Product Reviews

Illamasqua Powder Eyeshadow in Lestat

After several years dominating makeup counters, shimmery eyeshadows are letting mattes (viva MAC Matte2!) have the limelight for a while.

UK freshman Illamasqua has even gone so far as to make most of their Powder Eyeshadow singles ($23 USD before shipping) mattes.

I bet that pleases a lot of professional makeup artists who do work for photography; that’s somewhere I see mattes getting lots of use.

Illamasqua Powder Eyeshadow in Goddess

I think Illamasqua’s decision to make mattes their priority is a bold decision on the consumer end. Seriously, ladies love their shimmer shadows, so I can’t help but wonder: will Illamasqua’s gamble pay off?

Last weekend I sank my teeth into two of their matte shadows, Lestat (a chocolaty black) and Goddess (a turquoise blue).

Both were full of surprises. 🙂

Lestat

Lestat pays homage to his namesake, Anne Rice’s character from Interview with a Vampire. It’s a dark black with a pinch of warm, chocolate brown, and with all the talk about Twilight and Edward Cullen, it comforts my vampire-lurvin’ heart to know that the folks at Illamasqua have an appreciation for old school fang fiction. 🙂

Surprise: Lestat applies semi-sheer, which I didn’t expect at all. The other Illamasqua products I’ve tried applied with soooo much pigment, so I expected Lestat would, too.

My bad.

At first it put me off, but after playing with the shadow for a few minutes, I changed my tune.

For me, heavily pigmented deep black mattes can be tough to use. All it takes is one wrong swipe with an overloaded brush and that subtle smokey eye turns into an epic fail, so I love Lestat’s sheer color.

It allows me to build color slowly, maintaining control the entire time. Plus, because it is so sheer, I don’t feel like I’m wasting a lot of eyeshadow diluting it before application.

In terms of texture, Lestat feels soft and fine to me, like MAC Matte2 eyeshadows.

All that, and it’s super easy to blend, layers quickly and doesn’t irritate my eyes. Love this! Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A
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Lately there’s been a lot of buzz around a bright, edgy new makeup line from the UK called Illamasqua, and the buzz recently kicked into high gear on our side of the Atlantic when the company started shipping across the pond.

To cultivate our new addiction, UK makeup artist Rochelle O’Brien wrote a guest post with a great introduction to the line (Illamasqua Makeup for Your Alter Ego), and this morning I took a break to play with a few goodies from the company’s latest limited edition collection, appropriately named Sirens.

Back in middle school I was a total FREAK for Greek mythology… I totes wanted to name my future daughter Athena, and the Sirens collection brought to mind images of gossamer gowns, glowing skin and long, angelic hair.

The 15-piece collection includes a nice spread of products for eyes, lips and cheeks ranging in price from $18-30 (US) and a palette of bronze, gold, blue, pink, green and brown.

The look’s all about glowing, golden skin punctuated by bright touches of bold, eye-catching color, BAM!

The Sirens of Greek mythology were three mystical half-bird women who lived on a remote Mediterranean island. They were said to be so seductive that the sound of their voices on the wind could entrance passing sailors, causing them to run their ships aground on the rocky coast.

Playing with a few items from the collection, I think I know how those sailors felt!

Lipstick in Resist, $23

HOLY MUTHA. I would sooo crash my ship on the rocks for Resist lipstick, yo! One of two lipsticks from the Sirens collection, it’s bold AND sassy. She’s a creamy, hot pink demon! — and not for the faint of heart.

Resist applies with rich, intense color. A single layer delivers full, opaque coverage that lasts for hours, surviving two slices of pizza and a glass of orange juice, too.

As if the incredible color weren’t enough, the moisturizing, fragrance- and taste-free formula feels silky and feather-light on my lips. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+

Bronzing Duo in Glint & Burnish, $30

Glint & Burnish, one of two Bronzing Duos in the collection, comes with a shimmery golden brown powder and a golden peach, both for face and body.

The colors remind me of amped-up versions of MAC Beauty Powders.

These also pack intense pigmentation, and both finely milled powders feel ultra soft to the touch, literally melting into my skin.

And then there’s the glow…

THE GLOW!

It’s magical. Super fine shimmer particles — no chunky bits of disco glitter up in this mo’ fo’ — make skin glow like a pearl.

