Screen Siren for one evening

Another event I will not be able to go to, but it sounds so fantastic I don't want anyone else to miss out. Illamasqua will be teaming up with The National Portrait Gallery to set up as a film studio for one night only, providing makeovers worthy of your debut.

That's right: at the door you pick up your 'NPG contract', then enter the 'NPG Film Studio' and you're escorted into one of seven 'star-making departments' for a vintage glamour makeup transformation. It's inspired by the National Portrait Gallery's current exhibition Glamour of the Gods: Hollywood Portraits.

"Pose in a black & white photography studio and visit The Broken Hearts Cocktail Lounge for drinks, swing music and cabaret.

You can also go to the movies and watch Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, hear talks on gender, clothes and beauty, take part in vintage styling and drawing classes and participate in a Vintage Twitter Bureau @NPGGlamour with vintage typewriters.

A drawing class will show the art of making Gloria Swanson's Marcel Waves, setting Lauren Bacall's rollers or greasing James Dean's slick back with specially styled models (as well as providing expert advice on how to draw and learn a good hairdo!) In a gallery based debate Is Gender an Illusion? clinical psychologists Dr Polly Carmichael and Dr Victoria Holt will explore notions of identity and unpick the confusion of chromosomes."


It's on FRIDAY 7th October [6-9pm]


**All events are free but tickets are required for some activities and 20% of Illamasqua’s Vintage Glamour course will be available on the day.


Illamasqua have just been nominated for 'Best Brand Blog' in Cosmopolitan's 2011 Blog Awards! I absolutely love their blog, check it out here to read about the NPG event. I always enjoy their posts as you often forget it is a Brand blog at all. It's one of my favourites and I will definitely vote for them. You can too, at this link:
http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/blog-awards-2011-vote

Meet Elizabeth Hurley at London Selfridges tomorrow! Estee Lauder BCA

BCA, Breast Cancer Awareness, is now in full swing. October is the month to binge on makeup delights with a clean conscience. The ubiquitous pink ribbon was actually the brainchild of Eveyln Lauder, and is a cause that she fervently believes in. Elizabeth Hurley has been a spokesmodel for the brand for 16 years and particularly for the BCA initiative, even helping to break a Guiness World Record last year.

This year, tomorrow (29th September 2011) at 12pm you can meet Elizabeth Hurley and she will sign products.



I actually have her Estee Lauder Elizabeth Hurley Pink Ribbon Collection and as always it's a great formula and such a very universal pretty pink.This version is Lavish Pink, it's a neutral pink with gold shimmer; Evelyn Lauder has her own deeper pink version, Wildly Pink. Priced at £18.50 for the lipstick and pink wallet, £5 goes directly to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.






Later tomorrow, at 8pm, Elizabeth Hurley will be lighting Selfridges up in pink.

This year's theme puts the focus on our power together to raise awareness. The crystal Pink Ribbon brooch also for the first time includes a solitary blue stone. This represents not only the existence of Breast Cancer in men, but also the power of the support of the family or spouse, who though unaffected by the disease, suffer - and deserve recognition. The brooch is £10 and all proceeds go directly to support the cause.



For those in Edinburgh, Elizabeth Hurley will be making a personal appearance at Jenners from 1-2pm on Tuesday (4th October) and then at 6pm she will light up the beautiful facade pink.

The Estee Lauder group have come out in strength to lavish us beauty lovers with treats celebrating pink and marking the success of BCA. Aveda, Clinique, Jo Malone, Donna Karan, Origins and of course Estee Lauder; all have special limited edition products out throughout October. More info to follow...

I thought I would end by adding in an interview I was sent, to showcase Evelyn Lauder's passion for this cause and explain the power Estee Lauder has already had.


Q&A WITH EVELYN H. LAUDER SENIOR CORPORATE VICE PRESIDENT, THE ESTÉE LAUDER COMPANIES INC. FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN, THE BREAST CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION®

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO GET INVOLVED WITH RAISING AWARENESS AND FUNDS TO HELP FIGHT BREAST CANCER?

