An Interview With... Kate Massarella, Brand Director

I grabbed a quick word with Kate Massarella, Brand Director of Illamasqua, for her views on the past year and what we have to look forward to in 2010...

As Brand Director of Illamasqua, you have final say on all marketing activity and new product development. Which aspect of your job have you enjoyed the most over the past 12 months?

"Creating the Sirens and Dystopia collections. They are both so different, yet so distinctively Illamasqua. Katie, our Product Development Manager along with Alex Box, has created some hugely iconic products for these collections - Liquid Metal in 'Solstice' and Nail Varnish in 'Obsess' are my personal favourites.

I also love the process of creating the images - Alex (Box) and I have so much fun coming up with ideas and I have had the fortune of working with some amazingly talented people on the photoshoots. I also really enjoy working on the way our counters look in store - it's such a great experience seeing an initial sketch turning into an actual counter, stocked with beautiful make-up and managed by our amazing teams of artists.


What has been the highlight of the past 12 months for you?

In addition to the stunning collections, one of the biggest highlights has to be the launch into New York and the week I had there introducing the collection to the beauty directors and editors at the top US magazines. An exhilarating experience as they all loved the brand already and couldn't wait to get their hands on the USA assortment. Plus, having a meeting on the 45th floor of a towering Manhattan building overlooking the city is like nothing else!

What do you think the next 12 months will bring for Illamasqua?

More creativity, more excitement, more great product development, more iconic imagery and loads more fun. In particular the Summer collection out in April - it's going to take Illamasqua to a whole new level.

Ask An Artist: Smoky Eyes and Lips

Saila emailed askanartist@illamasqua.com with the following question: I want to create a smoky eye look for a party using Pure Pigment in 'Involve' with Liquid Metal in 'Phenomena'. What colour should I wear on my lips? I know that a lighter lippie would probably be the best but I don't want to end up looking paler than I already am. Any ideas?

I called the girls on the Debenhams Cardiff counter for their opinion...

"A great way to create a smoky eye with-a-twist is to blend Pure Pigment Involve all over the socket and the crease area of the eye. To enhance this further, apply on top of Cream Eye Shadow in 'Stimulus' - this will create even more drama and intensity! For a multi-dimensional look, blend Pure Pigment in 'Tingle' into the inner corner of the eyes for an extra shimmer shock.
Use the Liquid Metal in Phenomena on the tearline of eyes to really open them up. You could also try using it just in the inner corners instead of Pure Pigment in 'Tingle'.

For a complimentary lip, try using Lipstick in 'Underworld' with Sheer Lipgloss in 'Tantrum' blended over the top - a fabulous plummy look that was all over the Autumn/ Winter catwalks!

Solstice V Phenomena

This September in London has been really strange - I think we have had better weather over the past fortnight than any in July or August, overall! It's been sunny and warm and yet there is still that lingering sense of Summer and anticipation of Autumn.

That's all well and good, but where does it leave you when it comes to choosing your make-up for the day?! Confused, that's where. Normally, I am cracking open the burgundies and the smoky chocolate eye shadows, the red lipstick [my staple for September as it's my birthday month and red lippy always makes me feel sophisticated and grown-up!] and the darker-than-summer Eye Brow Cake at this time of the year; but I have been completely thrown. I'm still wearing my Bronzing Duo and Outcast/ Predator combo for a Summer look.


And of course, I am still piling on the Liquid Metal in 'Solstice', even though the latest Liquid Metal in 'Phenomena' is the latest beauty editor crush. Below is without flash and below that is with flash, swatched on my very dry [ah, so winter IS coming then...!] hand...




I have been experimenting with looks using this product, but it just doesn't seem the time to move in to silver territory just yet. That said, I swatch and I love!

As it's Friday, I'm doing my usual fashion refresh courtesy of the fabulous net-a-porter.com and have discovered this gorgeous Proenza Schouler jacquard cap-sleeved dress. The stunning rose-gold detail would be perfectly complimented by a slick of 'Solstice' across the lids and with a nude lip [perhaps Intense Lipgloss in 'Absorb'?].

On the other hand, there is this mesmerising Alexander Wang [who can do no wrong, in my opinion!] LBD number that would look so rock'n'roll with a smudge of Liquid Metal in 'Phenomena'....


Alexander Wang spider lace dress £720
Proenza Schouler jacquard cap-sleeved dress £1,510

Liquid Metal in Phenomena has landed...

