Happy New Year!

Hi Everyone! 2010 is finally here and we have some amazing plans for product, distribution and events bubbling at Illamasqua. I will of course keep you all in the loop. We have a very busy few months ahead of us, including an office move - more on that at a later stage!

New Years Eve, to me, is one of those nights where make-up creativity is an absolute staple part of my night. My friends and I normally spend hours choosing a fabulous outfit, killer heels and an extra sparkly make-up look. What is it about Christmas and sparkle!? It just fits!


This was my look for the Big Night. Products I used:

* Rich Liquid Foundation in 140 [dropped 3 foundation shades in 3 months...!]
* Pressed Powder in 005 [for brightening the complexion - this stayed in my bag for the requisite 4am touch up!]
* Powdered Metal in 'Bebhionn' on cheeks, cupids bow and down my arms.

* Illuminator in 'Halcyon' - a lovely pale champagne/ cream for highlighting cheekbones

* Urban Decay Primer Potion
* Cream Eye Shadow in 'Debauch' with Pure Pigment in 'Involve' layered on top for maximum impact.

* Cream Eye Shadow in 'Hunger' to highlight the brow bone - this is one of my favourite products right now
* Medium Pencil in 'Sophie' - lots of this for full on smokey glamour
* Sheer Lipgloss in 'Torture'

Not sure what I was thinking about with the nails... a bit more suited to Halloween than New Years!

The next morning, all I needed was Simple facial wipes to take off my night of excess and upon surfacing I spent about three hours in the bath with Eve Lom's Rescue Mask on - this is my Holy Grail of face products if I am feeling run down - and REN's Moroccan Rose Bath Oil. Divine...

Mika Comes to Cardiff!

Mika will be making a highly anticipated guest appearance on the Debenhams Cardiff counter on Thursday 19th, Friday 20th and Saturday 21st November.

If you would like to meet the Selfridges London National Make-up Artist, star of the Dystopia collection adverts and infamous mainstay of the London club scene, give the Debenhams Cardiff Illamasqua counter a ring on 02920342278.

I grabbed a quick word with Mika to find out more about the Dystopia photoshoot, his favourite products and his excitement about visiting Cardiff...

Hey Mika! How are you?

"Really well - looking forward to meeting the girls at the Cardiff counter tomorrow. They have all offered to take me out on the town and I haven't visited Cardiff before so it's all very exciting."

Your always out on the town! How do you think the Cardiff night-life will compare to London?

"You'll have to ask me when I'm back! I am currently running a weeky club called Vogue at Willa's in Mayfair. The theme of the night is always the current issue of Vogue - inspired by the photo shoots or the adverts running in the magazine, the night is an artistic melting pot of fashionistas, club kids, models, socialites and a variety of people from the fashion, beauty and art worlds."

I have been dying to ask you what the Dystopia photoshoot was like - it must have been fabulous!

"You were there?!"

For about half an hour! How long did your day last?!

"The call was 8am and when I got there, Alex Box was already in 6 inch heels, which she lasted on all day - what an icon! Even I can't manage that - the whole shoot, from start to finish was 13 hours. Alex created three looks on me and each took about two hours to complete. My favourite look is the black and white one, with the swirly face patterns. Alex did all of it in one go and I was amazed at how little post-production there was. I've always assumed that everything was airbrushed for weeks after the photo shoot, but I saw the final images a few days after the shoot. You can't airbrush art; you would lose the point of it."

Too right. So, what are your favourite products from the Dystopia collection?

"I adore the Pure Pigment in 'Android' - the dark, sultry shimmer is just such a versatile product. I love to layer it on top of Cream Eye Shadow in 'Debauch' or 'Entangle' or even the Concealer in '350' for a really gorgeous, but quick and easy, smoky eye.
I also love the False Lashes 21. They are stunning."


Will you be wearing them on the Cardiff counter?

"Perhaps, but I am currently rocking the Limited Edition Decadence lashes - the silver ones. At Halloween I put them in my eye brows for winged brows!"

You'll have to send me a photo. What has been your defining moment working for Illamasqua?

"That's a tough one! The past year has been absolutely amazing for me, both professionally and personally. I think that the crowning glory would be the advert that is going to run in next months iD magazine - a double page advert of the back-to-back image of me in the Dystopia ads. I am so excited to see that I can barely contain myself! I also loved that the Sunday Times Style featured a picture of me and of course the Dystopia shoot was just the best day ever."


Here is a photo of Mika and myself - we bumped into each other at Gay Pride in the Summer... his pout is substantially better than mine!


Book now for a lesson with Mika - £20 redeemable against purchases made on the day.

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.

Introducing: Powder Eye Shadow in Machine

The latest product from Dystopia that I am going to show you is a new Powder Eye Shadow - with a twist.


This product is a black Powder Eye Shadow with glitter in it - so technically this is a brand, spanking new texture from Illamasqua! 'Machine' has a very buildable base, meaning it can look dark grey when first applied or layered up for a true, intense black. The glitter means the colour catches the light beautifully - glitter does not have to mean an overdose of shimmer. I think it looks a lot more impactful because of the matt texture of the Eye Shadow.


I have paired it here with the new Liquid Metal in 'Phenomena'. I love to mix up textures and begun with a dewy base of Light Liquid Foundation topped off with a touch of Press Powder [this camera is so good that it tends to make my face look like an oil slick!] and pressed in a little Cream Blusher in 'Seduce'.


For the eyes, I used a base of Cream Eye Shadow in 'Amorous', a lovely grey/ aubergine that acts well as a base for heavy eye colour. I then smudged 'Phenomena' into the inner corner and across half of the lid and then built up 'Machine' around the outer corner and through the socket. These products blended really easily together and I really liked the finish look.

I went to the gym this morning and left my make-up kit at home [not really a problem when you work at Illamasqua, but annoying all the same!] and have been mascara-less all day. I think this look actually looks great without mascara as it keeps the focus on the texture of the shadows with no long black lashes in the way!

Dystopia will be available for pre order from the 3rd September at www.illamasqua.com

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!*