Illamasqua

Unsung Heroes: Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation

October 18th, 2012 by Karen 41 Comments

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation Review — Wearing Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation in 12

What’s lightweight, covers imperfections like a master painter’s brush and flatters faces with a flawless, natural-looking matte finish?

Is it A) your beloved Jason Voorhees mask from Friday the 13th, B) Tabs the cat or C) the $42 Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation?

If you answered C, yay! 🙂 Count yourself among the lucky crew of Skin Base fanatics.

I just recently discovered this full-coverage, hydrating foundation, and dang if it’s not all kinds of awesome, blossom.

I’ve been wearing it off and on for the past few weeks, both in pics here on the blog and out and about (Trader Joe’s pumpkin madness, y’all!), and I’m finding myself reaching for it more and more often when it comes time to put on my warpaint.

Illamasqua refers to Skin Base as “the ultimate foundation” and claims the moisturizing, matte formula smooths skin, controls shine and creates a skin-matched finish that still looks natural. Heck, they say it’s even undetectable in HD footage (ooh, I wanna give that a try…)!

Sounds like a lot of hype, right? Well, you know what? I’m a believer.

illamasqua skin base foundation swatches — Swatches of Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation in 12 (one of 17 shades) unblended on the left and blended on the right

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I’m Sweet On Illamasqua’s New Powder Blusher Duo in Hussy and Lover

October 17th, 2012 by Karen 46 Comments

illamasqua powder blusher duo hussy — Wearing Illamasqua Powder Blusher Duo in Hussy

Can a Hussy be sweet and kinda innocent? Sure, why the hell not? 🙂

Hussy and Lover, the two blushes basking in Illamasqua’s new Powder Blusher Duo ($41), probably sound more scandalous than they are. A lot less dramatic than scheming harlots and vengeful tarts, the look itself reminds me of sock-hop dances, candy necklaces, ruffled dresses and high ponytails with satin ribbons tied into neat bows.

worlds-biggest-candy-necklace — Allegedly (according to the package), the world’s biggest candy necklace!

Illamsqua’s funny that way, and ironic, and it’s one of the things I adore about the brand… Gotta love a colorful makeup line with a sense of humor and a flair for the dramatic.

The new duo, one of nine limited edition kits and sets available now online, and coming soon to cosmetics counters and stores, is part of Illamasqua’s holiday 2012 release; it also happens to be the brand’s first powder blush duo, ever.

As a certified makeup hoarder (I should get a stamp to prove it…like a notary, haha!), I find this very exciting. Even though both colors can also be found in Illamasqua’s permanent line, the duo itself still seems like a special collector’s item.

Additional makeup worn in this look

Laura Mercier Metallic Creme Eye Colour in Copper (lids)

Prunella Eye Kohl (water lines)

MAC Lipsticks in Crosswires and Sandy B topped with MAC Viva Glam Nicki Lipglass (pink lip in the top pic)

MAC Lipstick in Scarlet Ibis (red lip in bottom pics)

I love the way these matte blushes look with bright, saturated lips — namely hot pinks, reds, coral and fuchsia. I think they get along swimmingly, making bright lip looks appear even more intense.

I get my best, most natural, polished-looking results with these when I apply one or two layers using a circular motion, really buffing and working them into the skin with my brush. That way, I can get the colors to combine with my foundation and face powder; otherwise, the blushes, being as pigmented as they are, can appear a little stark and obvious.

Oh! And I think these have no qualms about layering. For a dynamic effect, I’ll buff Hussy all over the apples of my cheeks, swirl a bit of Lover on the very bottoms of my cheeks with a tapered eyeshadow brush, and run a clean blush brush all over my cheeks to blend the colors together.

illamasqua powder blusher duo compact lover hussy — Hussy on the left and Lover on the right

illamasqua powder blusher duo swatches — Swatches from the left: Lover, Hussy, and Lover and Hussy mixed together

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The Weirdly Wearable Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss in Opulent Shines in Person (But Not So Much in Pics)

September 21st, 2012 by Karen 16 Comments

I can’t decide if I like the new Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss in Opulent ($20) more because it’s weird, or because it’s wearable. A bit of both, I suppose.