We are finally in stock of Liquid Metal - Phenomena. I am so excited to see the feedback from this cult product, especially now the wintry days are kicking in [in London at least!]

Place your orders here...

House Of Blue Eyes - Get The Look

The androgynous/ futuristic/ Cleopatra/ Babylon/ Blade Runner-esque make-up was a work of art in itself. Alex Box tells me how she created the look...


Face

Smooth, glowing, glistening skin was the way forward. "As there was so much gold on the eyes, I needed to complement this with sparkling skin." Says Alex, "I mixed a small amount of Powdered Metal in 'Bebhionn' with Cream Foundation for the paler girls and Powdered Metal in 'Thalia' with Cream Foundation for the olive/ darker skins."

The face was heavily contoured with the Powdered Metals - 'Thalia' was used for a golden highlight whilst 'Erzule' was buffed in to cheekbones for an 80s, sculpted look. "These are the most versatile products" explains Alex, "They can be used on the body, face, cheeks... mixed with lipgloss creating a wonderful sparkling lip colour."

Eyes

The eyes were liberally painted with Liquid Metal in 'Solstice'. "We used a template by cutting some tape to mask the areas we didn't want to cover and then painted over this template. We then piled on the Liquid Metal in 'Solstice' with a foundation brush to create a smooth, even base of colour with which to contour on top."

Contouring was done with the Powdered Metals and a mix of Powder Eye Shadow in 'Lestat', 'Wolf' and 'Fallen' to create depth. Illuminator in 'Halcyon' was used to highlight under the brows and down the bridge of the nose and on the cupid's bow to catch the light.

Alex's trademark brow completed the look. "Mix a drop of Sealing Gel into Eyebrow Cake in 'Vehement' and stroke over the natural line of the brows using the Eyebrow Brush. Then go back over it and take the colour above and beyond the natual brow for a real Cleopatra look." Explains Alex, "balance this with the strong eye. We used False Lashes in number 15 on top for the spidery effect, and number 13s below to create a very open, framed eye."

Lips

To soften the effect of the strong eye, the lips were painted with a mixture of clear gloss [try Sheer Lipgloss in 'Brilliant'] and Cream Foundation. Some of the models had extravagant head gear on, and these guys had Liquid Metal in Solstice painted on for a pure molten mouth.

House Of Blue Eyes - The Fallout

What a cracking night at Jalouse on Friday 18th September! It was all hands on deck for the House of Blue Eyes "I Feel Love" Spring Summer 2010 show - I turned up at around 6:45pm [the show was due to start at 8] in my evening outfit [was going out after the show with some friends] and was immediately roped in by Alex to start painting the boys gold!
It got pretty mucky and by the end of it I was just coating the boys in moisturiser and showering them in gold glitter!

Alex Box, Aga, Helen and Halimah were all on hand to create the look of the night - so what was it?

A futuristic blend of Ancient Egypt and Babylon with a slice of Blade Runner thrown in!

Last Monday, you may recall that Alex and I went to visit Johnny Blue Eyes, the creator of The House of Blue Eyes, at his flat to work out looks for the show. I was holding back from showing you the pics as I didn't want to ruin the surprise of the look, but here is what Alex came up with that day. I can tell you now, I had a real sense of 'John Malkovich' seeing all the models looking identical to how I looked on Monday!

The host was Mahogany Hair Academy [owned by the lovely Richard] who created some fabulous gold locks and the atmosphere was one of bustling excitement. The models - who ranged from the winner of Britains Next Top Model Mecia and the runner-up Jade to tattooed 6ft 3 hunks - were all given individual spins on the key look of gold, gold and more gold!


Johnny told me on Monday that he wanted to create an atmosphere of optimism and disco with fierce make-up and directional, futuristic clothes in a palette of slick black and bold gold and variety of textures from soft knitwear to skintight spandex.

The models were eventually rounded up at around 8:40 and ushered to the street where they stamped down the road to the flash of the photographers cameras and the whoops of the city boys in the pub next door! After this, to the tune of 'Sing it back' by Moloko and, of course, 'I Feel Love' by Donna Summer.



The show was great because everyone was actually having fun, unlike how it seems at some fashion shows. Johnny did a couple of celebratory victory laps around the club at the end, Voguing like there was no tomorrow! Don't you just love the fabulous outfit [especially loving the gold codpiece...] and gold veil that Johnny rocked.

