23 March 2011

Get the Look...Toxic Nature!

Our latest Spring Summer collection pushes make-up artistry to the limits, and we have all the tips direct from the Toxic Nature set so you can learn how to create the model look for yourself…



Eyes: Apply new Cream Pigment in Hollow (toffee), around the eye using fingers or a brush, extending right down to the highest point of the cheekbones to exaggerate the eye shape. Develop the depth of colour with Cream Pigment in Emerge (peach) and Delirium (rose taupe), before using Powder Blusher in Sin (deep violet plum), to set and contour the outer edges of the eye.



Lips: Fill the lip with the latest edition to the Illamasqua Lipstick range, Atomic (fushia violet), before using an Angled Eye Liner Brush to line the lip with new Cream Pigment in Mould (grape). For extra definition and a shot of gloss, dab a small amount of Sheer Lipgloss in Divine (fushia pink) to the centre of the lip. 

Face: Apply new Cream Pigment in Emerge (peach), under the cheekbones for a peachy sheen, before setting with a light dusting of Powder Blusher in Lover (soft apricot).

Enjoy recreating this Toxic Nature look...!



22 March 2011

Illamasqua's Newcastle counter celebrates it's 2nd birthday!



Illamasqua’s fabulous counter in Fenwick, Newcastle will be celebrating its 2nd birthday this Friday 25th March!



The team have lots of events and party games planned for the day, including a prize draw and your favourite childhood party games; lucky dip and pass the parcel…they would love for you to visit them to join in!




With a birthday cake and bubbly for you to celebrate with whilst you enjoy a truly Illamasqua transformation, this is one party you will certainly want to attend!



Enjoy...!

21 March 2011

Kelly Cutrone book signing in Melbourne and Circa Nocturna...

Kelly Cutrone - a leading figure within the fashion and beauty industry and Illamasqua’s US Brand Consultant – will be flying to Australia from her native New York City to visit the Illamasqua Counter in Myer’s Melbourne City store on Wednesday 23rd March.



Kelly – and her trademark no-bullshit attitude – starred in MTV’s hit series “The Hills”, “The City” and now has her own show “Kell on Earth” which documents the behind-the-scenes at Kelly’s own agency People’s Revolution one of the most powerful US based PR firms in the biz.



Visit the Melbourne counter and purchase any 2 Illamasqua products to receive Kelly's hit title, "If You Have To Cry, Go Outside" for free! She will also exclusively sign your copy in celebration and support of the launch of the S.O.P.H.I.E charity in Australia. Illamasqua will then donate the value of the book to the SOPHIE foundation!


Sophie Lancaster

 Kelly Cutrone

Kelly will be gracing the Illamasqua counter at the Myer Melbourne City store, from 5.30pm on 23rd March.
Find the Illamasqua counter on the ground floor beauty hall of the Myer Melbourne store.



Circa Nocturna – an account of the event from Celina

Celina, one of Australia's finest bloggers has shared a fabulous report with us of her Circa Nocturna experiences... 


Last weekend I managed to attend Melbourne's Premier Alternative
Fashion Parade, Circa Nocturna as Illamasqua's guest.



The event was hosted by lovely fellow blogger Candice Deville where
she spoke of the importance of alternative fashion and embracing your
alter ego. She announced that Circa Nocturna would be running smaller
more frequent fashion parades in the future, I encourage you to check
out their website to be kept abreast of the latest news and to see a full list of all the
designers that night.



The fashion that night was nothing short of amazing, the makeup (5
looks that Illamasqua was responsible for), the hair, the accessories
and of course the outfits. Below are some of my favourite picks from
the night.



Some designers were Michael V Couture who made his debut that night,
his style was a collaboration between high end couture and the
contemporary lady of today. Trash Glam drew inspiration from the
Japanese subculture of Manga, Steampunk, Victorian and the list goes
on. Illamasqua did makeup for the five models who were in the Clockwork Butterfly section.




The final designer for that night was Rebecca Cobbing Couture, who
specialised in alternative bridal and formal wear, with one of the
outfits consisting of 4000 individually hand sewn Swarovski
crystals.



Just like cosplay, some of the outfits were constructed using everyday
non-traditional materials that resulted in some of the most remarkable
outfits I have ever laid eyes on.