In the 1980’s, I was initially inspired by a video produced by Look Good…Feel Better, an organization that helps women undergoing cancer treatments by improving their self-image and appearance through self-help beauty sessions that create a sense of support, confidence, courage and community. At the time, AIDS was being widely recognized as an epidemic and much of the world’s attention was focused on this disease; however tens of thousands of women were dying from breast cancer and much less attention was being paid to this cause. I realized that there was a need to help women become better informed about breast health. Women of the world needed a voice and much more needed to be done to raise awareness. Look at us now! Since 1992, when I co-created the Pink Ribbon and millions of informational brochures with SELF Magazine, The Estée Lauder Companies’ Breast Cancer Awareness (BCA) Campaign will have distributed close to 115 million Pink Ribbons and millions of informational brochures around the world, and thanks to the millions of dollars donated to research, early detection is saving lives and we are coming ever closer to finding a cure. The BCA Campaign is now present in more than 70 countries and its mission is to raise awareness about the importance of breast health and early detection, and to raise funds for research. By October 2011, close to $50 million in contributions to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation® will have been raised by The Estée Lauder Companies’ brands and employees globally, and through fundraising initiatiatives with our wonderful retail partners. Knowledge is power and the purpose of The Estée Lauder Companies’ BCA Campaign is to reduce fear in the minds of women all over the world through increased awareness about the importance of breast health and early detection. The more a woman knows about her body, the more she knows about her health, the more proactive she is, the more in control she is, the less frightened she is. If you reduce fear, women are far better able to cope with any kind of diagnosis. They take control.

Today, each and every survivor inspires me to get out there and do more. Everywhere I travel, I meet people who are aware of breast cancer because of receiving a Pink Ribbon, or because of something someone at an Estée Lauder Companies’ brand counter said to them, or they saw an illumination and decided to get a mammogram. I am also inspired and energized when I meet our customers around the world and see firsthand what they are doing to save lives. The actions on the part of so many people inspire all of us to keep fighting. There’s an old saying I truly believe: “If you save the life of one person, you save the entire world.”

WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO CONTINUE TO RAISE AWARENESS?

Breast cancer continues to be the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women excluding skin cancer. The good news is that the mortality rate continues to decline. This is believed to be the result of early detection and more effective treatments. We know that if a localized breast cancer is detected early, it is 98% curable. We need to make our voices heard around the world by reaching everyone with the message that early detection saves lives and by giving as much support as we can to do research. We must rid the world of this disease in our lifetime.

WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THIS YEAR’S BREAST CANCER AWARENESS THEME?

Last year, our focus was “Connect. Communicate. Conquer. Prevent Breast Cancer One Woman At A Time.” This year, we wanted to raise the bar by pulling TOGETHER as many people as possible to unite for this cause.
Imagine how loud our voices would be if we unite to spread the message of the importance of breast health and that early detection saves lives. We will make an even bigger impact, save more lives and raise even more funds to rid the world of breast cancer once and for all! This October, during Breast Cancer Awareness month, it is my hope that everyone can join Together in unison for this cause. If we all connect and communicate with everyone we know, and show support through wearing a Pink Ribbon, we can obtain a future free of breast cancer.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE PINK AS THE SYMBOLIC COLOR FOR THE BCA CAMPAIGN AND THE PINK RIBBON?

When a baby is born, boys are associated with the color light blue and girls with the color light pink. Because pink is the color that represents femininity, it was a natural choice to represent awareness of breast cancer, which affects women so predominantly. Eventually, I turned the color of our Pink Ribbon to hot pink to symbolize my drive to turn up the heat on breast cancer and raise awareness with ferocity. Making the color so brilliant stressed how important it is to find a cure. This year, a blue stone has been added to our Estée Lauder Jeweled Pink Ribbon Pin to represent the men who have been affected by breast cancer. Approximately, 1% of all people who are diagnosed with this disease are men, and countless men are impacted through the diagnoses of a loved one. Sometimes I can hardly believe that we have distributed close to 115 million Pink Ribbons around the world. It’s amazing that we have come so far.

WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ADDITION OF THE BLUE SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL TO THE JEWELED PINK RIBBON PIN THIS YEAR?

