Following my last Illamasqua post about the new ImPerfection collection, I thought I'd swatch and review some of the products after having a little play.

Blush Up Brush

The Blush Up Brush is an amazing innovative new oval brush shape that I absolutely adore and have been using everyday since I got it at the launch.
Packaging: The packaging is sturdy and definitely of high quality; the concentration of the brush hairs makes it perfect to add angled contours to the hollows of the cheeks whilst the brush bristles are surprisingly soft for such short hairs and diffuse and blend the product upwards beautifully.
Price: The Blush Up brush is priced at £28.50 but I guarantee it is worth every penny for contour lovers and makeup artists; it makes slimming the face and contouring such a doddle!

FrootiFactor: I'd give this brush a 6 out of 5 if I could, so it definitely gets my full score of 5!

Blush Duo - Lover & Hussy

In the ImPerfection collection 3 Blush Duos were released; Lover & Hussy were actually released earlier towards the end of 2012 as a preview and were received with a great response.
Colour & Pigmentation: Lover is a matte pastel-apricot shade, whilst Hussy is a matte pastel-pink shade. I actually already own Hussy and have loved using it; despite it's pastel-ness it looks pretty awesome on my NC35 skin tone. They can of course be worn together to create a coral colour. Pigmentation-wise, they're super pigmented!
Texture: Powder.
Longevity: Being a powder blush, I find they last a lot longer than creme/liquid forms.
Price: At £26 it works out £13 per shade; considering I don't tend to use just one blush (or have hit the pan on any yet!) this works out better than me spending £18 on just one blush.

FrootiFactor: All in all, I'd give the blush duos a 4.5 out of 5:

Immodest Lipstick

Immodest is the only lipstick in the ImPerfection collection (so far) and is a pretty, vivid pink shade.
Colour & Pigmentation: Immodest is a vivid blue-toned pink and although it looks more yellow toned in the packaging. I was worried about it not suiting my skin tone as it's lighter than the usual colour I wear but it surprisingly didn't look too bad. Very close to MAC Viva Glam Nicki (first one). Definitely pigmented.
Texture: Texture-wise the lippy is dry as it's a matte lipstick. A bit of lip balm or Vaseline underneath makes the lippie more wearable, particularly Carmex moisture plus in Pink.
Longevity: It lasts a long time as it stains! I swatched it on my hand and lips and the stain remained on the hand after wiping (see below).
Scent: No particular scent.
Price: At £16 it's a tad bit more expensive than your regular lipstick, but as always you know you're getting great pigmentation and longevity with Illamasqua, so it's a matter of what you find more important!

FrootiFactor: I'd give this product a 3.5 out of 5 as I'm not too sure about the shade of pink on my skin tone! Still, it would suit lighter skin tones than my own beautifully.

Speckle & Freckle nail polishes

These limited edition speckled nail polishes come in 5 shades: Speckle (neutral/brown), Freckle (lilac), Mottle (pastel/mint green), Fragile (pastel blue) and Scarce (light pink). 
Colour & Pigmentation: Both Freckle and Speckle are pigmented and have even amounts of "speckle". Bigger "speckle" bits of black glitter make up the full effect. I have to say I prefer Freckle as Speckle clashes too much with my skin tone. I think it would look better with lighter or darker skintones than my own. 2 coats needed max for full effect.
Longevity: The polish lasts a long time particularly as it has the glitter bits in them, but is a pain to take off like normal glitter polish.
Price: Priced at £14.50 each, the polishes are slightly pricey but they're a gorgeous new concept and remind me of Cadbury's Mini Eggs - yummy!

FrootiFactor: I'd give the polishes a 4 out of 5 as they are well thought out and perfect for Spring/Easter.

The full ImPerfection range is available at the Illamasqua site and Debenhams as well as selected counters. 

Do you like the products from the new collection? Which are your faves?


 

Illamasqua I'mPerfection Spring 13

Hello my lovelies!

I've been super busy of late with shoots, work and clients (not to mention general housewife duties!) so apologies for the lack of posts. I do however have a lot to blog about so I'll be sure to get these out as soon as poss!

As it's coming up to Spring (although the snow is saying otherwise!), a lot of brands will be releasing their new products and collections and clients/customers will be looking at changing their makeup "wardrobe".
Personally I love Spring, it's my second favourite season after Autumn; the sun starts peeking out and nature is at full bloom. Makeup-wise, skin is fresher and there's a lot of pastels and brights to get you in the mood for Summer.

I attended the launch of the new Spring collection by one of my all time favourite brands - Illamasqua. One of the reasons I love them so much is that they like to break away from the beauty "norm" and conventions and this collection is no different.
If you remember the last collection (Generation Q) was about beauty having no age limit, and the one before that (Human Fundamentalism) reversed traditional beauty rules. This years Spring I'mPerfection collection ties in beautifully with the whole "nature" side of Spring as well as their ethos; to celebrate and embrace your "imperfections". 
If you look at nature you'll find speckled eggs and patterned feathers of all sizes and colours; the same is true with people, with their freckles, scars and birth marks.

"Show off your freckles. Make beauty spots more beautiful. Shine a light on your birthmarks. And be proud of your scars. Because life isn't about finding yourself, life is about celebrating who you really are."

This part of the new campaign really stood out to me because when dealing with clients and customers on a daily basis, they're so quick to want to hide their "flaws", a lot often embarrassed and some even with self esteem issues. What's worst for me is finding young teenage clients who look at beauty magazines/celebrities thinking that they're flawless and wanting to be "flawless" too, when no one actually is. So again, I applaud Illamasqua for highlighting their campaign models' "imperfections" and really hope other beauty brands take a step in that direction too.

Alex Box explaining the concept behind the campaign images

As always, Illamasqua have a wildcard in their collection and this Spring its a "Leaf Green" intense lipgloss as sported in the campaign picture (and swatched with Immodest lipstick) below.

Like Apocalips, Shoot will probably only be loved by a select few who will dare to wear green on their lips, however Apocalips became a statement lip and other brands followed suit to make teal lipsticks, so green may well be the new lip trend for 2013!
For those of you who don't quite see yourselves wearing the green by itself, it makes a great mixing colour as I tried it with the new pink lipstick (Immodest) and it made a nice nude brown colour. Apparently mixed with reds it can create berry colours too!

My personal favourites from this collection are the speckled polishes, the powder blush duos (particularly Duo No. 3) and the innovative blush brush to create an ombre blush effect. I also absolutely adored the speckled eyeliner look in the campaign image below and attempted my own version that I'll be posting about very soon!

The collection in a basket "nest"

Blush Duo No. 3 - Beg & Bronzerella

Speckled eyeliner image from the I'mPerfection campaign

The collection comprises of a new blush brush (£28.50), a range of pastel speckled nail polishes (£14.50 each), blush duos for light, medium and dark skin tones (£26 each) and a new lipstick (£16) and lipgloss (£14). The existing black liquid liner in Abyss (£17) is also part of this I'mPerfection collection (to create the speckled eyeliner effect).

The collection will be available to buy from 31st January 2013 from the Illamasqua site and counters. 

What do you think of the new I'mPerfection collection? Which products would you like to try?