In its tube, this blend of beige, gray and taupe could have fooled me. If I hadn’t known better, I would have guessed it was an eyeshadow. The complex color, the undercurrent of golden pearl, and the way it flashes purple and pink when the light hits it just right remind me more of traits I’d find in an eye product than something I’d slick on my lips.

Not that I’m complaining (at all).

I like it, but weird colors are always a risk… Some tend to sit unused at the bottom of my makeup bag like shipwrecks lost at sea (hear what I’m sayin’, Apocalips?).

But this time — hallelujah! — Illamasqua figured out how to combine weird and easy to wear.

The trick: they made it surprisingly sheer. When I’m standing in the shade, it’s a clear pinky beige on my lips, and not at all like the storm cloud of color it resembles in the tube. But then, when I step into full sunlight? — that’s when the real fun begins.

Wearing Opulent’s flecks of pink, gold and purple glitter, my kisser sparkles like Vampire Edward’s lips!

I tried to capture the effect in these pics, but I think it’s a little too subtle, except for some of the arm swatches, perhaps. In person, though, BAM!

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You Can’t Deny The Attraction to Illamasqua Magnetism Lipstick

September 6th, 2012 by Karen 17 Comments

Illamasqua Magnetism Lipstick

Like a moth to a flame… I could see that’s how it was for you when you saw me standing there all dressed in black.

There was something in the air between us, a force bringing us together, something invisible. I know you felt it, too.

It drew you to me, coaxed you forward. I watched as you looked down at your feet, intoxicated by my beauty, and took a step toward me. First your right foot, and then your left. But it wasn’t you who moved them, was it? They moved of their own accord, powerless against me.

When your arms slowly drifted upward and away from your body, reaching for me as if on strings, and I saw that the hairs on your arms were also standing, I knew that you were mine.

“Try me,” I whispered, as you held me in your warm embrace. And you did as you were told.

You opened my cap slowly and then —

Gasp! You saw what I was wearing underneath…

A creamy raspberry pink, and the curves! Such beautiful curves!

You tried to look away, knew that you had to look away, but it was no use. You were caught like a fish on a hook. Illamasqua’s new Lipstick in Magnetism ($24.50) had secured her prey.

Illamasqua Magnetism Lipstick

You covered the distance between us in less than a second, drawing me along your lips. “Where should we go?” you whispered into my cap.

“This way…” I replied, my voice little more than a sigh.

Gently, you placed me into your snakeskin clutch, and I felt my temperature rise.
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What an Alluring Blush! I Can’t Resist Illamasqua’s Powder Blusher in Allure

September 6th, 2012 by Karen 30 Comments

illamasqua allure blush

“A lure…? Like a fishing lure?”

No, silly! Allure. Like alluring, as in the new Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Allure, a dusky, rosy pink with sand-sized flecks of golden glitter.

It’s part of the new 12-piece Illamasqua Generation Q collection, which I haven’t spotted at Sephora yet, but I saw it online over at illamasqua.com.

Lots of bold eye and lip colors in the launch…

Illamasqua Generation Q Collection

What do you think of these model shots from the campaign? Aren’t they great? Very edgy and real.

Illamasqua Generation Q Collection

As for the blush? Gorgeous! I wasn’t sure what to expect based on that swatch down there, but I love how natural it looks, as long as I apply it with a light touch.

The little flecks of glitter don’t really show up very well in these pics (I tried!), but they’re there…doing their glittery thing.

illamasqua allure blush
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Dueling Naked Strangers, Exposed! The Illamasqua Naked Strangers Collection Is Thunderdome Approved

May 24th, 2012 by Karen 40 Comments

illamasqua naked strangers collection

Preparing for the Thunderdome is a pain in the @ss.

There, I said it.

So many things to consider! First, there’s the whole post-apocalyptic desert thing, with the lack of potable water and modern dentistry, and the roving mutant gangs. Then, as if the mutants weren’t bad enough, I spend half my time collecting enough pig poop to fuel my ride!

Ridiculous…

Oh, and on top of everything else, I have to stay fit and makeup ready at all times, because I never know when I’m going to be called up to fight in the Thunderdome.

Seriously, who wants to go toe-to-toe with a giant mutant wearing black studded-leather chaps without at least looking the part?