Everyone got up and had a boogie [including yours truly!] and then headed off for the after party in Shoreditch.

This was my first show and I absolutely loved it because it really celebrated why I became interested in make-up in the first place - it was about creating a look; an ideal and then building upon that to create your own individual, unique look that compliments who YOU are as a person. As Johnny told me " We are all beautiful and we are all beautifully different".

Couldn't put it better myself.

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

Introducing: Liquid Metal in Phenomena

One thing you may notice about the Dystopia collection is that all the product names are sci-fi inspired. 'Phenomena' is no different - and what a fitting name! The first time I tried this product I got very, very excited for here was 'Solstice' sent to the Antarctic for a couple of weeks and returning as a pure, molten silver...

For use on eyes, lips and cheeks, this shimmering pot of silver cream can be used as a sheer wash of colour or built up for a full on robotic look. As with the previous two cult Liquid Metals, this one is sure to be a sell out.

The general consensus at the Illamasqua Head Office was that we just had to create another Liquid Metal that would allow for alter egos the world over to paint the town silver after the gold sensation that Solstice brought.

On a side note, we recently gifted Lily Allen's personal make-up artist with 'Phenomena' and the very next day she was photographed rocking this look....

The Dystopia collection will be available to pre-order online from the 3rd September.

Introducing Dystopia...

After the phenomenal success of our first ever seasonal collection, Sirens, Illamasqua is now going back to the dark, evocative roots of the 1920s and conjuring up an Autumn winter collection that will have you salivating...

Shall I set the scene? The German director Fritz Lang’s masterpiece ‘Metropolis’ is a 1927 silent science fiction film that explored the civil unrest that was being felt by society in the 1920s and translated it into a metaphorical futuristic urban city. The cutting edge set design and directional styling has influenced a whole host of contemporary cultural references including Ridley Scott’s ‘Blade Runner’, Madonna’s music video for ‘Express Yourself’ and The Matrix movies. This dark and sinister world was a big part of the inspiration behind this collection.

So what does Dystopia mean? A dystopian society is the opposite of a utopian society – it is mysterious, edgy and unexpected – exactly like our directional new collection.

The products are a fusion of dark, twisted colours and hot, electric neons for surprising colour combinations; opening up a legion of possible looks.

We have brought back favourite product textures – including the cult Liquid Metal – and introduced some new ones, too. There are colours for the every day and products that your alter ego will want to revel in at night…

A Day In The Life

It just wouldn't be possible to come up with a job description for my role at Illamasqua.

I am currently looking like Jill Masterson in Goldfinger. Want to know why? Well, it goes something like this...

Alex and Katie alone in office working on various tasks.

Phone rings. It's our PR agency. Top fashion magazine wants to shoot Liquid Metal 'Solstice' for up coming feature. Deadline 6pm. Alex looks at clock. 5:20pm. This could be tight, thinks Alex.
Alex rummages around Press samples -No Solstice.

Panic.

Alex rummages around product development samples - No Solstice.

Panic.

Alex rummages around desk [you never know...] - No Solstice.

Panic. Quick, think.. Artist kit! Solstice... with large finger dents. Covered in Pure Pigment.

Panic.

Katie gets tweezers and picks out pigment particles. Great, but still lumpy.

Panic.

Katie suddenly remembers there is a hairdryer in the meeting room... Worth a shot. Hold hairdryer over Solstice until it begins to melt [which makes it looks incredible, by the way!] and suddenly it looks like new. New problem - it's now bloomin' liquid.

Panic.

Katie points out that we have a fridge. Solstice goes into fridge until three minutes to 6. Nicely solid, looking like new. 30 seconds later courier rings doorbell. Alex drops off Solstice to courier.

Disaster averted. Smug looks exchanged between Katie and Alex.

The End.

OK - so it wouldn't have been the end of the world, but it's just been one of those days where that little sense of achievement goes a long way :-)

Sephora Q&A

As promised, here is a Q&A about the Sephora launch, based on questions that I have received through this blog, facebook, Youtube and from the general information line. I've drafted in Kate, Katie and Jennifer [our International Account Director] to help with answering all your queries...

Will Illamasqua be available on Sephora.com?

Jennifer: Yes! All 200+ products that will be available in store will also be available to purchase online through Sephora.com and through their telephone service.

Will Illamasqua be available in my local Sephora?

Alex: We will let you know nearer the time - at the moment we have confirmed several cities including San Francisco, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Hollywood and Atlanta.

