ILLAMASQUA fragrance 'Freak'

"Freak is you, freak is me, freak is he, freak's who you are and want to be, freak's the door, freaks the key, freak is out, freak is free. The freak's will inherit the earth" - Alex Box, Illamasqua's creative director.

On October 20th Illamasqua will be launching their beautiful new fragrance 'Freak' (You can pre-order it from their website now www.illamasqua.com). This is the brands debut fragrance, adding yet another fantastic product to the ever-growing and flourishing make-up brand. I absolutely love the fragrance and have been wearing it constantly, it's a really warm and floral fragrance, rich with aromas to make it last all night long. It is quite a heavy scent therefore may be more suited to night time, as Illamasqua says itself 'Freak is a concoction of dangerously exotic unconventional flowers which Illamasqua has unashamedly blended together to celebrate the night'. However, I am totally happy to wear it in the day, perhaps just not as sparingly.

The top notes of the fragrance are black davana, giving it it's magical and night time appeal, and opium flower and belladonna which are meant to enhance senses of lust and passion. It definitely does have an air of this to it, the scent is irresistible.

The heart notes are poison hemlock, datura and queen of the night blossom. The base notes, which give the fragrance it's body are frankincense, oud and myrrh which are combined to last on the skin and give the fragrance its warm and sensory appeal. As you can see from the notes of the fragrance, they are wild, original and different giving it the magical, enchanted forest-esque and dangerous edge that the scent offers. For example, the datura (moonflower) is an aphrodisiac and the queen of the night blossom is a blossom that blooms only for one night each year. A real original mix.

I am also absolutely loving the visuals to go with 'Freak' and think they totally capture the effect and aromas of the fragrance. As with lots of the Illamasqua campaigns they are dark, innovative, beautiful and utterly inspiring. I love the incorporation of the moonlight and the body adorned in flowers in the images, which completely captures the essence of the Illamasqua brand itself as well as the fragrance. The art deco inspired bottle is also a great twist on a conventional perfume bottle, and an asset to any dressing table. I love how the bottle tilts to one side and the purple and silver smokey colours which indicate the night time, warm and sweet aspects to the scent. There is also a snail on the side of the bottle with its trail following, there to symbolise it's 'addictive passionate path of desire that is both distinctive and unusually provocative'.

Definitely check this perfume out, I am a huge fan. Freak will be available on the counter from October 20th and retails at £59 for 75ml.

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation

This post is by popular demand as so many people asked for a review after my recent Illamasqua- Theatre of the Nameless tutorial, so here it is.

Illamasqua have recently launched a new foundation and wow is it fantastic. I love it. It comes in a huge array of colours and tones so there is pretty much a foundation for everyone. Once you have the right colour you are well on your way to flawless skin. It completely evens out complexion without looking or feeling too heavy and brightens the skin instantly. Only a small amount of product is needed for optimum results and it absolutely lasts all day so in my opinion is a perfect base and a foundation you can completely trust. *

The shades here are No.8 and No.9, you can see how the tone completely varies between shades. It is available in 18 shades with varying undertones i.e Pink, Pink/Yellow, Yellow/Pink, Olive etc

The foundation was inspired by the up and coming cult Beauty Balm creams in the Asian market which are known for perfecting skin and being the solution to a completely even complexion. It blends into the skin beautifully making it really easy and efficient to work with. It leaves skin feeling soft and renewed and the coverage is buildable so you can alter it to get your desired look, which also makes it great for taking you from day to night. Another really important point about this foundation is that it photographs beautifully, with no flashback or unnatural appearance. I just love it.

The foundation is £25 and is worth every penny.

See the foundation in action in the recent Illamasqua tutorial -

*This is my opinion based on application to my own skin (and Nic's). 

Outcome of payoff may be different on other skin types so please try before you buy.

Calling all MUA students or graduates, want to win £10,000?

Yellow-belly?

Dare to wear Yellow. The best of the brights.