I added a beautiful blue Swarovski crystal to our jeweled Pink Ribbon pin this year because we don’t want to overlook the fact that men are directly impacted by this disease as well. The American Cancer Society reports that statistics of men being diagnosed with breast cancer are much lower – about 2,000 men were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010 and 390 died – however, we want to ensure that men have as strong of a support network as women. In addition, this disease does not just affect the people diagnosed with it, but it also impacts their friends, family and loved ones, including husbands, wives, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, and many, many others.

WHAT WOULD YOU TELL WOMEN WHO HAVE JUST DISCOVERED THEY HAVE CANCER
TO GIVE THEM HOPE AND COMFORT? WHAT ABOUT WOMEN WHO HAVE LOVED ONES SUFFERING FROM THE DISEASE?

The good news is that more people are surviving every single year so, firstly, never give up. Go to a breast specialist or a teaching hospital if possible. Following the advice of your oncologist and surgeon is very important. Many of today’s treatments are more tolerable than in the past, and there are excellent targeted treatments which affect the tumor only (rather than the entire body) that have been, and continue to be, developed. Additionally, there are many effective drugs that now control the side effects of chemotherapy. Many women are living with the cancer as a chronic illness.

Don’t be afraid of breast cancer. Don’t be afraid to do breast self-examinations or to have a clinical breast exam as part of a regular doctor’s visit. Don’t be afraid to have regular mammograms if you’re over the age of 40. Don’t be afraid – or wait – to go to your doctor if you find a lump or suspect something.

WHAT IS MISSING FROM THE CURRENT CONVERSATION REGARDING BREAST CANCER, AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO BRING THIS TO PEOPLE’S ATTENTION?

I believe awareness has become extremely popular. People are more conscious than ever of what they really need to do. What is truly missing is commitment to funding research, which is what will ultimately cure and prevent breast cancer. Budgets have been cut for the National Cancer Institute and all federally funded cancer research programs. In addition, pharmaceutical companies are facing budget pressures and many have cut back on their investment in cancer research. As a result, the private sector has had to step in to make up for the loss. It’s a fact that with additional research, new targeted treatments could be made available. Even prevention strategies, such as vaccines, could be made available that would enable us to prevent not only breast cancer, but many other types of cancer as well.

COULD YOU TELL US THE KEY ACHIEVEMENTS TO DATE OF THE BREAST CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION?

I founded The Breast Cancer Research Foundation® (BCRF) in 1993 to address a crucial lack of funding for clinical research in breast cancer at that time. BCRF very quickly embraced not only clinical research, but translational laboratory studies aimed at improving patient care. BCRF is an independent not-for-profit 501(c)(3) that in 2010-2011 is supporting 172 scientists at leading medical centers worldwide. BCRF grant dollars have provided crucial support for clinical studies that have directly benefited breast cancer care. For instance, the development of successful new breast cancer treatments such as Herceptin® and Avastin®, the finding that low-fat diet and regular exercise may help prevent breast cancer recurrence and also may delay the age of onset in individuals at high risk, and insights into the connection between genetics and external factors in breast cancer development were all made possible by BCRF-supported investigations.

BCRF grants have also resulted in important laboratory studies crucial to the eradication of breast cancer. These include the discovery of new genes that may protect against the development of breast cancer and others that conversely may increase risk, the finding of new pathways and drug targets, the identification of accurate markers for risk assessment and response to therapy, and knowledge of how breast cancer-initiating cells (cancer “stem cells”) develop and spread.

The Estée Lauder Companies’ BCA Campaign and BCRF are making a difference and saving lives in their separate ways. Knowing that what we are doing is making a difference is very inspiring to me.

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR WOMEN HOPING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD LIKE YOU HAVE?

Follow your passions and follow your heart. Don’t be afraid to make tough decisions and never give up.

WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE GLOBAL LANDMARK ILLUMINATIONS INITIATIVE THAT THE ESTÉE LAUDER COMPANIES DOES EACH YEAR?

