Happy New Year!

Hi Everyone! 2010 is finally here and we have some amazing plans for product, distribution and events bubbling at Illamasqua. I will of course keep you all in the loop. We have a very busy few months ahead of us, including an office move - more on that at a later stage!

New Years Eve, to me, is one of those nights where make-up creativity is an absolute staple part of my night. My friends and I normally spend hours choosing a fabulous outfit, killer heels and an extra sparkly make-up look. What is it about Christmas and sparkle!? It just fits!


This was my look for the Big Night. Products I used:

* Rich Liquid Foundation in 140 [dropped 3 foundation shades in 3 months...!]
* Pressed Powder in 005 [for brightening the complexion - this stayed in my bag for the requisite 4am touch up!]
* Powdered Metal in 'Bebhionn' on cheeks, cupids bow and down my arms.

* Illuminator in 'Halcyon' - a lovely pale champagne/ cream for highlighting cheekbones

* Urban Decay Primer Potion
* Cream Eye Shadow in 'Debauch' with Pure Pigment in 'Involve' layered on top for maximum impact.

* Cream Eye Shadow in 'Hunger' to highlight the brow bone - this is one of my favourite products right now
* Medium Pencil in 'Sophie' - lots of this for full on smokey glamour
* Sheer Lipgloss in 'Torture'

Not sure what I was thinking about with the nails... a bit more suited to Halloween than New Years!

The next morning, all I needed was Simple facial wipes to take off my night of excess and upon surfacing I spent about three hours in the bath with Eve Lom's Rescue Mask on - this is my Holy Grail of face products if I am feeling run down - and REN's Moroccan Rose Bath Oil. Divine...

Introducing: Powder Eye Shadow in Machine

The latest product from Dystopia that I am going to show you is a new Powder Eye Shadow - with a twist.


This product is a black Powder Eye Shadow with glitter in it - so technically this is a brand, spanking new texture from Illamasqua! 'Machine' has a very buildable base, meaning it can look dark grey when first applied or layered up for a true, intense black. The glitter means the colour catches the light beautifully - glitter does not have to mean an overdose of shimmer. I think it looks a lot more impactful because of the matt texture of the Eye Shadow.


I have paired it here with the new Liquid Metal in 'Phenomena'. I love to mix up textures and begun with a dewy base of Light Liquid Foundation topped off with a touch of Press Powder [this camera is so good that it tends to make my face look like an oil slick!] and pressed in a little Cream Blusher in 'Seduce'.


For the eyes, I used a base of Cream Eye Shadow in 'Amorous', a lovely grey/ aubergine that acts well as a base for heavy eye colour. I then smudged 'Phenomena' into the inner corner and across half of the lid and then built up 'Machine' around the outer corner and through the socket. These products blended really easily together and I really liked the finish look.

I went to the gym this morning and left my make-up kit at home [not really a problem when you work at Illamasqua, but annoying all the same!] and have been mascara-less all day. I think this look actually looks great without mascara as it keeps the focus on the texture of the shadows with no long black lashes in the way!

Dystopia will be available for pre order from the 3rd September at www.illamasqua.com

Illamasqua Icons: Ziggy Stardust

Katie Sangers, Product Development Manager, has chosen David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust as her Illamasqua icon.

A complete innovator in terms of music and style, David Bowie led the alter-ego brigade with Ziggy Stardust - and the Spiders from Mars, of course! Ziggy embodied the musical freedom of the 70s and allowed Bowie to explore his androgynous side.


Get The Look

The character of Ziggy is very theatrical - think bold colours and shapes. For the above look, I would recommend beginning with a base lighter than your natural colour - try Rich Liquid Foundation in '105' for a just off white colour and set for a completely opaque, matt look with Pressed Powder in '010' [a translucent colour]. After this, it's all about painting your blank canvas! Try Powder Blusher in 'Panic' all over the temples and down the cheekbones and let your inner artist emerge! Use Highlighter Brush to blend.

I love how the eyes are almost blended into the blush colour and so just smudge a line of Medium Pencil in 'Sophie' underneath the lower lid.

The lip colour is similar to the cheeks so I would try one of our matt Lipsticks in 'Tramp' for an off-red shade.

Now all you have to do is find some Spiders from Mars et voila!

Box News Flash!

Box News Flash! will aim to update you all with the fabulous fast-paced life of the incomparable Ms Box!

For the past week, Alex has been fretting over the final details of her book with uber-photographer Rankin… but more on that later ;-)

On Wednesday and Thursday of last week, Alex has been working on a photo shoot for a well known fashion glossy with Emmanuelle Seigner and world renowned photographer Dusan Reljin near Waterloo bridge. “It’s great fun – Dusan and James [Rowe, the hairdresser] are larking about with my lipsticks at the moment!” remarks Alex. “Dusan is refusing to take it off!” Check out Alex's camera phone photo below for proof...!

Lipstick in 'Corrupt' was his colour of choice. James Rowe prefers a Medium Pencil in 'Spell' for a bright red lip...
Alex created a flawless base for Emmanuelle using Rich Liquid Foundation and Pressed Powder. To illuminate an otherwise matt base, Alex used Illuminator in 'Halcyon' to attract the light to Emmanuelle’s cheekbones. Illamasqua has a horde of red lip products to suit every skin colour and tone, but Alex’s favourite is a true ‘London bus’ red that is named 'Box' in honour of it’s number one fan! Alex used this colour on Emmanuelle’s lips and created a strong line using Medium Pencil in 'Feisty'.

This week, we have also had Alex in the Office to take a look at our closely-guarded Autumn Winter collection for finalising of product names and to have a photo shoot brainstorm. Which models? What looks? Hair? Clothes? Location? There is so much involved in creating a campaign and Alex works with us at every stage. We will keep you updated on the developments of this exciting collection.

Alex will be flying to Monaco for a shoot with Karl Lagerfeld this week. Let's see if she can get him to slick on a bit of lip colour - I reckon 'Pristine', our jet black Lipstick would be his colour...!