Which Nail Varnishes will Sephora be stocking?

Katie: Almost all! We know how much you are all loving the Nail Varnishes, so it was a big priority of ours to stock as many of these fabulous colours as possible - twenty four in total, including the legendary Phallic, revered Baptiste and kooky cool Milf!

I'm hearing reports that Illamasqua will be launching at 5 Times Square on the 30th July yet I'm also hearing it's the 31st - I want to come to the launch!

Jennifer: Our products will be available to buy in 5 Times Square from the 30th July - but this a Thursday and everybody knows that launch parties are always better on Friday nights and so that is the 'official' launch date! Don't forget, it's the Sephora Flagship launch too, so there will be plenty going on. If you can get down, do! I will be there with a couple of the London artists so come and say hi!

Will you be coming to Canada anytime soon?

Kate: The plan was always to roll out to the USA and then consider the rest of the world. As it stands, there are no plans to bring Illamasqua to Canada, but then things have been happening so quickly that you could never rule it out!

Will Sephora.com be shipping to Canada?

Alex: This is a decision for Sephora and not Illamasqua. We ship to Canada on our online shop at www.illamasqua.com/store however it is best to contact Sephora directly about where they will be shipping too, sorry.

What will the prices be like?

Jennifer: The prices will be similar to the UK - approximately $20 a Powder Eye Shadow, $24 for a Pure Pigment and $19 for a Sheer or Intense Lipgloss.

Will you be stocking the more daring colours of the Illamasqua range, for example Repulse, Torrid or Gender Intense Lipgloss?

Katie: As much as we would have liked to, we couldn't stock the entire range. After weeks of umm-ing and ahh-ing, we came up with a SKU list that we feel reflects the brands ethos and values as unique, individual and daring but also inkeeping with the philosophy of Sephora.

Will the Sirens collection be available?

Alex: Only in New York, as by the time the rest of our roll out begins, it will be time for our Autumn Winter collection! We will be incorporating some of the Sirens collection into our core range, though, so you will all be able to try out Liquid Metal in Solstice and Enrapture [as if you haven't already!] as well as one of the Bronzing Duos and the Nail Varnishes in Lament [my favourite!] and Muse.

Solstice is Back!

As promised, Liquid Metal in Solstice is now back in stock! Happy gilding :-)

Product of the Week: Liquid Metal in Solstice

There were only so many Product of the Week's I could write without mentioning the cult Liquid Metal in Solstice! This has become the fastest selling product in our entire collection - within five days of the Sirens collection launching in Selfridges London, it had sold out and we were urgently restocking it... we then launched Sirens online after the next delivery and promptly sold out there within forty eight hours, too!

This product has also been featured in editorial magazines from Nylon, Japanese and British Vogue, Look, Grazia and Tatler.

So what makes this product so special? Well, for those of you who do not own it or have it on your wish list, I will let other bloggers explain for you [click on the quote to go to the blog]...

"my latest obsession is Illamasqua Liquid Metal in Solstice... It's the richest, gold cream shadow and it's multi-purpose."

"The pigments are the richest I've ever encountered, the assortment of jaw-dropping colours... and the textures are so creamy, velvety and luxurious that time stands still when you're at the counter. Can't you just feel my excitement! I can't speak highly enough of this brand and it keeps getting better..."

"I LOVE Solstice and am so glad I have it in my collection as it's one of the few unique products that I own within my make up stash!"

From my point of view, the reason this product has been so successful is:

Texture: I have yet to find a product that feels like this - it is a perfect balance between cream and gloss. It picks up the light in a way that suggests it has shimmer particles, but does not feel at all grainy.

Blendability: The Liquid Metals were formulated for use all over the face and body - eyes, lips, cheeks, body... and for a product this versatile you need to be able to blend it out where you need it! I have mixed it with body lotion and used it to add a slight shimmer but then I've also used it with an eye liner brush to get a really concentrated line...

Colour: The perfect gold - not too yellow, not too green, not too dark.

Collection: It's the hero product of the Sirens collection and was used on lips, eyes, cheeks and body in the photo shoot to highlight the versatility of the product.

The good news is that this product has just landed at our warehouse and we are busy readying it for the stores and for the Internet store! Get yourselves on the wishlist and I will blog about it once it goes live. It will also be available to ship internationally as well as in the EU!

* Thanks to Yinka for the swatch of Solstice *

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.