30 August 2010

Art of Darkness: Dark Angel


With the fiery Gypsy Queen, enigmatic Wolfen and dramatic Mistress of Ceremonies revealed to you, I would like now to present a beautiful, monochromatic [save for a sensual navy lip] echantress known as the Dark Angel.

A guide to any traveller thats finds them self lost between the many realms of reality, the Dark Angel inhabits a twilight world and guards the secret of destiny's path. Her beauty reflects the shadowed shades of her half-life existence, and celebrates all that is 'other'...

And what better time than to introduce our new Lipstick for Autumn Winter 2010; 'Disciple'.

This pigment-rich deep blue Lipstick is all set to be the hottest colour for the upcoming season and provides an alternative to the metallic berry Intense Lipgloss in 'Hermetic'.

27 August 2010

Art of Darkness: Wolfen




The third character of the AW10 Art of Darkness to be released to you is the brooding, sensuous Wolfen.

His dark beauty is as breathtaking as it is unsettling. There is a hunger in his eyes that can never be satisfied, a lust the smoulders day and night, an intesity that demands complete submission.

Deny him at your peril.

26 August 2010

Art of Darkness: Gypsy Queen


The latest character from the AW10 collection Art of Darkness is the gorgeous Queen of the Gypsies.




No one can resist the Queen of the Gypsyies. This alluring temptress, famed for her seductive veiled dancing, knows how to use her art to get what she wants...

Jewels, exotic perfumes, the head of a scorned love on a silver platter - there's danger to this incredible beauty.

Get The Look


Gilded skin and metallic highlights enhance the tough character of the Gypsy Queen whilst a soft red lip adds allure and the blood red sparkling nails are a reminder of her dangerous elements.

The new Nail Varnish in 'Scarab' will satisfy those who long for a deep blood red nail with a beautiful gleam. This image is just one coat...


For matching lips, try the new Intense Lipgloss in 'Hermetic'. It's an impossibly glossy deep red with a subtle sparkle...


And for those following the Nail Varnish Competiton - the tip of the Gypsy Queen is the new Nail Varnish in 'Shrapnel' - one of the winners!

COMPETITION: Win A 3 Day SOMUA Course...

Have you always wanted to attend a professionally developed make-up course led by one of the leading industry experts worth £575?

Do you fancy staying in a central London hotel with the sights, sounds and inspiration of the Big City all around you?

Here is your chance to win one of the most exciting prizes we have ever offered...


To Enter


Simply download the face chart and produce a design under the theme of "UNPREDICTABLE" by clicking below or from the Illamasqua SOMUA facebook page.

You can use make-up, paint, materials... the more creative and daring the better. Tell us all about your influences and why your design is considered "Unpredictable" and you could be in with the chance of winning this amazing prize.

Please submit your Face Chart design entry by Competition closing date: Monday September 13th 2010.


Please send entries to:

Illamasqua School of Make-up Art Competition
Illamasqua
6-8 Amwell St
London
EC1R 1UQ

Or you can scan in your entry and send it to school@illamasqua.com


The Prize:
* Complimentary place on the Building Creativity 3-Day Course at the Illamasqua School of Make-up Art, London W1

* Paid Travel, within the UK only

* Daily London transport travelcard to attend course

* 2 x Night hotels accommodation [Zone 1] during 3 day course

* 20% Discount on Illamasqua product range

* Select the date you want to attend in October, November or December [and be in London for Christmas shopping!]

* The course, worth over £575

Terms and Conditions

UK Only entry
Minimum entry age of 16 years
Be sure to put your contact details on
We cannot return face charts

25 August 2010

School of Make-up Art: Course Breakdowns: Mastering Professional Make-up


The ultimate make-up education programme, this professionally designed intensive course will provide you with a solid platform from which to build your confidence and your skills. You'll learn and practice a range of core technical and creative techniques until you're precision perfect, then look at ways in which to develop more abstract styles and looks. This comprehensive introduction to professional make-up will teach your alter ego everything it needs to know about self expression and the Art of making up.

Course Content:

DAY 1: Lure

Learn how to create the perfect professional canvas

DAY 2: PIERCE

Understanding eye shape and bone structure: how to enhance, maximise and dramatize.