The most emotional part of the event was Trudi's speech about
S.O.P.H.I.E, which is a charity supported by Illasmaqua. In 2007,
young British Sophie Lancaster and her boyfriend were brutally beaten
simply because they were Goth. Sophie later passed away, whilst her
boyfriend Robert suffered long-term damage that is hopefully not permanent, but that he is still recovering from. Sophie's mother Sylvia created S.O.P.H.I.E "Stamp Out Prejudice,
Hatred and Intolerance, Everywhere" in both honour of her daughter and
to fight against prejudice.




As a cosplayer, such a charity sits very close to my heart and I'm
sure many others will agree with me. Trudi played a video dedicated to
the charity that brought tears to my eyes. That evening I purchased a
S.O.P.H.I.E wrist band and will continue to wear it with pride, I
encourage everyone else to do the same if ever given a change as 100%
of the money goes to S.O.P.H.I.E, no cost to the charity.

If you want to give your support online, you can either
purchase a S.O.P.H.I.E black pencil liner from Illamasqua counters,
every $5 goes to the foundation. Or visit their website where you can
also view the heartbreaking video shown that night.




Thank you kindly to both Circa Nocturna and of course Illamasqua for a
most unforgettable evening that has left me inspired to both continue
pushing the sub-culture of cosplay in Australia and help fight
prejudice everywhere.



18 March 2011

A profile of Kathy Koonts, Illamasqua's Director of Merchandising and Supply Chain

As we continue to create profiles of the Head Office team to provide you with an insight into the people behind Illamasqua and our passions and opinions, we have a profile from Kathy Koonts, Illamasqua's Director of Merchandising and Supply Chain




What does beauty mean to you?

It’s an outer reflection of something from inside – be it a signature lipstick, nail colour or full on glam. Beauty is from the soul.


Why did you want to pursue a career in beauty and operations?
First is a love of product. What we do isn’t about spreadsheets, packaging, suppliers and boxes it is about product. Illamasqua has hands down the most incredible cosmetics on the market today and I am so proud to be a part of it! As for the specifics of why I love my job…Operations is a giant puzzle – what will customers want to buy of each item? When do they need it? How shall we get it there? What is new that customers haven’t seen yet and are looking to us to find and develop?


How did you get your job at Illamasqua?
I was simply talking to a great friend of mine from the industry and she knew people here…it all fell into place from there. Thanks Sandy!


What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Summer evening in the garden with my husband, good friends or family. Or sea kayaking somewhere with turquoise water and white sand!


If we were to take you to Starbucks right now what would you order?
Venti skinny latte.


Which living person do you most admire?
My Mom – for overcoming breast cancer, for taking life head on, pursuing new things and constantly learning.


What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Self doubt


What are your political views?
We’re all got a responsibility to the world around us – I look for political leaders who believe change can happen, expect people to take part in their government and who understand there are many viewpoints to consider.


What is your greatest extravagance?
Shoes.


Which talent would you most like to have?
Wish I was musical, music is a passion but I can’t carry a tune in a bucket.


What is your most treasured possession?
An inlaid metal box that my grandfather brought back with him from the war. He kept it by his phone and seeing it every day reminds me of him.


What is your motto?
Celebrate and do no harm to yourself or others.


Which cultural movement or figure do you most identity with?
Suffragettes…these women made it all possible for women today. They believed they could change their reality and they did. 

17 March 2011

Toxic Claw tutorial...


Created with visionary manicurist Mike Pocock

The Toxic Nature launch...

As our teams across the globe and throughout the UK open their doors to introduce and reveal Toxic Nature, Illamasqua’s SS11 collection today, we have a write up to share with you of the exclusive launch party at our Flagship Store, 20 Beak Street earlier this week!





Mika, Illamasqua’s National Make-Up artist recreated the distorted world of Toxic Nature in collaboration with Angel Rose, for what was an amazing evening in celebration of the new collection. 

The fabulous Johnny Lazer

Disco Damage

With a live singer and DJ’s Disco Damage in store, the buzz could be heard throughout Soho and had the store full to the brim with customers eager to capture a glimpse of Toxic Nature in the flesh.




The fabulous and very talented photographer, Matthew Brindle, was busy snapping on the night to catch the live action and to create unique portraits of the attendees. We wanted to share some of these shots and portraits here for those of you who couldn’t make it…








Toxic Nature is now live!