At $30, these duos aren’t Chanel-caliber expensive, but they’re not exactly budget, either. Here, though, taking into account the large compacts, I think you get a lot for your money. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A
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Summers always *glow* with shades of bright teal, purple and gold, leading the four Soft Touch Eyeshadows in Chanel Les Naturel De Chanel ($28.50 each) to seem kinda ho-hum by comparison, like khaki work pants or bland food.

True, these neutral beige, brown, taupe and pink shades aren’t the flashiest colors on the block — I first thought they might not work well with tan skin — but after playing around with them this week, I think they’re actually kinda hawt!

They looked timid from the in-store swatches, but it was all a ruse. These colors are highly wearable on lighter and darker skin tones alike.

I’ll post eye pics in an upcoming post. For now, here are some thoughts on the shadows and a few ways to wear ’em.

Lotus

Shimmery Lotus, a peachy golden beige, has just a hint of pink; it’s my favorite of the bunch! 🙂

Like the love child of MAC Shroom (a shimmery, pinkish beige) and Ricepaper (a shimmery, peachy beige with a hint of gold), it’s surprisingly pretty in person.

Girls who love complex beige shadows should appreciate the buttery texture and her hints of peach, pink and gold. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+

One way to wear Lotus…

Chanel Soft Touch Eyeshadow in Lotus

Lotus looks bangin’ on top of shimmery champagne Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Birthday Suit.

After applying both products from the lash line up into the crease, smudge some Benefit Bad Gal Waterproof Liner along your upper lash line, and finish with a dark mascara. The result? A fresh but not fussy look that’s sophisticated at the same time.

Swatches from left to right: Chanel Lotus, MAC Shroom, MAC Ricepaper

Slate

Slate, a cool, matte taupe, hides hints of purplish gray. The texture melts into my skin and feels smooth… like hip hop slow jams. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

One way to wear Slate…

Chanel Soft Touch Eyeshadow in Slate

For an easy yet elegant eye, try it in the crease, with MAC Satin Taupe (a shimmery, purplish taupe) on the lid and Clinique Black Honey Kohl (a matte, plummy brown) along the lash lines.

Chanel Slate, MAC Satin Taupe

Mahogany

At first Mahogany reminded me of MAC Showstopper, a chocolaty grayish brown, but when I looked closer I saw that the shades are worlds apart. Showstopper applies much darker, with more black and less purple than Mahogany.

I think that makes it easier for clumsy girls like me to apply; since it isn’t as dark as something like Showstopper, there’s more room for error. 🙂 Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B

Ways to wear Mahogany…

Chanel Soft Touch Eyeshadow in Mahogany

I’ve been using Mahogany mostly as liner (applied either wet or dry) with purple or taupe eyeshadows.

I also like it in the outer corners of the eyes, where I think it adds a subtle, smokey effect…

MAC Showstopper, Chanel Mahogany

Lily

Lily, a cool, matte beige, is infused with pink, and I think it really brightens up my eyes.
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Remember last summer’s bad ass Clarins Summer Fever collection? Gawd, I loved that release! It had a beach party vibe that felt very young and fun, and it was *so* poppin’ with its bright teal, purple, hot pink and orange colors.

With this summer’s Instant Sun Light collection, Clarins took a completely different route. Available now, the nine-piece release ($20-36) features a subdued palette of warm brown, coral, pink and gold shades in matte and shimmer finishes.

There’s a ton of powder blushes and bronzers in this collection, as the look focuses on glowy bronze skin rather than bright pops of color.

The look is elegant and mature (it totally screams Chanel!), and it brings up images of sophisticated little black dresses, crystal champagne flutes, yachts and tuxedoed high rollas.

Initially, I was a little bummed that Instant Sun Light wasn’t as bright as last year’s Summer Fever, but after playing with six of the products I found there’s still a lot of great stuff here. It’s not as blingy, for sure, but it’s pretty, natural makeup, and I can totes get behind that.

Soleil Irise Shimmer Palette for Eyes, Cheeks and Decollete, $36

Soleil Irise’s three shimmery shades (pink, coral and gold) look like sunrise in a palette. You can swirl the colors together and apply the mix as a highlighting powder on the cheeks and body, but I prefer to apply the colors individually as single washes of sunny color on my lids. It’s a tiny compact for $36, but the fine texture and rich color payoff make up for the steep price. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B+

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