DAY 3: TECHNICAL ART

Working with lines, arches, and angles to perfec your technical skills.
DAY 4: CREATIVE ART

Abstract and expressive, you'll experiment with a world of colours and textures.
DAY 5: INDIVIDUALITY WORKSHOP

A final freestyle session that lets you really explore your personal make-up style.


Price:

£1,000.00 [This course includes a complimentary Illamasqua Make-up Education Kit]

Course Dates:

4-8th October 2010

8-12th November 2010

7-11th December 2010


For more information, please email school@illamasqua.com or call us on 0844 984 1700

24 August 2010

S.O.P.H.I.E

Today marks the third anniversary of Sophie's death.



Sophie Lancaster was a Goth. She was also an intelligent 20 year old woman with a bright future. She was beaten up and killed simply for looking different in August 2007.


The Sophie Lancaster Foundation was created to enforce a simple message; Stamp Out Prejudice, Hatred and Intolerance Everywhere.


The driving force behind the charity, Sophie's mother Sylvia Lancaster, comments "I want Sophie's story to be an inspiration to us all to live in tolerance and to celebrate everyone's right to be who they want to be. The Sophie Lancaster Foundation and Illamasqua are intrinsically linked - both promote and fight for the freedom to self-express.”


To show your support, please donate generously via our website or by buying the S.O.P.H.I.E wristbands and the cult ‘Sophie’ pencil.

Last November, for what would have been Sophie’s 23rd birthday, the following video was made. Please view ‘Dark Angel’ here.





23 August 2010

Art of Darkness: The Mistress of Ceremonies

With the launch date of September 16th edging ever closer, I want to start introducing you to some of our characters from the epic Art of Darkness collection.

Without giving too much away, we wanted to create an entire world with this collection, with characters from various realms of fantasy that showcase a variety of artistic use of make-up, from the subtle to the extreme, from the monochromatic to the vividly vibrant...


The Mistress of Ceremonies

With her authoritative aura, all eyes are drawn to the Mistress of Ceremonies. It is she who ensures the forces are balanced and the gods appeased. Her body is a patchwork of mythical symbols and semi-precious stones - a walking celebration of the earth and the heavens...

20 August 2010

Art of Darkness: Precision Inks






The influence behind the AW10 Art of Darkness collection is a blend of the dangerously intriguing art of alchemy - potions, elixirs, liquids and concoctions designed to enrich, poison and dazzle the senses - and the world of myths and magic, with defined figures each with their own distinct personality, coming together for a sumptuous feast... these will be brought to you over the next few weeks in the build up to launch, with look breakdowns and personality breakdowns to bring you the characters of the Night...

Every collection that we have launched at Illamasqua has brought a new formula with it, and this collection is no different.

When you ask yourself "how do you create art?" you will inevitably think of the variety of ways in which artists express themselves; Van Gogh's chunky, vivid oil painting style, the subtle, life-like, genius blending of Leonardo da Vinci, the gentle, precise work of graphic artists... and it's with these graphic artists that we took our inspiration for the latest product launch.

Allow me to present to you, the Precision Ink



The bold, intense shot of colour is wonderfully easy to use, with a fine pointed nib that works to create fine lines, or can be used on it's side to build up bold strokes of colour.

And what's the best bit? It comes in two shades:

Abyss - Pure Black


Alchemy - Spun Gold


£16.50 - available from www.illamasqua.com from Friday afternoon - we predict a sell out!

18 August 2010

Illamasqua AW10: Art of Darkness

The countdown begins...


A place in which the lines between the real and the mythical, the past and the future, the living and the dead are never clear...

A twisted world where anything can happen...

Deep in an enchanted forest, the scene is set for a sumptuous feast. The chosen have arrived. Lured by the promise of immortality, a host of fantastical beings try their hand at creating the ever-elusive Elixir of Life...

Where this night will end, no one knows...

So take your place at the table and let the banquet begin...

More information to follow up until the nationwide launch date of 16th September

17 August 2010

Inception Gets The Illamasqua Treatment...

Spob - Head of Professional Development and Training - took a few months off last year to work on one of the best films of the year in 'Inception' - the mind-boggling Sci-fi film by Director Christopher Nolan of Dark Knight, Memento and Insomnia film - starring the fantastic Leonardo di Caprio, Tom Hardy and Marion Cottilard amongst other Hollywood heavyweights.

I won't spoil it for those of you who haven't seen it, but seriously - you've got to go and see this film. This is why I was so excited to learn that Spob was Key Hair Stylist on the film! I asked her about it...

