PM'S TOP FIVE: Illamasqua

Hi everyone!

Yes, I am having a bit of an Illamasqua phase at the moment... Though my love for their stuff will not die off anytime soon! (They have a new collection, Paranormal, due for release on the 30th of April! WOOHOO! I'm SUPER excited to see what will come out!)

In the past few days I have put their Pure Pigments and Blush Duo's under my makeup microscope! :)

Anyway, the PM's Top Five will bring you my five favourite products from a particular category (brand, colour scheme, product etc) and explain why I love them so!

First off the blocks for my Top Five is Illamasqua. Here are my five favourite Illamasqua products, in no particular order:

My Illamasqua Top Five!

Skin Base Foundation

30mL for AUD$41 from Myer

This is, without a doubt, the best foundation I've used to date! I love that it matches my skin tone (I'm a 6), it is one of the best matches I found. It comes in 26 different shades, so there is bound to be something to suit your skintone! They even make a pure white shade (so no more dilemmas for those pasty folk about their foundation being too dark!). It is also one of the longest lasting foundations I've worn. After 8-10 hours it still looks perfect (except on my nose but that's because nothing ever sticks to it!). It is suitable for all skin types and coverage is easily buildable, it can be worn sheerer or heavy depending on your preference. You can see me wearing Skin Base in my FOTD here!

Eyebrow Cake

4.5gms for AUD$22 from Myer

Eyebrow Cake in Vehement

I swear by this for my eyebrows. My brows are not as defined or sharp as some of the others you see on the net (I like the look, but I don't think it'd suit me) but I am a firm believer that brows need some attention as part of your routine. I have brows that are more dense than some, but filling them in still makes a huge difference! I use the cake dry with an angled brush and simply fill them in... easy! The cake comes in 6 shades. I use Vehement (the darkest shade... as you can see, quite dark!). You can also use the brow cake in conjunction with Illamasqua's sealer gel to make your brows waterproof and smudge proof (they do last pretty well anyway!). Handy to note though that using sealer gel makes the cake darker (I can't use my cake with sealer gel... it's WAY too dark!). Using it dry gives you a much more natural look.

Blusher in Tremble

4.5gms for AUD$28 from Myer

Blush in Tremble

Blush in Tremble

There are so many pretty blush colours by Illamasqua, it's hard to settle on one! Tremble is the blush I find myself reaching for the most often! Illamasqua describe it as a "soft lilac pink"... to be honest I can't really see where the lilac comes in. Directly under bright lighting it looks pink, but under everything else I can see a peachy tone (perhaps my eyes are broken?), which I think makes it a great all-occasions blush. It's not so pink that you look like you've been rubbing your cheeks in candy, but it also complements any orange/peachy toned lipsticks you wear with it. It's quite pigmented, so a little does go a long way, but it still blends out really nicely and it's one of the harder colours to stuff up! I had to put in two photos for this becuase it wanted to play hide and seek with the camera! I promise it shows up more in real life!

Bronzing Duo in Glint/Writhe

2x4gms for AUD$39 from Myer

Glint (left) and Writhe (right)

I have already displayed my love for this bronzing duo in my Easter Feaster and Bargain Makeup-ing breakdowns. I love this for its versatility. You can use it as a bronzer, contour, highlighter and eyeshadow. The powders feel really silky and of high quality (not the sort of quality you expect when you think bronzer in a pan... well for me anyway!). I am not a big bronzer wearer so if I go for a bronzer, I want something that I will get a bit of use out of for other purposes. This is perfect for that!

Lipstick in Scandal
4gms for AUD$25 from Myer

Scandal Lipstick

Not only are these lipsticks fantastic value, they are SUPER long lasting. Barely any touch ups are required and they are pretty good for staying where you put them (those clumsy are unlikely to smear them half way across their face!). I will note here they can feel a bit drying, so they don't suit everyone, and your lips need to be in excellent condition to wear them, but you can smooth a bit of balm underneath to help with that! (not too much though or it can get patchy). The plus side of them being on the dry side is no bleeding! lol. That being said, Scandal is probably one of the creamier of the bunch, I didn't find much drag when I swatched it. Scandal is a stunning pink leaning coral. It's also deep enough that it complements many skin tones. It really is a beautiful colour! I recommend it if you want to try something new that's not pink or red, but you aren't game for orange. It also looks nice with Tremble blush!

Please note: I have quoted Australia's Myer prices for these products, but you can also purchase them from www.illamasqua.com and they do ship internationally!

What are your favourite Illamasqua products? Any you can't live without?

There are plenty more Top Five's to come in the near future!

Love,

Your PM x