IMATS 2010 - the Fallout

The International Make-up Artist Trade Show 2010 was officially the biggest and best attended IMATS in the history of the event. This year, the London leg of the show tour was at the Alexandra Palace in North London. Brands from all over the world attended; from the hair care, tanning, prosthetics and cosmetic industries. Our involvement with the show was very last minute; Alex Box signed up as a keynote speaker and Spob - Head of Professional Development here at Illamasqua - organised our participation.

We enlisted the help of some of our fabulous counter staff including Adam, Halimah, Lucy, Urszula [from Fenwich Newcastle] and Nicola. As many of you are aware, Nicola creates videos as Pixiwoo on Youtube and she was in high demand at the event for photos and signatures!


Lucy, who specialises in body art and fantastical make-up, went to work on a model creating a beautiful Avatar-like look whilst Adam set about creating a range of porcelain dolls.

My video from IMATS will be going on to Youtube - I'll post the link shortly!

I grabbed a quick word with an exhausted but exhilirated Spob this morning, who tells me "it was fantastic to meet so many make-up artist students. We can't wait to host more academy events at their colleges. If they would like more information, ask their head of year to email us at info@illamasqua.com. It was also amazing to meet so many of the bloggers and beauty press." What did she think of Alex Box's speech? "Thankfully, Trudi and I had a seat reserved for Alex Box's speech; the queue to get in was rather crazy! It was fabulous to see the reception she received." So, plans for next year? "Oh yes. Bigger, better... I can't wait! But I will definitely be booking a holiday for the week after!" I think you'll deserve it, Spob.

Trudi - "At Illamasqua, we have a determined policy to invest time in the professional world. It's an important message as we are the first truly professional make-up brand. During the next year we will be working with professional artists and make-up colleges to get them familiar with the brand and demonstrate what our products can do as well as to inspire and excite them."

"IMATS wasn't on our agenda but the opportunity presented itself and we just had to do it - it is THE make-up show!"

"I had a great time meeting professional artists, students, bloggers, press, the IMATS team... what a great reception we got! Alex Box's keynote speech was fabulous and the blue Medium Pencil in 'Debonair' that she was wearing on her lips quickly sold out."

"Someone said to me that Illamasqua is new but not new; that we have fitted straight into the professional environment, which is unprecedented for a brand only 14 months old. I thought that was lovely."

Below is the winner of the student make-up artist competition, where the theme was Alice in Wonderland. I think this look to some influence from one of Alex Box's images...


Spob, Trudi and I would also like to thank the entire Illamasqua team for all their hard work and dedication.

Cabaret On Counter!

On Tuesday 7th July, the Illamasqua counter at Fenwick Newcastle welcomed a very special guest - Samantha Barks, who is playing Sally Bowles in the theatre tour of 'Cabaret' - currently showing at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle from 6th-11th July.

Samantha Barks shot to fame when coming third in the BBC TV Show 'I'd Do Anything' last year.

I spoke to Ursula, one of our brilliant Fenwick Newcastle artists, who created the signature Sally Bowles look on Samantha before her show began. "Samantha has a naturally gorgeous face that is strong enough to take a lot of make-up."

What products did she use? "Samantha has a peaches and cream complexion, so I used Cream Foundation in 215 and Loose Powder 135 to pale her skin tone down. I used Powder Blusher in 'Tweak'.

After using Eye Brow Cake in 'Thunder' on her brows [great for dark brunettes, see the Whatstyleistonickel video below for an idea of consistency and colour], I concentrated on vivid blues and greens to capture the essence of Sally Bowles. I used Powder Eye Shadows in 'Fiasco' a light greeny teal, 'Stalk' a darker teal, 'Anja', a creamy baby blue and the black 'Lestat' to create depth."
"Samantha wanted dark, dramatic lashes, so we went for False Lashes no 17 on top and no 14 on the bottom."




"On the lips I used Lipstick in 'Maneater' for a true, pillar box red. I topped this off with Intense Lipgloss in 'Fume' so a bright, lacquered finish."

"I also created a similar look on one of the supporting cast members! Samantha had a great time and loved her look. Chronicle magazine came down to interview her on the counter and this should be out sometime this week

*Thanks to Karen for the image of Lestat!*