Illamasqua I'mperfection Spring Collection

As a huge fan of Illamasqua since they first came on the beauty scene, I like seeing all their new and exciting collections. One thing I love about the brand, is that each collection will be so well thought out, and have so much meaning behind each product and specific "look". I was recently invited along to see the new Illamasqua Spring Collection and I wanted to share my thoughts with you all. 

One cannot simply snap away at new products without a comedy shot of their best friend inside a blusher compact...

The collection is titled "I'mperfection" (get it... I'M PERFECTION = IMPERFECTION) Personally, I think this is one the best collection names i've ever heard. So simply but SO clever. The difference an apostrophe can make! It's all about embracing the things that are typically seen as imperfections and highlighting them instead of hiding them away. 

Alex Box describes the collection as "a stand against the homogenised nature of the beauty industry today, and a celebration of freckles, scars and birthmarks - the things that make us who we are. To borrow a line from Marilyn Monroe, "Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring". I love that quote! 

The first thing in the collection that caught my eye was this gorgeous blusher duo in "Lover & Hussy*", both gorgeous matte shades. The colour that stood out to me the most was the orange/peach tone, as these shades really compliment my skin in the summer once i've had a bit of sunlight on my face! Illamasqua blushers are my favourite thing about the brand. They are far more pigmented than plenty of others I have tried and the consistency of them is really lovely to use and blend. 

Next up is the lipstick. Lipstick was the first item of makeup I ever bought from Illamasqua as they had such a vast and interesting colour range. They have the best selection of matte lipsticks you will ever find, and the colour payoff is amazing. This shade is called "Immodest*" and it's a gorgeous vibrant, fuchsia pink. The lipsticks are really long lasting and contain vitamin e for nourishment, which is almost a necessity when wearing matte lipsticks as many people stay well away in case of major dry lips. 

Above are swatches of the lipstick "Immodest" and both blush colours from the "Lover and Hussy" duo, as you can see, all three are extremely pigmented.

Next is a brush* which really excited me! Illamasqua have designed this brush for a more chiselled and precise blush technique when applying. This new "brush up" design has an ellipse shaped head designed to tuck directly under the cheekbone. Gone are the days of big rosy round cheeks, it's all about creating more shape and structure to your face (hello fake cheekbones) and the best way of doing that is a more precise way of applying your blusher. I am so excited to start using this on my face, although it definitely sounds a lot easier than it probably is, and could take a few attempts in order to make it look just right. 

Besides the brush, I was also really intrigued by the new nail polishes that Illamasqua had brought out with this collection. Each nail polish is in a pretty pastel shade with a speckled finish inspired by the beauty of a bird's egg. At first I raised an eyebrow at this bizarre concept, thinking it looked a little like sparse glitter, but the more I looked at these, and when I saw them on the nails, I was completely sold. They look SO good! The two shades I have above are "Freckle"* and "Speckle"*. Speckle being my favourite in a gorgeous pastel purple. I can't wait to do my next manicure with this and I also think it would look great on toes!

In keeping with the campaign and collection, they had also designed a speckled effect for the eyes using the precision ink liners in black (Abyss) and white (Scribe). I would have never thought to do anything like it but it looked amazing on the girls, and sounded so easy to do. I also love the other creative ways of using other colours with your eyeliner. Who would have thought white cat-eye liner would look really good with a neutral eyeshadow? Not me, but now I really want to try it. 

The one amazing thing about Illamasqua is that their collections aren't just "pretty" but inspiring, and the campaigns that run alongside new collections are really interesting and make you think outside the box. If there is ever a brand to open your eyes to the creative world of makeup, it's Illamasqua. You don't have to be daring in your makeup choices in order to indulge in any of the products, but keep an open mind and be inspired. Makeup can become a very boring chore in our every day lives, but it's nice to keep everything a bit fresh and exciting, and I always feel like Illamasqua do that. 

Buy items from the new I'mperfection collection here on the Illamasqua website

What are your favourite items from the new collection? Anything you'd love to buy and try for yourself?