For the lips and not for the faint hearted -Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Traffic

 

Still the ultimate yellow eyeshadow - MAC Chrome Yellow 

No one makes Nail polish like Illamasqua. Nail Polish in Blow.
The best yellow pencil I have found is MAC Chromagraphic in Primary Yellow

New from ILLAMASQUA

ILLAMASQUA Flagship store and launch party

The ILLAMASQUA flagship store opened this week on a massive high.
The launch party reunited make-up mavericks of the eighties and introduced them to the current talent.
The new store at 20 Beak Street was packed wall to wall with colour and crazy individuals including Vivienne Westwood, Boy George, Philip Salon, Adam Ant and Steve Strange among others.
It seemed a very fitting tribute to a brand that embraces anything other than the ordinary.

The store itself is a real feast for the eyes decked out in black, accented in white and adorned with smashed mirrors. The neon signs in the windows give a nod to the fact that the store is located in the infamous Soho area of London, and the hand painted mannequins make it clear that you are about to experience something a bit out of the ordinary.
Sectioned off by House of Harlot rubber curtains is a large make-up studio with 10 work stations.
One of the studio's many features is that it has different types of lighting so that students can learn how to work with the correct shades for different conditions.

If you happen to be in London pop into the store for a look around. Located just off Regent Street, the closest tube stations are Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus.

Posted by Sam

Win, Win, Win

Please prepare for an exciting and creative feast of a competition. Alongside the theatrical launch of the Art of Darkness collection for which Alex Box created 13 characters for a faerie banquet, London Muse Make-up Academy have joined forces with the genius talent that is Illamasqua and fabulous blogger Mizzworthy to offer two people the chance to win the entire Art of Darkness collection (worth £350) and one of London Muse's most popular courses, the Catwalk Trends Bootcamp Course (worth £295)

They want you to create a final 14th character so let your imagination run wild as you work your own personal magic and create something that reflects the intensity and creativity of this unique collection.

There will be two ways to enter the contest - via blog/email on MizzWorthy (http://www.mizzworthy.com/), or by Video by leaving a response to the LONDON MUSE video announcing the competition (http://www.youtube.com/user/TheLondonMuse).

• To enter in the form of a photograph/blog entry simply leave a comment on Mizzworthy's blog (http://www.mizzworthy.com/) with a link to your post, or email her if you would prefer to enter by email or you want to enter but do not have a blog. Your entry must include a description of your character, the inspiration behind it and finally the look you have created. Any additional info such as how you created the look, products used etc can also be included. Please do not photoshop your entries.
• To enter by submitting a video, you must leave a video response to the LONDON MUSE youtube competition video (http://www.youtube.com/user/TheLondonMuse), which must be a maximum of five minutes long. The video can either be presented as a make up tutorial or, as with blog/email entries, you can choose to tell us about your character, how you created it and show us the final look. Again, you can include further information if you would like to.

The contest will run for one month from Thursday 16th September to Midnight (UK time) Sunday 17th October 2010. This is the final deadline, and due to the nature of this contest, cannot be extended.

The photographic entries will be judged by Mizzworthy and Alex Cummins from Illamasqua and the video entries will be judged by Nicci Jackson and Antonia Confalone from London Muse. The finalists will then be sent on to Alex Box who will then make a final decision and select one winner from the blog/email entries and one winner from the video entries.

This is a fantastic competition designed to allow artists to show their ability and enjoy the honor of having it judged by one of the most influential make up artists of today. Please read the terms and conditions carefully regarding the rules, how to apply, confirmation of entry and the deadlines. 

The winners will be announced by Wednesday 27th October. 

Illamasqua - Art of Darkness

Illamasqua's Art of Darkness collection is full of intense, rich, dark, autumnal colours just as the name would suggest.
There is a real buzz about this collection and future collections as Illamasqua have appointed David Horne (previously of Jemma Kidd and MAC) as Director of Product Development. With Alex Box's creativity and David's attention to detail this may mark a new period for the company.

I chatted to David about what the future holds for PD at Illamasqua.