We kicked off our Global Landmark Illuminations Initiative in 2000 to remind women across the world in a new and exciting way about the importance of breast health and to encourage women to get a mammogram every year if over the age of 40. It’s a dramatic call to action and a way for The BCA Campaign to raise awareness globally. We have illuminated more than 600 unique landmarks since 2000 and I’m thrilled to say that we established a new Guinness World Record “Most Landmarks Illuminated for a Cause in 24 Hours” in 2010. It has been very rewarding to see this program expand and to now light approximately 200 landmarks around the world in pink every October.


MORE INFO: http://www.bcrfcure.org/
http://www.esteelauder.co.uk/about/breast_cancer_awareness_pinkribbon.tmpl

Illamasqua: Free Shipping!!! And UPDATES...

Alex Box recently featured in Stylist magazine. Her brief: to represent her favourite Art movements via makeup. A task made for her! The images chosen reference Cubism, Dadaism, Post Modernism, Romanticism, and Baroque.

My favourite is the Dadaism,



followed by the Post Modernism,



There's also an interview with Alex Box.

In other news, more clues regarding the long-anticipated first Illamasqua perfume...due to launch at the end of October.

"We are very excited to introduce the new aptly named FREAK to you very very soon, but to whet your appetite, I'm going to let slip the following...

... it's a sexy, sultry Eau de Parfum

... Freak is a concoction of dangerously exotic unconventional flowers which we have unashamedly blended together to celebrate the night...

... we have three Limited Edition products that glisten and glow to help you reveal your inner Freak, inspired by the freak's midnight blooms."

I am so intrigued to hear what these flowers are - I'm thinking and hoping something like Annick Goutal Mandragore? And those limited edition glistening products sound good!

In the meantime, until this Sunday 18th September, ALL UK orders will receive FREE UK Standard delivery! If you don't have Beguile, you need it - and Depravity. The latest collection is the best yet. Go to Illamasqua website now. For UK orders just enter AWUK at the checkout and enjoy!



*Pictures from Stylist magazine.

Estee Lauder for Derek Lam SS 2012

Inspired by the iconic clean minimalism and open desert landscape of the Kaufmann house by Richard Neutra in Palm Springs, Tom Pecheux has created a soft haze of yellow and copper with a "sheer golden lip."

Most excitingly, check out all the new products...

Eyes: NEW limited edition Pure Color EyeShadow Palette – Yellow shade (#5) used – launching Spring 2012

NEW limited edition Pure Color Cyber Eyes Collection – launching November 2011:
Pure Color Gelée Powder EyeShadow in Cyber Copper
Pure Color Gelée Powder EyeShadow in Cyber Green
Pure Color Intense Kajal EyeLiner in Blackened Olive
Sumptuous Extreme Mascara in Extreme Copper

Lips: NEW limited edition Pure Color Gloss in Citron Kiss – launching Spring 2012

Cheeks: NEW Pure Color Blush tested backstage– launching Spring 2012

NEW limited edition Gelée Bronzer tested backstage – launching Spring 2012

Face: NEW foundation tested backstage– launching March 2012


Wow... I am already looking forward to the Citron Kiss lipgloss; that new blusher colour; the new foundation; the copper mascara, and the Blackened Olive Kajal!

This is the fourth consecutive season Estee Lauder have teamed up with Derek Lam, and the show featured Estee Lauder spokesmodels Liu Wen and Joan Smalls. (pictured above)



The fashion itself as you can see was clearly referencing the Kaufmann House in Palm Springs. Lam wrote in the show presentation notes, “My mind is wandering to a place of salubrious comfort . . . Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack crooning by the piano and Angie Dickinson lounging by a crystal blue pool.”

The makeup captures that languid tone perfectly. View more images of the show on Vogue.com

Makeup: Tom Pecheux for Estée Lauder
Nails: Jin Soon Choi for Estée Lauder
Photos: Courtesy of Estée Lauder,
& also Vogue.com

Sun / Damaged Hair Care

Many of us forget that just as skin needs protecting from the sun, so too does our hair. Hair typically suffers a deluge of abuse, and it's quite hard to find anything to mask - let alone repair - the damage. I have been testing out various remedies and some have definitely stood out...

