IMAGE Beauty Awards

The prestigious irish magazine Image has recognised Illamasqua as a leading luxury beauty company and awarded us two of their highly coveted awards: for Best Cream Blusher and Best Lipgloss.

“Every model and actress I tried this on wanted to buy it off me. Take care when applying, as the colours are very strong, but they blend out beautifully. They double up great as stunning lip shades too, last for about five hours and give a fab dewy finish.” Colette Cassidy.

“Unreal colours – this is like a stain and gloss in one. It’s not too sticky, has a fantastic, precise applicator, and it lasts on lips forever. I’m addicted.” Natalie Kinsella

Illamasqua Loves... Lucy Gibson Make-up Artist

One of the things that I love about working at Illamasqua is hearing about all the shoots and shows that our artists have worked on. One of the hardest working freelancers I have met is Lucy Gibson. I frequently receive texts from her about who she is working with and where they are working - for instance, recently she has worked on diverse shoots such as the come-back video of Bananarama, Agent Provocateur's latest shoot and a SHOWStudio shoot with Nick Knight amongst many, many others.

So, I thought I would showcase some of Lucy's work right here for you all to see. I took inspiration from the berry lip girl today - I have layered on Medium Pencil in 'Severe' to match my new burgundy coat [I say new; my pregnant friend gave it to me... she can't fit in it anymore, what a shame!] - and Lucy has given me a breakdown of the look below...

"The berry lip girl is wearing Satin Primer (which I use for almost all shoots!) and a little light foundation, with a touch of Cream Blusher in 'Dixie' low on the apples of the cheek for a tomboyish, wind-kissed look. To open the eyes I added Medium Pencil in 'Vow' on the waterline and clear mascara to Alison's fantastic lashes. The lips that go so well with the model's gorgeous fair complexion were made up of a base of Lipstick in 'Poison' finished with a slick of Intense Lipgloss in my favourite shade; 'Repulse'."

"This was a shot from work I regularly do with Nevs model agency and the fantastic photographer Lee Mofo, who's recent clients include Firetrap, FrostFrench and 28twelve. We hold shoot days for the agency at my warehouse studio and often shoot up to 8 girls a day, so it's important to create strong, camera ready looks with minimal time and product. Illamasqua's huge colour pay-off and great range of shades makes my job a lot easier, and needless to say my male flatmates never complain about having a house full of gorgeous models!"

"The dark, smoky eye was created for a Shoreditch clothing label called Blank, shot in the City with the fantastic Odi Caspi. Despite dodging heavy downpours of rain and having to adopt a somewhat guerilla approach to shooting to avoid the hoardes of rather unfriendly security guards, we managed to get some fantastic shots on the day!"

"Our stunning model Ashley had incredible blue eyes with a great fierce stare that I wanted to accentuate, so taking inspiration from the runways of Versace, I created a very dramatic smoky eye. I used Medium Pencil in 'Sophie' as an eyeshadow - drawing it onto the entire lid, waterline and below the eye, then using my fantastic Illamasqua Blending Brush I, II and the Eyeshadow Brush to disperse and blend the colour into a dramatic wing around the eye. I set this with Powder Eye Shadow 'Incubus' then added Powder Eye Shadow in 'Truth' to the brow bone right up to the eyebrow which was filled in with Illamasqua Powder Eyeshadow in 'Boomerang'. To finish I added lashings of Illamasqua Volume Mascara and a touch of Sheer Lipgloss in 'Brilliant' to the inner corners of the eye to give a tarry, rock chick look." [Note: Tarry! Awesome word for the look I think *mentally adds to dictionary*...]

"The skin was created using Satin Primer again, with Cream Foundation buffed into the skin using Blending Brush II (I love using this brush with foundation, it really gets into all the "nooks and crannies" giving the fantastic coverage of our foundation, but with the texture and feel of natural skin). I contoured the cheeks with a darker shade of Cream Foundation (this will differ from person to person, ask one of Illamasqua's fabulous on counter artists to match your skin tone!) before finishing the look with another of my favourite products, Lipstick in 'Submit', pressed into moisturised lips with the finger tip."

On an all day shoot like this, it's important to use longwearing products, especially in the rain, and luckily with Illamasqua's range I don't have to compromise my creativity for durability :)"

Professional Selection Kit No1

Those of you who have visited our website recently will have seen our Professional Selection kits. The idea behind these was to work with several key Illamasqua make-up artists to create their idea of an indispensable kit. As our gift to you in the miserable month of January, the kits offer up to 25% off RRP.

Both Adam and Mika, who work at Selfridges London, have put together two kits each containing their favourite colours and tips on how to use them. To back this up, we are filming tutorials over the next few weeks that will then be uploaded to Youtube - I have Adam coming in this afternoon to film with me!

The first video to be uploaded uses the Professional Kit No1 and No3. These were created in collaboration with Spob, our Head of Professional Development at Illamasqua.

Find out new ways to use products like Cream Blusher in 'Libido' and Intense Lipgloss in 'Repulse'...

To watch it, click here.