It can be found on illamasqua.com, throughout the UK at our regional counters and at our at our counters in Australia.

* Thank you to Matthew Brindle for the photographs *

16 March 2011

Illamasqua Sponsor London College of Fashion Show

We are really excited to be strengthening our ties with the London College of Fashion by providing the make-up for their Performance Show for 2011. Yesterday I went along with Spob [Head of Professional Development at Illamasqua] to the theatre for a behind-the-scenes look at the Cochrane Theatre in London where the performance will be head.



It was the first time I had been backstage at a westend theatre and it was really exciting to see! The stage was suprisingly huge and when you look up and see all the background screens and equipment up there... well, I'd be daunted if I were an actress!

The production team behind this exciting show include Richard Eustace who is currently working on Danny "Slumdog Millionaire" Boyle's  Frankenstein production at the National Theatre in London, and Paul Green who has designed work for Sadler's Wells.


 The team at London College of Fashion tell me, "The show is the culmination and wonderful celebration of the determination and hard work that has been invested by students and staff from across our three disciplines of costume, make-up and prosthetics, and technical effects."

Full run down and behind-the-scenes pics will be published post event!

15 March 2011

14 March 2011

Toxic Nature events across the UK…

As Illamasqua prepares to launch our latest Spring/Summer collection across the UK and the Globe, our UK counters are set to be a buzz of activity in celebration of Toxic Nature this week!


Illamasqua’s National Make-Up artist Mika will be hosting a fabulous pre-launch party at our Flagship store in London’s Beak Street tomorrow (15th) to celebrate and welcome the new collection in true Illamasqua style.

‘An exclusive preview Toxic Nature launch party, enabling you all to see, feel and explore the new collection in the flesh before the official in-store launch! Be the first to sample the new colours, experiment with your self expression using our new formulations. Unleash your unnatural alter ego.’

So if you are in London, come down and share in a complimentary glass of fizz with the Illamasqua team whilst you receive a sneak preview of the new Toxic Nature collection in all its glory. We will be there too to document the event with some snaps for the blog and website too!




Birmingham 

Mika will then be heading up to meet and work alongside our wonderful Birmingham Team in the Bullring Selfridges. With a sparkling new Illamasqua counter and an extraordinary new collection to introduce the world to, there will be a lot to visit Birmingham for.

Prepare to be immersed in this ‘Atomic-Botanical Environment where survival is the key and camouflage by colour is the path to existence’





As the collection launches, these classes offer the opportunity to swatch, test and play with the new pieces including the Cream Pigments, an amazing and versatile product that offer true creativity and experimentation.


To find out more about this fantastic opportunity to meet one of Illamasqua’s most recognised Make-Up artists click here   

To book your transformation including the all new Toxic Nature pieces, call the Birmingham team on +44 (0) 121 600 6818


Manchester

There will also be a lot to enjoy at Illamasqua’s counter in the Trafford Centre Selfridges with two exclusive Masterclasses to inspire and educate. 

The expert Manchester team will be offering a choice of two Masterclasses to celebrate the launch of Toxic Nature:

6-7pm Night Time Diva
8-9pm Dare To Be Different


The wonderful Manchester Team


Hosted by two of Illamasqua’s National Make-Up artists, these classes are sure to amaze and intrigue with all levels of creativity and advice. To find out more click here   http://www.illamasqua.com/news/89/

To experience either of these stunning classes, simply contact the team on +44 (0) 161 629 1187

11 March 2011

An 'Evening of Creativity with Mannequin Make-up Art' 17th March!

As we draw closer to the exclusive ‘Evening of Creativity with Mannequin Make-up Art’ course at Illamasqua’s School of Make-Up Art, the places are filling!




‘Open your perspectives on the fine art of make-up and watch a close up demonstration of the specialised hand crafted painting skills of mannequin make-up art! World leading mannequin company Rootstein's experts will talk through the process and technique with demonstrations to inspire…this promises to be a truly fascinating evening!’



An Evening of Creativity with Mannequin Make-up Art
Thursday 17th March 2011
17:00 - 19:00
£50 with £25 redeemable against products


Strictly limited places available and booked on a first come first serve basis.






To secure your place on this bespoke and truly unique course, simply call or email the School soon!


T - 0203 4323276
E - school@illamasqua.com
W - www.illamasqua.com