Right?

Needless to say, I’m pretty stoked about the new seven-piece Illamasqua Naked Strangers collection for cheeks, lips and nails…

Illamasqua Naked Strangers Collection

The futuristic warrior princess modeling makeup for the Naked Strangers campaign looks all kinds of fierce! — like she’d be all, “Thunderdome? Sure, sign me up.” Her makeup mixes nude, pink, gold and beige shades for cheeks, lips and nails with a pair of seriously smoldering smokey eyes.

Illamasqua Naked Strangers Collection

I’ve been giving a lot of thought to this whole Thunderdome thing…and I’ve mapped out a plan that utilizes tactics that usually worked for the girls who got into fights back in middle school.

Remove any dangling jewelry, like hoop earrings and necklaces, to maximize combat efficiency
Grease up with Vaseline, so that my opponent’s claws can’t get any purchase on my arms/cheeks
Trash talk, trash talk, trash talk
Apply Illamasqua Sheer Lipgloss in Intimacy (a nude pinkish brown) and Cream Blusher in Zygomatic (also a nude pinkish brown) from the Naked Strangers collection before, during and after the fight

Generally, one never wants to look too overdone for a Thunderdome duel (it’s just not professional), and both of these two neutrals should be perfect for that.

illamasqua zygomatic intimacy
Sheer Lipgloss in Intimacy and Cream Blusher in Zygomatic

Cream Blusher in Zygomatic

See those dots of gold on the top? Purely for decoration. I dug into the pan to see if there were more pieces hiding beneath the surface, and as far as I could tell, there weren’t.

As much I like seeing them on the blusher itself, I ended up flicking them off… I just couldn’t get used to seeing myself with one random piece of gold on my left cheek.

I really like this pinkish brown because, unlike death matches, it’s pleasantly easy. The slick, thin texture melts into my skin, lasts between 6-7 hours, and I think it looks natural on both a bare face or atop foundation.

The finish also has a hint of shine to it that gives it some extra dimension, which I
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A

Sheer Lipgloss in Intimacy

Tame by Illamasqua standards (remember Human Fundamentalism’s teal and purple lips?), this sheer pinkish brown gloss, which has a sprinkling of shimmer and comes with a brush applicator, has everyday color written all over it.

Thick and sticky, the consistency reminds me a lot of MAC Lipglasses; I clock the wear time at between 4-5 hours.

I’m not crazy about the fruit punch flavor and scent…but both are faint and fade within about a minute. They definitely don’t ruin the color for me, and I fully expect to finish this tube.
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+

illamasqua zygomatic
Cream Blusher in Zygomatic
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I’m Pretty Wild About Fierce: Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss in Fierce

March 31st, 2012 by Karen 26 Comments

illamasqua fierce

Purple lipgloss? So totally my thing, and it has been ever since at least my 27th birthday, when my BFF Jen gave me a tube of Benefit Kiss Me Gloss. I haven’t turned back since.

But to be honest, the first time I swatched Illamasqua’s latest lavender-ish lippie, the appropriately named Fierce, I gasped before I squeed!

It’s just so purple. And opaque. And…purple.

Part of Illamasqua’s new Human Fundamentalism collection, it’s probably not what I’d wear to Easter mass (imagine the look on the padre’s face during communion!), but I do think it’s more wearable than teal blue Apocalips, another loud lippie from the same launch.

The notables

Packaging: I think I would have preferred a doe-foot applicator to the brush that comes with Fierce. The fibers are a little long and unruly; some of the ones at the edges tend to splay out.
Texture: I love it. It’s somewhere between a MAC Cremesheen and a Lipglass — moderately thick and just slightly sticky.
Flavor and scent: Pop Rocks? Remember those? That’s what the scent and taste remind me of. A little weird…but I like it. For what it’s worth, both of them fade pretty quickly.
Application: Still pretty easy despite the brush. The gloss itself applies smoothly and lays down nice, even color.
Finish: It has a subtle shine (much shinier probably would’ve taken it over the top).
Wear time: About three hours on my lips. It doesn’t last through a meal, but it will tolerate a cup of tea.

illamasqua fierce
Intense Lipgloss in Fierce, $20