Halloween Looks From Illamasqua!

I hope everyone had a great Halloween! I almost forgot about it as we had been concentrating on the first anniversary of Illamasqua, so I loved it when some of the pictures from Propaganda's [our creative partner] Halloween party started to sift through to my inbox!

I am loving what our Account Manager Natalie did - an evil ladybug! Inspired choice, Nats!


I gave the normally platinum blonde bombshell a call to find out what she used...

"Well, the lashes are from a fancy dress shop," she tells me, "but everything else is Illamasqua! I used the Cream Foundation in 100 and topped it off with Loose Powder in 100 for a semi-matte glow. I used Powder Eye Shadow in 'Forgiveness' on the cheeks to sculpt the look and defined my eyes and eye brows with Eye Liner Cake in 'Mislead'. I love mixing this product with the Sealing Gel for maximum longevity."

What about those high impact lips? "I lined them with Medium Pencil in 'Spell' and painted over the top with Intense Lipgloss 'Besotted' for a juicy red lip!

Natalie also spread the art to her fingertips, using Nail Varnish in 'Ruthless' for a rich red base and blobbing on Nail Varnish in 'Boosh' for the ladybug effect.

Here is Natalie with Jo, Julian Kynaston's PA. Jo is rocking the new Birthday Lashes in 'Decadence' as well as plenty of Dystopia! On her lips is the shocking pink Lipstick in 'Avenge' and she has Powder Eye Shadow in 'Matter' smudged around her eyes for a sexy smoky eye.

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.

Impulse Swatch!

Influenced by the changing weather [ie monsoon followed by blinding sunshine] I considered how my make-up this morning [bright lip, peachy blush and dewy skin] suddenly didn't seem to fit when it began to rain [for some reason, I always wear more make-up when it's miserable outside and then just seal it all with Sealing Gel...]

So I roped Lucy into helping me pick out some blushers that are great for sunny weather and some blushers that are perfect for the more overcast days...

SUNNY DAYS

I love Cream Blushers for warmer weather as they reflect light beautifully and give a lovely dewy sheen to the skin. I cannot live without Cream Blusher in 'Rude' [see below] which is a warm apricot/ pink. If you do not own this blush and are of similar colouring to me - you must! Sorry about the product photo, too - you can see this is a favourite at HO!


Here is Lucy modelling her favourite blusher for when the sun has got his hat on - Cream Blusher in 'Sob'. This is a light but bright blue pink that turns almost mauve when used with a light touch.




RAINY DAYS

I tend to stick with matt Powder Blushers when the weather takes a turn for the worse as I like to add shimmer of sparkle to my eyes or lips. I really like the effect of Powder Blusher in 'Beg'. Sehpora.com describes this as a 'muted warm rose'- love that description! It warms up pale/ medium complexions really nicely. I have used it quite sparingly below - you can see how warm it can get in the product picture below, although in reality it actually looks slightly duskier.

Lucy looks great with a bit of sculpting with Powder Blusher in 'Create' - it gives a lovely matt beige contour and if, like me, you do not like bronzers with any hint of shimmer or sparkle, then you could give this a try...


For a flash of unexpected colour, try Powder Blusher in 'Sin'. This is a deep violet shade but can be blended out to a mauve/ pink finish. I think 'Sin' is one of those unique colours that would work on pretty much every skin colour depending on how it is used!

Illamasqua Icons: Karen O

Lucy, our Product Development intern, has chosen Karen O as her beauty icon.

We are all massive fans of the Yeah Yeah Yeah's at Head Office [we frequently have the amazing 'It's Blitz!' playing through the speakers] and their lead singer, Karen O, has become a style revelation with her unusual half polish, half korean looks and unmistakable voice.

With her dark, tom boy hair cut and pale skin she can pull of a variety of make-up looks but tends to rock her trademark red lip.

To recreate a Karen O look, prep your skin with Matt Primer + SPF20 to help even out skintone and lightly mattify oilier areas. This will also allow your foundation to sit on top more evenly and achieve that flawless finish that Karen O has. For a nod to the 80s, apply a contour colour [Illamasqua has a great selection of contour specific Powder Blushers for all skin tones] such as 'Mischief' Powder Blusher just under the cheekbone to define and sculpt.

This is a very matt look, so dust some Loose Powder in '010' for a translucent finish to the skin. Add a little more to the lips to help lip products 'grab' on. Line lips with Medium Pencil in 'Spell', a gorgeous, rich pillar box red and fill in with Intense Lipgloss in 'Besotted' for a rich, edgy red that is both intense in colour and juicy in finish.

Line all around the eyes with Fine Pencil in 'Classic' which is a lovely dove grey and then smudge with Illamasqua Eye Liner Brush to break up the line and give it a Rock N Roll edge. The look is very matt, so try Powder Eye Shadow in 'Incubus' all over the lid and contour under the lashes and in the crease of the eye socket with Powder Eye Shadow in 'Lestat', a very buildable matt black.

Three coats of Volumising Mascara in 'Harness' will give you dark, fluttering lashes and apply a touch of Sealing Gel with your Eye Liner Brush around the lash lines to give the colour ultimate staying power. Add some False Eye Lashes in '17' if you want maximum impact.

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!*