Illamasqua is the bombdiggity

1.       Bombdiggity

{adj} - A description of something that is better than excellent, great, good, amazing, et cetera.

A few weeks ago now I had the absolutely pleasure of trotting along to Illamasqua’s first Brisbane Beauty Bloggers event.

Deets were:

• What: Illamasqua Brisbane Beauty Bloggers Event
• Where: Illamasqua Counter at Myer, Queen Street Mall, Brisbane
• When: Friday June 03, 2011
• Time: 6:30-8:30pm

On arrival we were warmly welcomed by Illamasqua’s Australian PR chick Christabel Draffin, who did a stellar job of introducing us to the brand’s ethos of self expression and the alter ego. She also made sure I had champagne flute of sparkling apple juice and a delightful mini cupcake firmly placed in my hot little hands within five minutes of being there – a sure fire way to leave a pleasant impression at a pre-dinner-time event.

For those of you unacquainted with the brand, Illamasqua made a huge splash on the beauty scene due to their high impact, other worldly advertising campaigns and emphasis on women and men alike embracing their "unique selves".

Illamasqua describes itself as:

Self-expression through make-up is an idea that is spreading outside alternative cultures. Illamasqua’s mission is to provide high-performance, professional make-up to anyone who wants to self-express and accentuate their look beyond the norm.

Developed by leading chemists, manufacturers of stage and screen make-up and make-up artists, Illamasqua brings truly professional make-up to the high street for the first time.

Designed to be colour-intense, colour-true and long lasting, Illamasqua offers an unprecedented range – giving you a huge palette with which to express yourself, whoever you are and whatever look you want to achieve.

Illamasqua brings its rich heritage to life by providing make-up lessons rather than ‘makeovers’. Illamasqua’s make-up artists spend time getting to know individuals, helping them explore their alter ego and create the look they want to achieve. This is self-expression at its most creative, allowing women and men who dare to be different to create a look that can be achieved confidently at home and flaunted at night.

We're also a brand with a conscience, and are proud of the fact that none of our products, from blushers to brushes, are tested on animals.

From my experience with the brand so far this description is spot on. You need only to take a glance at the gorgeous creatures makeup artists who work behind the counter to be enticed into a world where highly pigmented bright orange lipstick is not only ok but PREFERABLE and purple eye brows are the norm.

At the event we were lucky enough to be treated to a demonstration by Illamasqua MUA Tiarah who showed us a look from the Toxic Nature collection. Here are some fabulously shitty pics taken on my iPhone.

As these images show, the really cool thing about this brand is that it stresses that makeup is not just about looking pretty or covering up self perceived “flaws”. It’s about self expression and celebrating one’s individuality, all the while using a product of the highest quality to do so.

If you haven’t already caught on by my super subtle writing style, this makeup is, "FULLY SICK MATEEEEE." No but for reals, all Illamasqua's makeup is HIGHLY pigmented with  impressive durability, my kind of prod!

I feel very lucky to have been given the following products to trial and play with.

Powder Eye Shadow in Bronx

This coppery shade is just gorg! The warm undertones in it really wakes up the eye area as unlike most metallic shadows it maintains its depth of colour whilst still giving some pretty gal sparkle.

Sheer Lipgloss in Torture

A warm, coral peach. I like to pop this over a matte orange lippy like Innoxa’s Tangerine  - I guarantee you’ll get an inquiry and/or compliment every time you wear these two together.

Powder Blusher in Nymph

Now this was a surprise for me! Barbie doll pink blush is something I normally shy away from but to my surprise I found this colour added a youthful rosy hint of colour when applied with a light touch to the apples of my cheeks. Very feminine and pretty when paired with lashings of mascara and some well placed bronzer.

Ok wow so this post is getting a little OC in length (that stands for outta control, not The Real Housewives of Orange County – I know how you think you scallywag!) so I’ll stop and let you get back to watching The Kardashians and petting your cat.

But first, pleaseeeee tell me if you’ve tried any Illamasqua products and if so do you like them as much as me? What's your favourite?

Until next time, wishing you a full and defined brow and blemish-free week.