Illamasqua Lies Cream Blush

If you remember this haul, you’ll know I bought Illamasqua’s Cream Blusher in Lies from their Leeds store. A few of you asked to see swatches and more about the product so I thought I would share my thoughts on it today!

I love Illamasqua’s Cream Blush formula, they have a dewy finish, blend amazingly, and last well even on my oily skin. Lies is a pearlescent pink with a lavender silver iridescent sheen. I apply this with the Real Techniques Contour Brush, on top of foundation, and I don’t powder on top of it. It will also blend perfectly well over powder products.

This is the most natural looking highlight I have found but it’s still dramatic enough that you can tell it’s there. Although it does look very pink in the pan but it is almost translucent on the skin. Even if Illamasqua is a brand that your not normally attracted to I don’t think anyone could fault this product.

If you have any of Illamasqua’s Cream Blushes, you need this highlighter, I wear it with Sob and they blend together amazingly, and create the most beautiful dewy pink cheek. I’m actually tempted to get some more of Illamasqua’s Cream Blushes to pair with this!

Illamasqua Cream Blush in Lies is available from Illamasqua’s Website (link) and Debenhams (link) and costs £16.50

Purple Eye Nude Lips FOTD

I wore this make up to go out for dinner with a friend, and decided to put down my Naked palette in favour of some of my favourite Inglot shades. Being Inglot shades I have completely forgotten the numbers but I used a dark warm toned purple in the crease, and a true gold shade on the lid. I’m planning on trying to get all my Inglot shades out of the palettes and reshuffling them, so I will be sure to write down the numbers! I’m really loving the Laura Mercier Mineral Powder that I got in my Leeds Haul and will be reviewing it soon!

FACE

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer NW15

L’Oreal Lumi Magique in C1

Laura Mercier Mineral Powder Foundation in Soft Porcerlain

Illamasqua Cream Blush in Lies

Illamasqua Cream Blush in Sob

EYES

UDPP

Inglot Eyeshadows

L’Oreal Liquid Liner

Soap and Glory Thick and Fast Mascara

Vivo Brow Kit

LIPS

MAC Kinda Sexy

Carmex Tinted Lip Balm*

Items marked * are PR Samples.

Wishlist 01

1. Paul and Joe Cat Collection Blusher Sticks How cute are these? Don’t know I that I would have the heart to use it, so it’s probably best that I’m on a no spend!

2 Soap and Glory Kick Ass Concealer  I’ve been using MAC’s Prolongwear Concealer and I like it but I’m not in love with it. This concealer has a pink toned and a yellow toned concealer as well as a small setting powder. I have a £2 voucher for Soap and Glory from Elle Magazine so I might have to buy this.

3 Philosophy Coconut Frosting I’ve been loving the Cherry Christmas Shower Gel I got for Christmas, and would love to have a few more scents in my shower. But with the amount of shower gels I got given or that came in Beauty Boxes I don’t think I really need anymore yet!

4 Soleil Tan De Chanel I think I will be saving my Boots points up for this, this year. I’ve been wanting to try it for a while, but until I can downsize my current blush and bronzer stash it will have to wait! I really loved watching EssieButton’s video on how to use it on pale skin (link)

5 Illamasqua Rich Liquid Foundation I love my Estee Lauder Double Wear but I can’t help but want to try another high coverage foundation. I’ll be waiting till I can get to a counter to get colour matched to this, and as my nearest one is over an hour on the train I might be waiting some time!

6 Korres Wild Rose Moisturiser for Oily/Combination Skin The Korres Wild Rose Moisturiser for Dry Skin was included in January’s Carmine Box and I’ve really loved using it. It smells gorgeous, floral but not in a heavy cloying way, and I’d love to try the Oily Skin version, as the Dry Skin is a little to heavy for me.

7 Stila One Step Correct Another product that I think I might just want because it looks so amazing. I love Stila as a brand and the products I have tried have all been really great quality and I love their packaging. Another one to save the Boots points for!