Saturday Night FOTD

I will get a full run down on the blogger events up tomorrow, including some great photographs - but I thought I would just share a tip that Lucy from Selfridges Trafford shared with me.

For a really inky black smoky eye, layer Concealer in 355 [the black one] onto the eye lid and press Pure Pigment in 'Android' [the gunmetal/black] on top. I then finished this with False Lashes in 14 [my new favourites] and a smudge of Medium Pencil in 'Sophie' all around the eye. I have never worn black all over before, but I absolutely loved the effect, even if it did take about 6 Simple wipes to get it all off!

I also used Cream Blusher in 'Rude' [I think I need to join an addiction group for this blusher, I can't stop using it!] on my lips. It looks like an apricot/pink/nude on the lips for a 60s style finish.


What do you think - sorry about the dodgy camera angle!

La Roux is La Rude!

Here is a picture that Product Development manager Katie found online - the singer La Roux [whose album is constantly on replay as Brand Director Kate loves her!] having some Cream Blusher in 'Rude' applied to her lips! You all probably know by now that is one of my favourite Illamasqua products - I actually feel naked without it!

Totally loving the funky applique on La Roux's forehead - she has an almost Tilda Swinton swag which is really, really cool. Plus 'In For The Kill' is officially the most played song at Illamasqua HQ!

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!

Ask An Artist: Halimah

Back by popular demand, I asked Halimah of Selfridges Oxford Street to answer the following question:

I have black skin - I match very well with 325 in your foundations - and am looking for a great Cream Blusher to wear.

"I think that 'Ravish' and 'Devour' Cream Blushers are amazing. Start with the Highlighter Brush just behind the apples of the cheek and the blend outwards, covering the apples and up towards the cheekbones.

'Ravish' is the left shade - a cutesy colour that can be blended out very easily for a barely there hint of colour, perfect for every day.

You can see here how it is very wearable wine shade with red undertones. I have tried to blend out the colour in the swatch so you can see how it would look with a subtle application and a more intense application.

'Devour' is a lot more striking, but looks incredible on skintones that match 325, 330 and 340. This is a soft red with subtle orange undertones.

I also recommend using these colours on the lips - they are very hydrating and dewy!"

To book a lesson with Halimah, call 0207 318 3788. To view her bio, click here.

Illamasqua Loves Diamonds [And Marina of course!]

As I reported last week, Marina and the Diamonds played a set at the Sanderson Predicts event at the exclusive Sanderson hotel in London.

My friend and I headed down after work to catch the set and met Halimah, who had created the look for Marina that night. After a cocktail or two in the Long Bar [order the 'Sweet Thing' - at £11 it's not cheap but its a delicious concoction of crushed strawberries, vanilla vodka and apple juice - yum] we grabbed a spot near the make-shift stage in the garden area ready for Marina to make her appearance.

And what an appearance it was. I was unfamiliar with her music before the set, but I cannot stop downloading her tunes now - I am especially loving 'I Am Not A Robot'. Watch the video here - it was shot by Rankin and is a really edgy video.

Marina appeared wearing a tight fitting American Apparel dress [with a fabulous Pollock-style art print that I adored] and spun through her tracks such as 'Seventeen', and 'Mowgli's Road' before finishing with a storming cover of Gwen Stefani's 'What you waiting for' and the next single 'I am not a Robot'. The rain was beating down on the roof of the garden, but this just added to the atmosphere as Marina unleashed her sultry, yet unexpected, astonishing voice upon a mix of industry types, skinny-jeaned cool kids and the Long Bar regulars.

After the set I had a quick chat with her and she loved the make-up that Halimah did for her. She was really friendly and down to earth and was looking forward to staying in the Presedential Suite that night!

I spoke to Halimah about the look she created: "Marina wanted something that was going to be high impact, with a smoky eye and big, fluttering lashes [I used False Eye Lashes 16]. I prepped her skin with Satin Primer + SPF20 to give a dewy glow with Cream Foundation in 215 on top and Cream Blusher in 'Promise' to enhance her fresh faced appeal and a touch of Cream Blusher in 'Lies' for a subtle highlight.

I used Cream Eye Shadow in 'Delight' for a pinky nude base and layered on Pure Pigment in Marvel for a yellow gold shimmer with Liquid Metal in Solstice for a bright, impactful look. I then shaded into the crease and along the lashline with Powder Eye Shadow in 'Never' - a gorgeous navy blue. I followed this with the lashes and then applied Eye Liner Cake in Mislead along the lash line and flicking it out at the ends for a cat-like look.

I used the Eye Brow Cake 'Thunder' to create a dramatic brow to mirror the smoky eye idea and finished with a dusting of Pure Pigment in Furore under the brows, in the corner of the inner eye and along her arms for some champagne coloured shimmer. Her lips were finished with a touch of Cream Blusher in 'Promise' and topped off with Sheer Lipgloss in 'Soul' for a shimmering, pinky nude compliment to the strong eye look."

Sanderson [and Illamasqua!] predicts big things for this girl and with her album launch in January 2010 she is definitely one to watch. She also has a blog! marinaandthediamonds.com. Follow this link to see her thoughts on Illamasqua!