♥

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Illamasqua: Theatre of The Nameless Collection & Event

Last week, I was lucky enough to be invited by Illamasqua to see their new Collection "Theatre of The Nameless". The event itself was held in a swanky bar in central London (Dean Street for those of you who need all the minor detail). In true Illamasqua style, the room was decorated with luxurious fabrics and dark decor to fit their mysterious theme. They definitely know how to fit a scene.
I arrived with Louise (SprinkleofGlitter) after getting lost in China Town and Leciester Square and flagging down a taxi to drive us the whole 2 minutes up the road. You can tell we don't live in London. We were greeted into the event by Hayley at Illamasqua who gave us a run down of the new products. The theme behind the collection is based on 1920's Berlin and the underground subcultures, namely one woman in particular - Anita Berber, a 1920's "lady of the night", actress and dance performer. She, alongside a chap called Sebastian Droste (her lover) performed very shocking, and out of the ordinary shows which bent the rules of Theatre in the 1920's. They were the rebels of their time. The colletion reflects this dark mood, with sultry, smokey reds and dark contours, alongside very striking harsh lines.

One thing I really love about Illamasqua are the stories behind every collection. They really think about the things that inspire them and I can only imagine what their research boards look like. Every product has its purpose, story and theme and that really does make such a difference to the overall collection. You really feel as though you must own everything.

Top Photo: Me & Louise (SprinkleofGlitter)
Me, Hayley (at Illamasqua) & Zara (MouldyFruit)

There are a handful of makeup items in this collection which had me drooling, and others that I wouldn't feel overly confident to rock out (like the green lipgloss) but it's things like this that make Illamasqua so unique. There are people out there that crave something different and dramatic, and so these out of the ordinary colours and combinations are perfect. Some of my favourite items were the Loose Pigments & the Cream Pigments. I already own 2 of the loose pigments and they are by far the most intense, compact pigments I own. I highly reccommend them, escpecially with the sealing gel for extra secure eyeshadow or even for an eyeliner. The cream pigments got a lot of attention in the previous collection, and I had been eyeing them up since, so I was so happy to see they had been brought back in this collection. The colour "Androgen" is gorgeous!

Cocktails and the Live versions of Anita & Sebastian

On leaving the event, we were given a little bag of goodies to take away & play with. I was exceptionally happy with the 3 items I was given & if asked, I would have totally chosen these myself. They obviously know me too well. ;)

The first is an intense lipgloss in "Bella Donna". A deep pink with a slight plummy undertone. This lipgloss is gorgeous! It makes your teeth look sparkling white, and is such a flattering colour. I'd wear this on a night out, but since I have been rocking a statement lip more than normal, I'd even wear it during the day. It's not overly sticky or drying and has such a great pigmentation.
Then we have the Cream Pigment in "Androgen". This is my favourite item of the three, and possibly whole collection. It's massively pigmented and makes for the most perfect blush. I love my coral blushers as I feel they really compliment my complexion so this is going to be a new staple to my makeup routine.
Last and by no means least, is the nail polish in "Faux Pas". These nailpolishes were designed to give the nail a waxy, "rubberised" look and texture. Somewhere between shiney and matte. I really love this idea, and actually the finish looks fab. Especially for the Autumn. There's 3 other colours in this range, a stoney brown shade, a deep cerise and a bottle green. I want to get my mitts on the stone brown.

Overall, I was thouroughly impressed by the collection and the products within it. The lovely people at Illamasqua never fail to make a product launch spectacular. With everything from the inspiration, to the product design to the amazing promo shoots. It's slightly on the higher end of the makeup brand scale, and the prices do reflect this, but with it comes quality. I have plenty of makeup items from Illamasqua that I treasure and use on a regular basis, and i'll continue to buy from them as long as they keep bringing out these amazing products.

To check out Illamasqua and the new product launch, as well as their previous collections and regular makeup stock, check out their website: http://www.illamasqua.com/

♥

Illamasqua Prescison Ink

Being somewhat of an eyeliner junkie and always trying and testing any eyeliner on the market (be it gel, pencil or liquid) when I saw that Illamasqua had released this eyeliner, i knew i had to order it. At a whopping £16, it is officially the most expensive eyeliner i have ever owned, and i do think that the price is a little too steep. For an eyeliner, I don't think anyone should be paying any more than around the £12 mark, but that it just my opinion.

When i first recieved the eyeliner, after pulling it from the amazing packaging (Illamasqua is always spot on with their packaging) I noticed how sturdy the tip of the liner was, and that it came to a nice point. It reminded me a lot of my favourite drugstore liner, L'oreal Superliner, so i decided to compare, since the prices were oh so very different.

Both liners come to a nice point, but it's very clear to see that Illamasqua has the upper hand with a much more sturdy, and shorter tip, thus making application slightly easier for "prescsion lining". Having said that, I do like the L'oreal liner for it's flexibility, as it can make the application a little swifter and to some, easier but may not be as prescise.