"As Key Hair Stylist on 'Inception' it was my responsibility to create and look after the main artists hair. As you know my love of all things Illamasqua meant I could easily transfer my make up knowledge and use Illamasqua pieces to help achieve the desired looks.

Illamasqua’s Powder Eye Shadow in 'Wolf', a fabulous pigment easy to blend into the hair line.

I also used Illamasqua’s Brow & Lash Gel by painting it onto individual hair for control. The hair stayed matt on screen without drying out and washed out easily.

Sealing Gel is king and using it with Powder Eye Shadow in 'Justify' makes a great dark blonde for using on the scalp.

When attaching a wig, the actors natural hair can be different colours and sometimes this can be a problem [close ups lighting etc.] So, before the wig is place sometimes I would brush Powder Eye Shadow mixed with Sealing Gel and paint. This would then be left to dry matt and perfect -you would never know!

Then Illamasqua brushes have no end in terms of use; the Lip Brush is the BEST brush on the market to use with gluing down lace fronted wigs.

The Angled Eye Liner brush for creating soft gentle hair like licks with Powder Eye Shadow.


Eye Shadow Brush - used with alcohol to remove glue from wig lash - is gentle and does not effect the wig lace. So many tricks I used with the brushes but the best was when I cut hair I use the new Kabuki brush to clear away hair on actors neck and you could hear them purring in the chair!"

I also bugged her for backstage photos but alas! the film was clouded in such secrecy that no cameras or phones were allowed on set to stop any details potentially leaking. You have to be impressed of these days of twitter, facebook, youtube and gossip sites that the film was released with only the mind-bending trailer [click here to watch] to whet the appetite.

School of Make-up Art: Course Breakdowns: Building Abstract Creativity - Art & The Alter Ego

A 2 day course, the 'Art and the Alter Ego' course will encourage you to unleash your alter ego in whatever way takes your fancy...

To do this, you need to feel confident working with colour, technique and effect so that you can create our own individual work of art. As well as teaching you the basic make-up principles, we'll make sure that you're so confirdent in your abilities that you'll have no qualms redefining them either, in order to put together looks that express the inner you.


To help you harness your creativity, guest professional make-up artists will be on hand throughout, ready to give you an insight into getting the most from your make-up kit. A truly unique experience, this hands-on course is inspired by the work of Illamasqua's Creative Director Alex Box - "The most outrageous make-up artist in the world."


Course Content:


Day 1: Technical Workshop - Perfecting technical skills: blend, line, define, sculpt, refine. Plus in-depth review of the work of Alex Box.

Day 2: Creative Workshop - Personal expression, transformation and Make-up Art.


Price:

£375 [this course includes a complimentary make-up education kit, retail value £98.50]


Course dates:

20-21st October

22-23rd November

22-23rd December

For further information, or to book, please email school@illamasqua.com or call us on 0844 984 1700

15 August 2010

Jess Hart: Look Breakdown from the Myer Fashion Show

Sue Marshall, Jess Hart's lovely Lead Make-up Artist tells me, "I just love Illamasqua products. The colours kindly gifted to me were exactly what Jess loves to use. The Bronzing Duo blended beautifully, it made her so radiant and the Cream Blusher's just melted into her skin creating a gorgeous dewy finish.

We both just loved the Pure Pigment in Furore too.

Truly, every single product I've used has been fantastic, I can honestly say that I am very excited by this make-up brand."

"Jess and I bounce ideas off each other, after reviewing the garments she will be wearing. We took the amazing reference from Alex Box and added some glamour with the lashes used on the Golden Goddesses and gave it an extra kick with the lip colour.

We decided to pop a lip on her, as no-one else in the show was wearing a bright lip. Jess loves the unexpected. Jess loved the bronze feel as this is something she naturally identifies with but wanted something different for each of her appearances.

thanks to Sassisam for the above image.

Alex Box's show direction suited us perfectly! Because we were restricted with our time, it allowed us to move quickly into a slightly different feel once combined with each new outfit. We played with different lashes for each appearance and 3 different lip colours and nails, Lipstick in 'Obey' during the show, 'Maneater' for a beautiful red on the red carpet and 'Perilous' for a bright orange after party look."