My favourite is a shampoo which I was thrilled with, Schwarzkopf Professional BC Repair Rescue Shampoo (£9.30) - The Repair range uses "Biomimetic Technology" which apparently recreates the hair's structure! It has indeed actually reinvigorated my horribly overdyed hair and really has restored it to health. It claims to repair the hair from the inside out, and is a lightweight formula with an understated salon scent. I definitely recommend this - it's so hard to find a nourishing shampoo which isn't heavy and greasy! Top marks on all counts.



If you have grey, white or blonde/ highlighted hair, you may find you will benefit from Schwarzkopf Professional BC Colour Save Silver Shampoo (£9.30) This to me, has all the benefits of Repair Rescue, but also instantly refreshes and enlivens my highlights. I will never be without it!!! This consistently gets rave reviews, so my voice simply joins that crowd.



The Repair range also includes Sealed Ends (£11.30) which smoothes and apparently prevents split ends.


I have found this works nicely to keep down flyaway hairs, and again it is lightweight so never leaves hair greasy. It has a salon smell and feel too, a soft gel liquid consistency that is easy to use. A little goes a long way, and this is also a good addition to my hair routine. Though I have tried several similar products - this might be best for really frizzy hair.

Other products in this extensive Repair collection include 'Instant Repair Shot', an in-salon treatment; 'Smooth Express', a 30 second sachet remedy for thick unruly hair; 'Treatment', an intensive hair mask, 'Creme Shampoo', a rich version of the shampoo suitable for thick umanageable hair, and 'Conditioner'.

Schwarzkopf also specialise in colour preservation and their BC Bonacure Color Save Post Color Service is a box of little tubes which have helped extend the life of my colour. I really did notice an improvement. I am not sure if these are easily bought, I believe they may be designed as an in-salon treatment but if you can find them they are brilliant!






The sun care range by Schwarzkopf BC Bonacure is designed to be the perfect holiday haircare. I have tried the Sun Protect Spray (£10.45) which is lightweight and has UV protection. It smells very pleasant and faintly sweet. The Sun Protect After Sun Treatment (£11.80) smells great and has a foam texture.


It smells of holidays and really does soothe parched hair. This is the only product I took with me on holiday in sweltering temperatures, and my hair certainly looked better for it. I still use it as a hair mask, for the smell alone it's worth it! I like this product a lot as it seems to absorb quickly.

Clynol have now long been a favourite of mine, I have quite a few of their products as must-haves already. Their Intense After Sun mask (£9.65) features apricot kernel Oil to increase shine and provides UV filters. This is best on towel dried hair for ten minutes and leaves hair shiny and easy to comb. I also tried the De-Stress 24 Hr After Sun Conditioner (£9.45)
It is a very lightweight UV protecting leave in treatment which promises to reduce breakage up to 80%! I like that this never leaves hair cloying, yet it does feel nourishing.

Clynol have also just launched their "Care and Style Collection." These are products designed for stylists and that salon perfect finish. There are dozens of new products, each divided by colour-coded category.

Within the 'Repair' line, I am so thrilled with the NEW Remedy Keratin Filler (£10.15) Just a few sprays and my hair felt seriously soft and literally my hair has not looked this good in years. I am so excited to see how much better my hair will get, if this is what happens after one use. This and the Schwarzkopf Silver shampoo were my absolute standouts and ones that I will not be without (at least, for as long as I continue to regularly dye my hair.)

The 'Texture' line includes Powder Punch Volumising Powder (£10), launched in sleek new packaging.


It's a lot like Osis "Dust It" but with even more hold and volume. It literally can recreate backcombing without the effort! I think this would be especially impressive for long hair.



Texty Hold Matte Gum (£7.50) comes in a generous tub and reminds me of my faithful Osis "Mess Up" but better value as it's cheaper! I love this for creating real shape and texture, or even as a smoothing device. I like the refreshing salon smell too.

Finally within the 'Finish' collection I have tried the Animator Strong Hairspray (£8.70) which works well. I have used it to preserve today's good hair day so I'm hoping it delivers. It adds shine and has ensured even in blustery weather my hair returns to form.