Top 5 Blushes

It seems I have acquired quite a lot of new blushes lately, so I thought I would compile my top 5. I’m not talking colours here, I’m judging them on their overall performance. I think Blush is one of those great products that can really waken up your complexion, and I think it’s really important to find the right balance between something that gives you a glow and a not ending up with disco ball glitter all over your face. Cause let’s face it that’s not so attractive.
Vivo Baked Blush (£4.00) : I have two of these lovely baked Blushes in Red Shimmer* and Peaches and Cream, both are smooth, pigmented and really easy to blend. They don’t contain but give cheeks a gorgeous sheen, which means I can skip using a highlighter. Perfect for those early mornings.
Dainty Doll Blusher (£12.50) : I have this in 002, a lovely pale pink shade which is fairly shimmery. This is a great Blush/Highlight for nights out. I find it a little to shimmery for daytime, but for a night out it is perfect swept across the top of the cheekbones. As it doesn’t impart much colour it works brilliantly with dramatic eyes
Benefit Boxed Blushes (£23.50) : The most expensive blush in my Top 5 but worth every penny. There’s a small range of classic shades, with something to suit everyone. Dandelion was one of the first blushes I owned, and I still love it, the colour gives a perfect pop of pink. Coralista and Sugarbomb are also gorgeous wearable shades.
Illamasqua Cream Blush (£16.50) : I love that these cream blushes give a great dewy glow, that lasts all day on my oily skin. They’re a lovely consistency, and blend really well with just fingers. Despite Illamasqua’s reputation of being a brand for your alter ego, this line of cream blushes contains some brilliant staple shades for everyday.
Fashionista Blush* (£4.00) : Another great high-street blush, these come in a great range of shades, with matte and shimmer shades. These are really pigmented so you will only need a small amount. They also blend really well together to make a custom shade for your skin. Juicy Apricot and Butterscotch are must haves!
So there’s my favourite blushes, do you love blush as much as me? What are your favourite blushes?

Products marked with * are PR Samples.

Illamasqua Cream Blush in Sob

Whilst in London I found myself in Selfridges on more than one occasion, and whilst I was there I wanted to check out Illamasqua’s new Skin Base. I didn’t purchase it however as I found the sales assistant to be quite rude, and for some reason seem to think my pale skin was Shade 7/8, both of which were way to dark and way to orange for my skin. When I asked if I could have a small sample to try it in natural light, she told me Illamasqua don’t do samples, so I will be sticking to Estee Lauder or Clinique for my foundations!

However my boyfriend wanted to buy me something, so when my eyes wandered over to the Cream Blushes, he decided Sob would be a nice colour for me and bought it for me.
Sob is a gorgeous cool toned baby pink with a touch of lavender in it, perfect for pale skin, but I have since worn it when I’ve tanned and it didn’t look at all ashy or unflattering. So I think because its a cream rather than a powder it will blend in nicely with most skin tones.

This is one of the easiest to blend cream blushes I own and it doesn’t feel sticky or greasy on the skin, I apply and blend with fingers before setting with a little translucent powder. I find longevity is quite good, lasting at least six hours before I need to top it up, but if you have normal/drier skin you might find it lasts longer on you.
Illamasqua’s Cream Blushes retail at £16.50, and are available online and at their counters.

Freaky Beetlejuice!

Thought I would share a couple of new releases I’m looking forward to…

Models Own Beetlejuice Collection

Give me these gorgeous duochromes over girly pastels any day! I know I’ll have a hard time not buying all of these, and judging by the colours they’ll win me over much quicker than Accessorize’s duochrome polish offerings.

From they’re Facebook: ‘ NEW from Models Own and launching this November - The BEETLEJUICE Collection! Consists of FIVE new multi-tonal shades - GOLDEN GREEN, a fresh energetic acid; PINKY BROWN, a warm rusty pink; PURPLE BLUE, a vibrant punch of fuchsia indigo; AQUA VIOLET, a true sky shimmer; and EMERALD BLACK, a bold-blackened midnight peacock! Each bottle contains four pearlescent colours mixed into one gleaming shade, and the complex colour-shifting, with flashes of vivid tones and ethereal hues, gives a shimmering duo chrome finish. Priced at just £5 each and available early November exclusively at our website.’

There is also talk of these being available in a set, something I very much hope happens!

Illamasqua Freak

Just look at that snail on the bottle! I would probably buy this just for the gorgeous design, and the fact it’s not like any perfume bottle I’ve seen before. Although I’m secretly hoping the scent is of the quality as the design.

It will be available to pre order on Monday, for more info check out Illamasqua’s Blog.

Illamasqua: Theatre of the Nameless

Illamasqua’s new collection really is something else. I love that they have consistently not done the usual thing of letting what season it is completely dictate the colours and style of make-up they release. Theatre of the Nameless really does get to the roots of what the brands about. All of the promo images give hints to 1920’s Berlin and the art of Cabaret; from the exaggerated cupid bows and lip lines to the soaped out and drawn in brows, and cropped hair.

The collection sees the release of a new nail polish, a rubber effect, somewehre between matte and a gloss finish. To see nail swatches visit Illamasqua’s blog.Faux Pas  has really caught my eye, its a really gorgeous blue violet and the finish really does give a better effect than the completely flat look of a matte polish.

The collection also includes; three new lipglosses (including a deep green!) two shimmer blushes, two cream pigments, and three loose pigments.

Theatre of the nameless is available to buy at Illamasqua counters and online now. Prices start at £13.00