Thanks to Sue for letting me in to the backstage secrets of Jess Hart! She has a great website here, and Jess herself has an amazing blog that all the girls at Grazia UK have been going mad over! Click here to have a read...

13 August 2010

Alex Box in i-D


Click to enlarge...

12 August 2010

School of Make-up Art: Course Breakdowns: Building Expertise and Confidence - Perfecting Eye Design

As the title suggests, this intensive short course is all about eyes. The windows to the soul, they're also the focal point of many high impact looks, so the possibilities for self-expression are endless. From considering definition and shape to experimenting with colour, this practical course will equip you with a range of professional skills and enable you to create show-stopping eye make-up looks that no one can ignore.

Throughout the course, guests professional make-up artists will be on hand to help and advise you on taking your creative skills to the next level.


Price:

£375

Course Dates:

14 - 15th October
16 - 17th November
16 - 17th December

To book or for further inquiries, please email school@illamasqua.com or call 0844 984 1700.

Myer Fashion Parade - The Backstage Video

If you would like to watch the video without half of it missing [!] then check it out on our Youtube channel, click here.


11 August 2010

Avant Garde: Golden Goddess Look Breakdown



Creative Director Alex Box designed the looks for the show, including the beautiful Golden Goddess look for the 10 models opening the show. With their hair slicked back with gold leaf and 24 carat gold nails the make-up had to look sensational...

Skin

Satin Primer was used all over the face for a dewy, fresh base. As all the girls had had spray tans prior to the show, a Cream Foundation in a shade a couple of shades darker than their natural skin tone was used and blended and buffed to perfection using an Illamasqua Highlighter Brush

After dusting off any shine using Loose Powder and an Illamasqua Powder Brush,

Contour the face using Illamasqua Powder Blusher in 'Rumour', 'Spite' and 'Disobey' depending on the model's skin tone. This was applied using Blusher Brush II, using the tapered edge to smooth colour under the cheekbones, down the sides of the nose and from the eye lids up to the temples to create an architectured face.


Next, Alex used a small amount of Bronzing Duo, using the darker shade to enhance the contour and the lighter shade to add a touch of creamy highlight to the top of the cheekbones, down the centre of the nose and across the hairline.

Alex's now-trademark trick of applying soap to the eyebrows to flatten them against the skin so that they 'disappear' was part of the look to keep the focus on the smokiness of the eyes.

Eyes

To define the eye shape, Powder Eye Shadow in 'Wolf' re-exaggerated the shape initially created using Powder Blusher in 'Disobey'. Alex used an Illamasqua Eye Shadow Brush to press on the colour and blended high up beyond the crease using Blending Brush I.

Medium Pencil in 'Sophie'
was used for an inky black smudge along the waterline and under the lashline, and Powder Eye Shadow in 'Gimp' used on top to build colour intensity and to allow for a gentle fade out to deep grey.

Gimp was also used on top of Wolf on the top eye lid, almost up until the brow and blended out again. The lid and outer third of the eye should be the most intense.

Liquid Metal in 'Solstice' should be spattered in to the inner corner of the eye and roughly blended in to the eye colour not further than 1/3 of the way onto the eye lid, with the concentration of the colour being at the inner corner. Alex used her fingers and an Illamasqua Lip Brush for a more defined shape to apply the Solstice.

A sprinkling of Pure Pigment in 'Marvel' adds a shimmering yellow tone to the gold and is also used with Blusher Brush I to dab the colour on to the temples and on the upper third of the cheekbones.

After using a coat of Volume Mascara in 'Harness', False Eye Lashes no 13's were used for a sex kitten look, and fastened to natural lashes using another coat of Volume Mascara.

For a final shot of glimmer, add a touch of Pure Pigment in 'Android' to the outer corners and along the lash line to blend the line of the lashes and the smoky black eye colour.

Lips

For a gentle, dewy highlight, a 50/50 mixture of Liquid Metal in 'Solstice' and Satin Primer was applied to the top of the lip. The lips were blended out [to keep the focus on the super-smoky eyes] using a touch of the Cream Foundation used for the skin and a touch of Sheer Lipgloss in 'Brilliant' to the centre of the lips.


Final Touches

Gold glitter was pressed on to the skin for a bold look, like the models had been rolling about in gold sand. This was picked up by the flash of the photographers bulbs beautifully on the catwalk.

Below is a picture of Alex touching up the models prior to the press call.