My top picks:
-Schwarzkopf Professional BC Colour Save Silver Shampoo (if you are blonde/highlighted; white/ silver haired)
-Schwarzkopf Professional BC Repair Rescue Shampoo
-Schwarzkopf BC Bonacure Color Save Post Color Service
-Schwarzkopf Sun Protect After Sun Treatment
-Clynol NEW Remedy Keratin Filler
-Clynol Texty Hold Matte Gum

To find your nearest Schwarzkopf stockist call 01296 314 000 or log in to http://www.schwarzkopf.co.uk/

http://www.hairsupermarket.com/ sell at great prices so I'm stocking up on that shampoo pronto!

For Clynol,online at www.hairsupermarket.com / www.beautybay.com - for further stockist information please contact 01296 314000 or visit www.clynol.com.

Illamasqua Theatre of the Nameless is out now... more hauling

I promised that as soon as Illamasqua released this collection I would be right back for Berber pigment. This evening I passed by the Beak St flagship store for its 1 Year anniversary, and thought I'd quickly share what Berber looks like worn sedately.






I also picked up a BACKUP of Beguile as I have used it every day since I got it, as a face highlighter. It is surprisingly subtle and I swear every time I wear it, cars stop to let me go by and people generally seem to appreciate my "natural" glow. Seriously a beautiful pigment and very unique. The makeup artist used it here as an inner eye highlight.

I also snatched up Raindrops nail polish for a fiver. I really like it! It's a dove grey with sparkle.



(By the way I am wearing Havoc Precision ink liner as well.
*Sorry for the rushed pics but you get the idea...)

Illamasqua Theatre of the Nameless - Review and Swatches!

I think I always say, "This is the best Collection yet!" but seriously - this is great stuff!!! Illamasqua's previous collection, Toxic Nature, had some real standouts (e.g I still wear 'Delirium' on a regular basis) but somehow there was not the real punch of grim darkness that Illamasqua do so well. This time, there is no compromise: Illamasqua give us the perfection of murky, dark sparkle. Exciting shades and a really expansive mix; a very balanced collection. There are - Two new blushers; three new lipglosses (one, a rosy pink called 'Belladona' is an online exclusive); a new mascara - sorry, Masquara - three new pigments; two new cream pigments; a new lipstick; two false eyelashes, and four new nail polishes!

This is Theatre of the Nameless, the new collection which looks to Germany in the 1920s for inspiration, with Weimar period icons such as Anita Berber, the doomed flame haired scandalously androgynous actress, to the Boot girls who colour co-ordinated their shoelaces to their talents. This dubious source was quickly forgotten as David Horne, the talented and charming artistic brain behind it all (as handpicked by Alex Box) exclaimed as he sprinkled a load of Pure pigment 'Beguile' in the air and all over his lovely dark suit jacket, "I just thought it was hilarious how they colour coded their boots like that." Indeed, seen in the abstract, it is quirky and translates well into the range of rubber finish ("like candle wax") nail polishes. There's 'Taint' (stone brown) 'Kink' (bottle green) 'Vice' (deep cerise) and 'Faux Pas' (blue violet - as seen on my nails below.) Check out the competition to win these HERE (Hurry - competition ends on Sunday 4th!)

The new Precision Ink in 'Havoc' is described by Illamasqua thus: "Havoc lets you scrawl hidden messages across your naked flesh, to be discovered at midnight by your secret lover." (So excuse me if this post is rushed.) As yet at the time of writing I can only attest to its powers as an eyeliner. I wore it all day today, through an unexpected heat wave and a great workout at the gym, and this held up as excellently, as expected. Previous incarnations have been brilliant, and this is actually my favourite so far. It is aubergine but very dark, only a glint of aubergine - too much red purple makes my eyes look very tired. I highly recommend it and it was on my wishlist, so when I saw I'd been given one I couldn't believe my luck!







'Havoc' lined below, contrast it with my top black liquid line.