L'oreal Superliner on the Left, Illamasqua Prescision Liner on the Right

The L'oreal Liner feathers slightly but you can still get a nice even, straight line, and it's nice and black. The Illamasqua liner, is a bit more shiney, which i like a lot, and doesnt feather into the skin. Although once applied to slightly uneven, wrinkled eyelids, it doesn't look so neat anyway so it doesnt make much difference unless you are using it on a very even surface.
I put water on the back of my hand and scrubbed the liners, the outcome is seen above on the right. Both claiming to be waterproof, it's pretty obvious which is the winner here. In some ways, i think it was a little unfair as i scrubbed less than 5 minutes after applying the liner to the back of my hand, but this just indicates that, even if L'oreal Superliner IS waterproof, it may need more drying time before any water comes into contact...and this just goes in Illamasquas favour for amazingly quick drying time and SUPER good staying power when water is sloshed on it.

I would reccommend this liner to those of you who are looking for something with amazing staying power. I did (unfortunately, and very disgustingly of me) fall asleep with my makeup on not too long ago, and when i awoke, my eyeliner was still perfect.
One thing i really don't like about it though, is that i can't smudge a pencil/khol liner over it to give it a smokey finish, which i do like doing with a lot of liquid liners as sometimes i feel the line is too harsh. When i attempt to add pencil and smudge, the liner just flakes off onto my face...and i'm left with gappy, weird liner which i then have to re-do. I think this could be due to the fast drying agent and the fact that it's so solid.

I think i will be using my L'oreal Superliner for smudging-ness and my Prescision Ink Liner for nights where my makeup needs to stay put no matter what.
Have you tried this liner? If so, what did you think?

♥

Illamasqua Body Electrics Spring/Summer 2010 Collection

I'm probabaly a bit late posting this but like a few others in the beauty community, I came home to find a mysterious box addressed to me. I unwrapped it, and to my absolute joy, it was a few items from the most recent Illamasqua Collection "Body Electrics", sent kindly from Alex.

I wasn't as excited about this collection when I had first heard what was going to be released in it, but after seeing and playing with it first hand there are some absolute gems in there.

The first thing i want to mention is the promo images Illamasqua use. They are by FAR the best promo images for a makeup brand i have ever seen. Clearly so much thought and imagination go into the shoot and all the editing, not to mention the amazing makeup. When you see the images, there is no way you can pass up looking through the products.



Nail Polish in Jo'Mina

The best way to describe this colour is lavender. In all honesty, i have never seen a colour like this. There are alot of dark purples & pale lilacs floating about, but this colour is very unique.
The application is easy and the colour is very opaque. I had great colour pay off with just one coat. The consistency is also perfect, not gloopy and not watery. I am definitely going to explore more of Illamasqua nail polish range.

rrp: £13

Bronzer in Burnish

I have been using this bronzer ever since i recieved it. It reminds me of a slightly more glittery version of Laguna by Nars, except i find this leaves me looking a lot less muddy and it blends easier on the cheek. I also love the little Illamasqua symbol on it. There is clearly gold particles in the bronzer, but it really doesnt come across as glittery on the face & does give a gorgeous bronzed glow as well as being super pigmented (so go light on the brush ladies)

rrp: £20

4-Colour Liquid Metal Pallette

This was the one product in the collection i was the most excited about. The signature liquid metals (which are amazing if you haven't already discovered this for yourself). You can buy all 4 (some previously released in older collections) in one nifty pallette (Clockwise from Top Left: Enrapture, Surge, Solstice & Phenomena) If you don't already own any of these but have been interested in trying them out, i definitely reccommend this pallette to add to your collection. There is honestly nothing else to compare these too in the makeup industry.
The one thing I did notice, was that the pigmentation wasn't AS good as my single one which i already own (Solstice), I don't know if this applies to all pallettes or just mine. Don't get me wrong, it's still damn good, just not as shockingly pigmented.
The liquid metals look fab for the corners of the eye, as an eyeliner or even used as a base for other shadows..and they can be used anywhere else on the face or even the body (just not the lips)

rrp: £29.50

If you haven't already, please go check out Illamasqua's website for more amazing promo images & equally fabulous products. I genuinly feel that the brand carries very unique and exciting things no other brand can offer & you get a lot for what you pay for.

♥

My 5 Current "Go-To" Blushers.

Throughout the past few months, i have been using the same handful of blushers over & over.
I have quite a nice collection of blush too, but i just keep going back to these beauties.
At some point, I am going to have to give my other blushers some well deserved attention but for now, i will share with you the 5 that are very close to my heart. ha.

