Adam in Birmingham Tuesday 19th - Saturday 23rd January

One of our National Make-up Artists, Adam, will be in Selfridges Birmingham this week as a very special guest of the Illamasqua counter!

Adam has experience working with some of the top names in showbiz including Rihanna, Fergie and Nicole Schwerzinger. He has also worked as a make-up artist for ten years and his experiences include alternative work as well as fashion shows such as Burberry and Alexander McQueen.

He loves to experiment with his variety of alter-egos - including the wonderful Medusa [below] - and is a wonderful make-up artist.

To book a personalised, one-on-one make-up lesson with Adam, call 0121 600 6818 - but hurry as place are sure to book fast - for £30, redeemable against purchases made on the day.

Bah! Humbug! The Anti-Christmas Party With The Broken Hearts DJs

The Broken Hearts, a seriously cool DJ duo - described by Timeout magazine as "Turntable goddesses... guaranteed to pull out a plethora of delights from both the DJ crate and the dressing-up box" - hosted the Back to Ours: Bah! Humbug! Anti-christmas party at The Hospital Club in Covent Garden on Friday 11th December.

They are big fans of Illamasqua and asked us to come along and create some party looks on their guests, so Adam, Mika and Helen set up a make-up table complete with stencils and went colour crazy!

Alex Box [Creative Director] and Kate Massarella [Brand Director] also popped down for a lime daiquiri [or three] but I couldn't find any pictures of them... I think they were too busy propping up the bar!

Black heart motifs were painted on to everyone from the bar men, to the Broken Hearts themselves and almost all of the guests - who ranged from burlesque artists to club kids to media moguls - using Eye Liner Cake in 'Mislead' mixed with Sealing Gel for ultimate staying power.


On hand to take lots of snaps was the lovely Christopher James, founder of weknowwhastyoudidlastnight.com

The beautiful set was designed by Petra Stoors, the acclaimed set designer who has a client list that includes Alexander McQueen.




The black and white theme of the evening was only broken by the bright Intense Lipglosses - 'Besotted' and 'Indulge' were the most requested according to the artists.

It all got a messy at the end, a sure sign of a great night...

Thanks to The Broken Hearts girls, Christopher James, Ali at The Hospital Club, Petra Storrs and everyone else for a fantastic night!

Box News Flash!

Alex Box is in the office this morning to meet with our Product Development Manager Katie and Brand Director Kate to discuss an exciting collaboration project that is currently in the works and ideas for the Spring Summer 2010 collection - which is difficult to envision when the weather is so hideous!

Alex has been working on setting up the exhibition with Rankin. On Monday she went along to go over the finer party details and to set up the exhibition - what image goes where etc. You can hear the excitement in her voice when she talks about it. The book has been two years in the making and now the launch is only two days away! I will of course give a full rundown on the event as well as pics from the party!

Alex has been giving lots of interviews for the book launch over the past week. Style.com will be covering as well as beauty, art and cultural press so there will be plenty of images over the internet over the next few weeks.

Aside from the book/ exhibition look, Alex has been shooting for the Uncle album cover and just having a general chill out after the Fashion Weeks. Her favourites this time around were Gareth Pugh

and Anne Valerie Hash.

Alex was also really excited about the Frieze Art fair in Regents Park and has this week been working with Simon Costin, who is hosting a party for halloween at the V&A Museum. Simon Costin is an internationally respected art director and set designer renowned for the conceptually ambitious nature his editorial and catwalk designs. He has collaborated extensively with Alexander McQueen both on McQueen's own line and Givenchy ready-to-wear and haute couture shows. Costin's client list includes Hermès, Lanvin, Kim Jones, Maison Martin Margiela, Alice Temperley, Stella McCartney and Luella Bartley.

She also brought to my attention an interesting online concept, begun by the New York Times I believe, that I thought you might all want to take a look at - I found it fascinating! I found one that Alex did - I love how one of the comments below says that Alex must be misogynistic. Perhaps they should do their research first...! Any way, what do you all think?
Click here for the link.

Alex Box Biography and Exclusive Interview

Alex Box studied and exhibited as an installation artist before training to become a make-up artist, with her main focus on relationships between the body and the environment. As a make-up artist, she went on to explore this relationship between art, science, nature and the magical. Today, Alex creates out of the box [!] looks for designers including Gareth Pugh, Alexander McQueen, Biba and Chanel.

Leading the field in experimental beauty, she is a regular contributor to i-D, Vogue, V, Harpers Bazaar and 10 magazine as well as ShowStudio online.

I grabbed a quick word with the lady herself…

Hi Alex, how are you today?

I am very good! I have got a lot done – I’ve met with two photographers to talk about creative projects for the near future, had a conference call with Rankin about our new book and been to the dentist. I’m now off to Brewer Street for a late lunch and to pick up some material!

Why did you agree to become Artistic Director for Illamasqua?

How could I say no? Julian Kynaston [Chairman of Illamasqua] approached me through Myspace after reading an article about me, written by Bethan Cole for the Sunday Times Style where I mentioned that the art of applying and enjoying make-up was being slowly lost and replaced by corporate cosmetic fads. He came to me and presented an idea for an emotional cosmetic brand that would bring the fun and life back into an increasingly stagnant industry. The fact that he approached me in such a human and informal way – through Myspace – really touched me and I fell hook line and sinker for his vision. It was not corporate, it was not business, it was passion and I absolutely understood where he was coming from as it was coming straight from the heart. We could not have been more in tune and so it was inevitable that we would form a really solid relationship.

How has the journey from idea to reality been for you?

Amazing. Ive learnt a lot; how you develop a range literally, how you translate ideas into physical product and the highs and lows of life on the production and business side of cosmetics. Of course, there are frustrations - certain pigments can’t be used on certain areas of the face, certain textures are impossible to achieve, but it is the struggles that make you really appreciate the triumphs.

I am a creative at heart and I believe that if you have a strong enough idea and enough passion and commitment to something then it can create something wonderful. I have become extremely confident and proud of Illamasqua – our visions are being shared by so many people and it is extraordinary to be a part of something like that. I believe we have barely scratched the surface. Illamasqua is going to be huge and I am going to be there every step of the way!

Has exploring individuality has always been more important to you than trends?

Yes. It’s a life long journey to discover yourself, who you are, what you believe in. Why pretend to be someone else or do what everyone else is doing? Trends are very transparent. If you try to be on trend, you’re already off which is the irony of fashion. Once you are wearing the trends, the ‘trend setters’ are on to the new thing and thus you have already fallen behind. You become like a dog chasing your own tail.

One person being labelled ‘alternative’ does not create a movement – you need more than one voice and at Illamasqua we have a whole choir! When you look at it from that perspective, our counters become even more incredible.
What advice would you give to anyone wanting to become a make-up artist?

Believe in yourself and just go with what is in your heart – a lot of people will tell you to adapt and change your ideas to suit the current fashions and if that is who you are then fine, but to be an innovator you need to be able to step away from it all and be able to reflect on your life and experiences you have had. Take time out to experience new cultures, visit exhibitions and spend time with friends as this will influence your work and give your work a view point and develop your artistic impulse. What will inspire you otherwise?

The best advice I ever received was when I was just starting out - a top make-up artist told me: It’s a stayers race. This is completely true – many people will drop away but it’s all about stamina and belief.
How would you describe your style?

An acid goth. Pure and simple.

Check out the Box News feature later this week to find out what Alex has been up to!