The Pure Pigments are truly captivating, I have come to realise that Illamasqua pigments are very distinctive and not similar to MAC at all, they are much finer (they do not 'ball up') and they almost remind me of a MAC Reflects pigment but with a heavy pigmented base. I received 'Beguile' and at first, seeing its unapologetic glittery sparkle, I mentally relegated it to 'strictly for inner eye only.' But in the interests of fair experimentation I tried it as a face highlighter. David Horne described it as having a wet, water look to it. But his jacket said disco frenzy. However, on the face I am shocked to report that the glitter is so very fine that it really does take on a wet shine. Wet shine is so hard to achieve with a dry pigment! And unlike 'Static' this eschews a purple duochrome for a green glint.







My only reservation is, seeing the state of my other Illamasqua pigments, how to keep it neat? (does anyone have any tips? My pigment always flies out when I open them.) The other Pure Pigment, 'Berber' is a brilliant - again, David Horne's words: "Rust shot through with Absinth." It's a deep brick red but with very noticeable lime green sparkle. Although red is usually so hard to look good in, I think the green will really help make this a flattering yet showstopping shade. The depth of colour is magnificent. Then there is 'Zeitgeist', a black pigment with tons of sparkle. It is like a true black version of 'Android' (another fave.)

The Cream pigments are 'Androgen', a slightly reddened coral which works equally as a beard cover up or a blusher; and 'Depravity' which I wore today and LOVED. Purple is my favourite colour, and this is my favourite version of purple. Purple eyes can be very old fashioned, especially lilac, but this is a vibrant pinky purple that is very young. I wore it with no base and it faded to a pinker shade, which I still adored, and it didn't crease much at all. I have found that some of Illamasqua's Cream pigments crease very quickly (e.g 'Dab') but others, like 'Delirium' and now 'Depravity' last fairly well even without a base. I will in future probably wear 'Depravity' over a primer to keep it looking its best though. I am even going to break my 'no-matchy' rule and wear this with magenta purple tomorrow.









'Depravity' above, after fading for about 5 hours to a more pink hue

The blushers reminded me of NARS Sin and Oasis or Orgasm. They are both shimmer blushers, 'Ambition' is a neutal tone but very shimmery; 'Morale' was a very attractive wine shade with just the right shine to it. The packaging looks especially good as that big pinched square compact. The new lipglosses are 'Facade', which is like a liquid version of 'Hollow' pigment; 'Violate' which is supposedly in their sheer range but goes on a wonderful deep green sparkle, just the right side of brave. The two eyelashes are 'Grandeur', a sumptuous black flicked design; and 'Weimar', of which only 500 have been made (and this is the only L.E item in the collection.) The Weimar lashes are black and extravagant, with red tips which almost glow in the light. Very daring yet also very wearable. Aside from the dark purple blue lipstick 'Kontrol', everything seems very wearable - and yet still subversive. This is exactly Illamasaqua's forte.

I cannot wait to get myself 'Berber' to add to my collection.

Theatre of the Nameless is out now online, and launches across counters globally on 8th September.


-Full Product details and Prices -

Nail Varnish, £13.50

• Taint (Stone Brown)
• Kink (Bottle Green)
• Vice (Deep Cerise)
• Faux Pas (Blue Violet)

Cream Pigment, matte £17.00

• Androgen(Coral)
• Depravity (Magenta)

Masquara £15.00

• Raven (Midnight Black)
  

Pure Pigment, metallic £15.50

• Zeitgeist (Dark Shimmer)
• Beguile (Light Shimmer)
• Berber (Auburn Shimmer)

Precision Ink, £17.00

• Havoc (Aubergine)

False Eye Lashes, £16.00

The Theatre of the Nameless brings two new lashes to our extensive handmade range of styles and colours – the fluttering, tapered extravagance of the aptly named Grandeur and the thick, long, luxurious Blackened Auburn Weimar.

Shimmer Blusher, £16.50

• Ambition (Neutral)
• Morale (Rosed Flush)

Intense Lipgloss, £13.00

• Façade (Grey Pink)

Sheer Lipgloss, £13.00

• Violate (Dark Green Shimmer)

Lipstick, £15.50

• Kontrol (Blue Violet)

~Thank you to Illamasqua for a wonderful preview evening, not to mention the delicious Weimar cocktail!