTLE, Seattle

FASHION VALLEY, San Diego

FLORIDA MALL, Florida

HOLLYWOOD & HIGHLAND, California

MANHATTAN VILLAGE, California

POWELL STREET , California

SANTA MONICA, California

SOUTH COAST PLAZA , California

SOUTH BEACH, Miami Beach

LENOX SQUARE, Atlanta

PRUDENTIAL CENTER, Boston

VENETIAN , Las Vegas

BOCA RATON, Florida

GEORGETOWN , Washington DC

Current Obsessions...

Top 5 current Illamasqua Head Office obsessions....

1. Kiki De Montparnasse Scented Candles

These all-natural candles are just lovely. We currently have 'Boudoir' burning at HO - I am not sure of the actual ingredients as I have checked the packaging and the website for a list, but I do know that it smells woody, earthy and very addictive. Plus, how gorgeous is the packaging?!


2. The Gossip - Music for Men

The latest album from Beth Ditto and her band, this is a real screamer of an album! Definitely worth checking out.


3. PPQ Laptop bags for Vodafone

Based on the very chic Gabriel bag, this elegant offering from PPQ is exclusive to Vodafone - I love the deep red croc-print and the size that will take you from office to bar. Seriously coveting one of these babies right now! Check here for more info.


4. Collette Dinnigan Autumn/ Winter RTW collection

A dark collection with a nod to the gothic trends that are set to be reignited next season, this was a beautiful collection full of dramatic but very wearable pieces that showcased intricate detailing and a playful mix of textures.


5. Nail Varnish in 'Loella'

I recently discovered how this product got it's name! Loella is the name of Guillaume Vappereau's [the celebrated hairdresser] daughter Loella, who is also Maurice [our HR manager's] Goddaughter! Loella is just such a lovely name for a shimmering bubble gum pink Nail Varnish, don't you think?

** Thanks to Marcio Madeira for the Collette Dinnigan image and to thenailphile for the Loella swatch! **

Mizzworthy/ Illamasqua Competition!

Wow, has it really been two months since we launched the last one?! To refresh your memory on the previous winners, click here.

So, we have a brand new theme this time of...

The Rules [copied from Mizzworthy]

There will be two categories for the contest - ie Superheroes and villains.

You can enter either or both categories. After a lot of discussion, we have decided to continue to allow people to enter as many times as they like, however, please remember that your favourite look that you have created may not necessarily be the one that myself and Krystle choose to go through to the finalists. If similar issues arise as did with the last contest as a result of our decision, we may be forced to reassess this, and limit everyone to one entry, which we really don't want to do!

The contest is about makeup, not costumes - you don't need to go out hiring a costume or anything like that!

Your entry may either be in the form of a blog post or a video on you tube - if you decide to do a video entry, then please also email me stills for judging purposes

Your entry should be your interpretation of a hero or a villain, your look must be original. In your entry, please tell us a bit about your hero/villain, about any superpowers that have and what led you to the look you have created. You don't need to go into massive detail, but we love to know about what inspires people!

When you have completed your entry, please post a response below to let me know, and make sure I acknowledge your entry by commenting back - feel free to harass me til I do this! I do not want to miss anyones hard work!

Use any products you like, and tell us about what you used (ie you do not have to use Illamasqua!)

Its fine to use a willing volunteer if you do not wish to be photographed yourself, however, the look MUST have been created by you.

The contest is open internationally

Please make sure you subscribe to the blog.

The contest will close at midnight UK time on friday the 4th September (which is slightly more than 1 month!).

Finalists will be selected by myself and Krystal - the winners will then be chosen by Alex Box, who has kindly agreed to be the final judge! Winners will be announced approx a week later. Judges decisions are final!

Final prizes to be announced, there will be ONE winner in Each Category - ie one SuperHero and one Villain, but each will win some lovely makeup of their choice from Illamasqua...


Prizes To Be Announced shortly! Get entering people and I will post my entry at the weekend!

LOTD: Severe

Medium Pencil in 'Severe' - the perfect deep berry shade for lips. Very vampy, I think! What say you?

This is going to be my go-to colour for Autumn, I feel!

Ask An Artist: Vitiligo

Leena from Selfridges Trafford has very kindly answered this weeks question. Leena has worked for Illamasqua since the counter launch at Selfridges Trafford back in February and has unbelievable product knowledge. She has worked with brands suc as Oasis, Al Saints and USC as well as at the Clothes Show Live. She also wrote some tips and tricks for Anjana Gosai's [the Beauty editor of Asiana magazine] 'Ultimate Guide to Beauty'. To book a make-up lesson with Leena, call Selfridges Trafford on 0161 629 1187 and to read her full biography click here.


I have vitiligo, so my skin is beige with patches of white. What do you recommend I use to match my original skin tone and completely cover the white spots while still looking natural and not made-up?