P.S I'm sorry about my lack of eye makeup and generally lacking full stop on the makeup front today..but it's all about the blush..right?



Illamasqua Powder Blush in "Tweak"



This blush was kindly sent to me by Alex over at Illamasqua as she had seen it in my wishlist. I absolutely adore the colour of this blush. It's a shade i don't often see. I'd say it was a red based hot pink. I know it looks scary, but honestly, you just need the smallest amount and it brightens up your whole complexion. I honestly think that warmer tones suit my skin alot more than cool tones. I have been wearing this alot during the winter because i think it gives your cheeks a naturally "cold-kissed" glow (been out in the cold) I am one of those people that doesn't go pink when cold, or after exercising, so this is perfect. I'd also like to add that it's the most pigmented blush i own.

Mac's Mineralize Blush in "Daft Pink"



This blush came out with a collection earlier on in the year, and i instantly knew i'd love it. I get so many compliments on my skin when i wear this. It does give you a healthy glow. However, if you don't like small particles of glitter or a sheen..this isn't for you. As my skin is mostly dry/combination, i love a bit of a sheen to give my face more dimension. I'm going to have to slow down with this one, as it was limited edition. If you are after something similar, The Body Shop came out with a mineralize blusher not long ago, it didn't look similar, but had almost the exactly same effect on the skin. They had a few in the winter sale, so you might still be able to find one of those somewhere.

Benefit Powder Blush in "Coralista"



Since I recieved this at Christmas, i have worn it to death. I don't care if coral is typically a summer shade for the face, it brightens up my complexion and softens it. Sometimes pink can get a bit boring & when that's the case, coral is perfect. I think because my skin is a "warm" shade, coral is easier for me to wear. I can't wait until the sun starts coming out so i can really whack it on with my bronzer. haha.

Illamasqua Cream Blush in "Sob"



I love this one when i am going for a "doll faced" look. What i mean by that is just simple pale matte skin, long full lashes, and simple lip & eye colours. This cream blush gives the ultimate dewy effect, it has a gorgeous shine to it, and when paired with flawless matte skin, it looks so pretty. It's got a much blue-er undertone than anything else i own, and for this reason i don't wear it as much as the others. I wore it alot more towards the start of winter when I still had a bit of face colour from the summer, otherwise it CAN make you look slightly cold. I still wear it at the moment though. It looks pretty with brown neutral eyes and a neutral lip colour.

Mac's Powder Blush in "Well Dressed"



A favourite of many, the trusty Well Dressed. A gorgeous milky pink with slight shimmer. It goes on smoothly, blends well & looks good with ANY makeup look. Pale or sunkissed, this blush will suit my skin whichever. The only thing i WILL say about this, is that Illamasqua puts Mac to shame when it comes to pigmentation. In order to get the achieved amount on my face i do have to go back a few times, whereas Illamasqua's blushers are very highly pigmented..and i believe they are around the same price.

What are you're current "go-to" blushers?
♥

Illamasqua Dystopia

I was introduced to this collection at the Illamasqua event a few weeks ago.
In all honesty, there were only a few things i really felt i would wear.
The collection is very different from the previous Sirens collection, which i would describe as "safe", something you could wear everyday for a summery, bronzed look.
This collection I would say is more vampy & smokey. Something i would probabaly be more likely to wear at night.

At the event itself, we were given 2 items to try out.
I was given the 2 lipglosses. One being a gorgeous milky pearlescent shade & the other a very scary metallic silver, which, i don't really think i will wear. Its a fab idea, but personally i think the only time i would ever rock a silver metallic lip is for a photo sesh. I've seen people dabbing it in the center of the bottom lip, and i agree that looks fab, but i think thats as far as i'd go.
The MA at Illamasqua suggested to use it on your eyes, i tried this & i hated it. I find it FAR too sticky to put anywhere near my eyes. Think of honey on your eyelids haha.
I immediately had to wash it off (and that took ages) I think if you want to achieve the mega metallic look on the eyes, stick to the liquid metals.

2 things i really did love from the Dystopia collection, were the pigments. I love that you can use these anywhere. Lips, Eyes, Cheekbones, Cupids bow, Collar bones, Clear Polish...etc etc.
And I highly rate the packaging idea, it has proved to be very tidy...pigments..as a rule...are not tidy..
The two pigments are "Static" & "Android".
Static being a gorgeous pearlescent shade. It pictures awfully but looks amazing.
Android is a dark grey with fine particles of silver glitter...again, very pretty.
With all pigments though..there is fall out...annoying but it's hard to prevent this.