"Illamasqua has always been cultivated with professional quality pigmented make-up product at the core of the brand, and now as the company moves forward with our exciting first UK flagship store and School of Make-Up Art the creative and technical challenges are as ever continuous and vast.

Product efficacy is at the heart of Professional Make-Up Artistry and to the Illamasqua brand, and the process is underway to deliver even more continuous improvements to product being developed as we endeavor to respond to product feedback, listen to our customers, and communicate with our suppliers to push our creative vision and expand their capacity to achieve colour results we strive for.

We are a brand that is responsive, not complacent like other cosmetic industry brands. We have a responsibility to position and offer the unusual.

Never colour cautious.

We acknowledge we have not always got everything 'pigment perfect' in our evolution, not always possible in a business driven by pigments that can become variable. However when we are not able to be satisfied with a product we go back to supplier production and strive further to mutually get the result we initiated.

Our product development direction has quality assurance at the forefront of its agenda and we are assessing our products item by item and shade by shade to respond with an dynamic inspirational range to inspire the artists which make professional make-up art so creative. This is not an overnight process but one, which will position us to offer you exciting kit pieces for your delectation.

Thank you everyone for your continued support, it is that candid product passion which drives us to deliver the results team by team as we move forward and evolve as a brand".
David Horne, Director Product Development & School of Make-Up Art

Do you remember the ILLAMASQUA Nail Polish competition?

That's right guys it seems like an eternity ago but here are the winning nail polishes.

Congratulations to all those who entered, we saw some astoundingly good ideas.

These will be on sale shortly in Selfridges, £13.

Raindrops - Light grey/blue with minute silver flecks

Shrapnel - Iridescent copper. The colour of new 2p coins.

Eclipse - Iridescent deep blue.

ILLAMASQUA Nail Polish Competition.

2010’s hottest new nail colour is in your hands!

Whether it’s the standout shade of your favourite killer heels, your must-have cupcake frosting or the glow of the city skyline, Illamasqua wants to hear what inspires your soul.

The UK’s hottest and most talked about make-up brand, Illamasqua is famed for its unique and daringly different collection of cult Nail Varnish colours.  

And now they want you to get creative.

Illamasqua is asking finger fetishists the world over to submit a description of their dream nail varnish colour, for their chance to make it a reality.

Run in conjunction with luxury retailer, Selfridges, this incredible competition is giving nail varnish fans the world over the opportunity to push their imaginative boundaries further than ever before and design their very own perfect shade.

Entrants must explain in no more than 50 words what inspired their unique choice, and provide an image or photograph to illustrate their big idea.

The prize? Two winners will see their dream colour created and sold exclusively at Selfridges in London, Manchester Trafford and Birmingham from October 2010. In addition, they’ll receive a bottle of their winning colour before anybody else! 

The winning entries will be selected by a high-profile judging panel consisting of legendary make-up artist Alex Box, nail artist to the stars Sophy Robson, Selfridges’ Beauty Director David Walker-Smith and Pixiwoo

The rules:

In 50 words or less, submit a description of your dream colour and the thinking behind it – please include pictures to illustrate your inspiration if possible. 

Entries must be submitted in one of the following three ways, no later than
14^th March 2010:

Via email: competition@illamasqua.com  

Via blog post: competition@illamasqua.com

Via mail:

NAIL COMPETITION
c/o Illamasqua
6-8 Amwell St
London
EC1R 1UQ                    

One entry per person. Competition is open to entrants globally.

For more details click here

Illamasqua/Pixiwoo

Ever fancied a makeover?  Check here to see if we are coming to a store near you. 

Courtney Love request

Those that follow us on Twitter may have noticed that Courtney Love has asked me to create a look from one of the first Illamasqua collections

 

I have finally found the time to film it. Hopefully, I will get it edited and uploaded tonight but in the meantime here is a preview picture. Obviously this look isn't an exact replica of Alex Box's but I hope that it has a similar vibe.

Sam .x

Must have books... No.5

Alex Box by Rankin
Words can't do this book justice so here are some of my favourite images.
As an added bonus this book is almost half price on our Amazon book store at the moment.