Leena says: "Basically, you need your base to look as natural as possible. I'm a bit of an expert at camouflage make-up as I myself suffer from vitiligo."


I'm Asian, with a very tanned skin tone, so the white patches are very white - I've helped many people with vitiligo and other skin problems whilst on counter and I have got it down to a fine art now! I use Light Liquid Foundation to give me a sheer, natural even base rather than using a heavy foundation which people seem to think will cover up skin problems.
Then I use our high-definition ready Concealer with Blending Brush 1 or 2 and buff over the vitiligo patches using a small amount of the Concealer in small circular movements.


After setting with a powder [I love our Loose Powder for it's finely milled texture] go over the patches again using the same Concealer and brush, but this time stipple the Concealer over the top to camouflage completely. Re-set with powder if necessary.

An Audience With... Anja Huwe

Anja Huwe is one third of the Illamasqua Art Team and both an iconic musician and hugely talented contemporary artist.

Born in Germany, Anja was the lead singer and front-woman of German band Xmal Deutschland and significantly influenced the avant-garde days of the European New Wave Culture.

Anja now lives between Hamburg and New York, although her artistic work takes her all over the world. She describes her art as an explorations into the sound of different colours, rhythms and harmonies.

I grabbed a quick minute with her and put forward some questions I had been wanting to ask her...

Alex: Colour has become a huge part of your life of late - both through your work at Illamasqua and in your paintings - can you explain to us how you 'listen' to colour?

Anja: While I am working on a painting, my inner eye 'shows' me music, sounds and rhythms. This is called Synaethesia – a neuronal cross-linking of the senses. A certain arrangement of colours and, in my case, dots [for many viewers a very abstract way of expression] is the ultimate 'sound'; the essence of music that I discovered by accident.

Alex: Wow. So do you think that Illamasqua can ever extend it's brand message through channels other than make-up?

Anja: Sure – from music to fashion and art exhibitions; all is possible!

Alex: Out of all the Illamasqua products you could have named after yourself, you chose a pale blue Powder Eye Shadow. Can you explain your choice?

Anja: My choice of calling an eye shadow 'Anja' is simply based on the fact that many people are fascinated by the colour of my eyes. Light blue is Anja – Anja is light blue.

Alex: We have already discussed the meaning of Illamasqua on this blog - what does the word Illamasqua mean to you?

Anja: Myths and masks!

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 ;)

LOTD: Ascend and Torture

Different look for me today; tawny lip. I used Medium Pencil in 'Ascend' and Sheer Lipgloss in 'Torture' - what do you think? I am so used to wearing either a bit of clear lipgloss or a full on red or pink matt look that I am not sure about this!

Product of the Week: Bronzing Duos

Exude after-dark glamour with Illamasqua Bronzing duos... be a bronzed goddess of the night

The bronzing duos are part of the Spring Summer 09 Sirens collection and have been extremely popular due to the softness of the product and the versatility of the product. By that, I mean that Glint looks gorgeous as an eye highlighter, or below the brown bone and for a soft shimmering shadow, the bronze shade looks lovely.

Each compact includes 'Glint' - a shimmering highlighter - and a choice of two bronzing shades, which contain crushed pearl powder for a smooth, even and long-lasting finish.

'Writhe' is the lighter of the two bronze shades and is suitable for pale to medium complexions, whilst 'Burnish' has been created with olive and black skintones in mind. To demonstrate the product as best I could, I used 'Writhe' under my cheekbones and across my temples and 'Glint' to highlight my cheekbones.

These colours can be used seperately, as I have shown above, or mixed together, as I have shown below. This gives the bronzer a gold-hue as 'Glint' has hints of gold in it. The reason I love this bronzer so much is because there are a variety of ways to wear it and create different looks to suit your mood. They also build up really nicely so you can go from sun kissed glow during the day to a more contoured, structured look at night. Also, because the colours are actually in seperate godets, this means they won't blend together and become one.

**Thanks to Toomuchblush for the product images**

Sanderson Predicts... Little Boots

So Kate and I were back in the lovely courtyard for the Sanderson Predicts... Little Boots gig on Thursday 30th July and this time the Sun shined! The acoustic performance was both intimate yet lively and Little Boots has a lovely, soulful voice. She played several covers as well as her more well known songs and looked really cute in a zany printed dress.

Halimah created the look for Little Boots again and told me what she used:

"Little Boots has a very peaches-and-cream complexion, so I used the pink-based Cream Foundation in 120 for a medium to full coverage. I used a touch of Powder Blusher in 'Lover' for a pinky, apricot glow and used some of the Pure Pigment in 'Furore' to highlight her cheekbones."


Little Boots already had a lot of make-up on, so I just touched up and added some shimmer to her eyes and lips with Pure Pigment in 'Incite' for a bronzed touch. There were also a lot of press, so I was in a bit of a rush! She is a truly sweet girl and very grounded."