I didn't have anything like this in my makeup collection. I have heard fellow bloggers compare Static to a Mac Pigment (which i can't remember what it's called - so that was a whole lot of good..)
The Illamasua MUA (who by the way, was one of the nicest most helpful people ever, which i hadn't experienced at an illamasqua counter before...) demonstrated the foiling effect of the pigments using sealing gel. It looks amazing, and since i didn't own Mac's version, i decided to buy it with the pigments so i could use it for liner and minimising fall out.

Above are swatches of the pigments. On the left side of my hand are the pigments without the sealing gel & on the right is with. It makes such a difference.

The lipglosses i find to be quite sticky, and i do not like the applicators. I find i have to stare at it, make sure some comes out, i go to put it on my lips and its sucked back down...mine also got messy very quickly. However, one plus point of the application is that you can layer it on top of a coloured lipstick and not have the colour rub off onto the applicator. I also think these last a reasonably long time!

Left: Explode sheer gloss, Right: Galactic intense gloss

Besides the fact i think they're quite sticky and a little messy, i really do love Explode gloss. Its one of those shades that will tone down a bright lipstick and give it a gorgeous pearlescent glaze on top. I have been teaming this with a lot of different bright colours and i have become a little bit addicted to it. Would reccommend this one highly :)

Overall, i wasn't blown away by the collection, but there are some gems in there that if you dont already own something similar, you should definitely check out.
Hope this has helped some of you!

♥

Smokey Eye FOTD with Nars & Illamasqua

Today, i thought i would play around with some of my new shadows...

In real life, this looks really dark and smokey, the flash has bleached it out alot. So, i guess you could either wear this in the daytime or the evening. :)


Face
♥ Mac select cover up concealer on blemishes
♥ GOSH touch up concealer in no. 2 under eyes
♥ Benefit erase paste in no 1 in corners of eyes to brighten
♥ Bare Escentuals mineral foundation in Medium Beige, using the Body Shop Kabuki for application
♥ Bare Escentuals "Faux Tan" to contour & bronze using Mac's 109 brush
♥ Mac MSF in Porcelain Pink using 109 brush


Eyes
♥ Mac's Blackground paint pot as a base, only on outer corners of the eyes.
♥ Nars Pleasures Of Paris palette col. Abyssinia in inner corner of eyes
♥ Nars PofP col. Fez in center of the eyes
♥ Nars Mekong single shadow in outer corners and blended under the eyes.
♥ Mac Retrospeck as brow highlight
♥ Loreal Voluminous mascara
♥ 2True waterproof eyeliner along top lashline

[Fed up of photos turning out rubbish]

Lips
♥ Illamasqua Obey Lipstick
♥ Mac Baby Sparks Dazzleglass on top


I had so much trouble with taking a photo of myself today. I just hated all of them & almost gave up.
In this very last photo it's my "URGH I GIVE UP" face :)
and in another i think i look pretty fed up.
I like this look, but none of my cameras really gave it ANY justice. I used 3!
I used my webcam last, just so you could see it zoomed out a little bit, and with my hair :)
& i actually prefer the webcam shots albeit a little yellow...

I lovelovelove these nars shadows. They look amazing on.
♥

London Purchases - Illamasqua & Nars

Before the Body Shop Event, we "popped" into Selfridges...

I only bought a few things, I was being a good girl :)

Of course i had to check out the Illamasqua counter, I really wanted to try one of their eyeshadows as i've heard great things about them & obviously i couldn't help purchasing another lipstick as i love the one i bought previously & wanted another for my collection. (This one was actually on my wishlist!)

The Lipstick is called "Liar" & It's a gorgeous pastel pink, very opaque but is one of a few with tiny shimmery particles in it rather than being matte.
Holly tried this one on & we both fell in love with it.
I cannot wait to wear this, I really love Illamasqua lipsticks, the lasting power is seriously good.
The other one i purchased (Obey) i wore in my latest FOTN, and i had to scrub it off my lips before bed..AND in the morning. I was thouroughly impressed.
Im not too sure if the shimmery ones will have the same effect but we shall soon see.

The eyeshadow is called Tango..and again, among all the hundreds of mattes they have, is a shimmer.
I love my shimmers clearly.
It's a gorgeous reddy brown, and i actually dont think i own anything like it. I have browns, but none with a red/orange undertone.
The pigmentation i would say is similar to Mac's, although i actually think that Illamasqua shadows last longer on the eye. :)

Next was the Nars counter.
I don't know if you've had a chance to look at the new collection but there are a few gems in there.
One being this shadow...

It's called Mekong, and it a deep brown, with tiny gold specks.
It looks a little purpley in the photos, i don't know why but it's not showing it in all it's beauty.
I was trying so hard to get it to show up the right colour...dang!
One thing i love about Nars shadows, is the pigmentation
They are by far the most pigmented shadows i have ever used.
one swipe and it's there in all it's glory.
They also last AGES.
I swiped this on my hand the other day (before urchasing) and even after i'd scrubbed at my hand, there was still a little mark there at the end of the day.
I havent used many of the lighter Nars shadow shades, so i cant say whether they are as pigmented as the darker ones, but from swatching at the counter many times before, i have never been dissapointed.

Look out for these products in some FOTD's in upcoming posts.
These are all far too pretty to let them go un-demonstrated.

Anything else in this Nars Collection you think is worth the buck?
I loved the look of the duo..but one shadow was very glittery (of the chunky nature).
& theres a palette i have my beady little eye on.

♥

A few new purchases...

It was really sunny on sunday, so me & Jack decided to drive to Cardiff for a little mooch/shop.

They have an Illamasqua counter in the Debenhams there, so OBVIOUSLY i was going to check out some of the products as i have been waiting SO patiently to see in the flesh.

But first, i'll go through other things i bought.
The pearl necklaces were both Primarni. One on the left was £3 & the one on the right was £2.
Can't go wrong with pearls..every girl should own some.
:)

Soap & Glory - Feel the KneadThis is, quite possibly, my favourite S&G product to date.
In all honesty, i bought this because it intrigued me.
Ever seen soap shaped like this?
It smells amaaazing. Really fresh smelling.
When i used this, i was pleasantly surprised. It seemed to exfoliate, lather and leave my skin so smooth, as well as massage away all the cellulite.
Haha, okay the cellulite wasn't gone after my bath but its nice to think this might actually budge it if used religiously.
I'm actually looking forward to my next bath so i can use this again.
sad no? haha

Soap & Glory - I-Foam Body washI took one sniff of this and threw it in my basket.
Not alot to say on this one in all honesty, it smells bleddy amazing, lathers amazing & just does everything it says on the bottle.
BUY IT NAAOO

Illamasqua Lipstick - Obey
It's funny because i have my little wishlist on the right of products i most definitely wanted to swatch and see up close,
But when i got to the actual counter, i was so overwhelmed with all the different colours and the girl constantly trying to paint my face i didnt really take it all in properly.
Also Jack was standing with me and i didnt want to take all day haha
So i went straight to the lippies and this one took my fancy. It looks gorgeous on, a colour i definitely dont have and it lasted SO long on my lips.
So far i am very impressed with the Illamasqua Lipsticks.

Illamasqua Cream Blusher - SobThis was the cream blush that really stood out to me.
It is very similar to the powder blush in "Katie" and the MA put both on each of my cheeks and we both agreed that the cream blush looks alot more natural on me.
I LOVE IT.
I wore it the other day, and it lasted me HOURS.
Something the Mac cream blushes FAIL miserably to do on my skin.
I need more of these in my collection. They are so worth the money!
Very generously, Jack bought me both Illamasqua products.
He's always so sneaky, and when i go to pay, he jumps in & shoves his card in the machine.
I love them both thankyou so much Jack :)

Mac Eyeshadow - Style SnobThis eyeshadow is part of the "Love that look" collection in Mac at the moment.
These shadows are amazing, i love the Starflash finish & can only urge you all to check it out.
I want almost all of the shadows, but being very good, i came away with just one.
Might have to sneak back for a few more. ;)

Mac Eyeshadow - Amber Lights
I didn't own this shadow...& i couldnt believe i didn't own it.
It was always one of those shadows i'd swatch on my hand and then just leave the shop over and over and over.
I decided on buying it this time as when i swatched it, Jack loved the colour & really wanted me to wear it.
He probabaly secretly knew i always wanted it, and persuaded me :)
I love this colour, orangey tones compliment blue eyes and all that ;)

So that is my little shopping load.
It's not much, but i thought i'd share my first experiences with Illamasqua up close.
Although, im pretty sure they didn't have the whole range..it didn't seem like they did, unless i was so in ore i totally misjudged the amount.
The girl was really nice, and gave me a mini makeover.
Can't wait to see the stand in Selfridges with the beauty bloggers in a week
:)

♥