Illamasqua Theatre Of The Nameless Launch Event in Brisbane

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the launch of Illamasqua's new THEATRE OF THE NAMELESS collection in Myer Brisbane City. A huge thank you to Mandi Lavanah for inviting me to this exciting new launch from Illamasqua. It was great to meet and mingle with the wonderful Illamasqua make-up artists and lovely Brisbane Beauty Bloggers (BBB).

If you have been reading my blog posts,  you may know that I recently fell in love with Illamasqua when I made the plunge to get a hold on a few Illamasqua products here and here. The pigmentation, unique shades and quality of Illamasqua products as well as the purpose of their existence...'make up for your alto ego'... are some of the reasons why I love Illamasqua.

L-R: Tiarah Ormsbry (Brisbane City Illamasqua Counter Manager and MUA), Daniel Jamieson (Illamasqua MUA) and Deanna Spataro (Illamasqua MUA).

Illamasqua-

''Descend into the riotous scene of erotic adventure that is the Theatre of the Nameless collection. In this nocturnal den of the dissident leaders of underworld subcultures, exotic dancers rub shoulders with actors and anarchists. Infused with the essence of self-expression that transformed 1920s Berlin, this rich and indulgent collection envelops the senses. Darkly sophisticated tones are accompanied by shocks of dazzling iridescence and kinky rubber-look finishes, creating a breathtakingly modern interpretation of the most illicit nightlife in history. It's time to cross the threshold and embrace a world of unadulterated decadence.''

Illamasqua's Theatre of the Nameless Autumn/Winter 2011 collection has arrived with an inspiring and intriguing collection which surely does bring out Illamasqua's uniqueness to this World! The new collection brings upon bold, dark, seductive and daring shades with some gorgeous soft shades to represent the makeup worn during the nightlife of Berlin about a decade ago. The Theatre of the Nameless collection brings Illamasqua back to its roots and relates back to the ''dark drama of 1920s Berlin''...

Sound strikingly familiar? Have you ever noticed why the little description on the side of every Illamasqua box mentions a time back in the 1920s of Berlin? Well, here comes the Theatre of the Nameless which reveals the origin and inspiration of Illamasqua.

During the 1920s in Berlin, there was a woman who came to light in the darkness of the night. This woman is Anita Berber, she was in the field of film and theatre where she was known for her different and daring personality as a nude dancer and performer. She is Illamasqua's inspiration. 

Despite her androgynous personality and being the first woman to make the tuxedo fashionable for women, she was often seen dancing nude which made her a name in her era. She would often be seen wearing bold makeup; her lips would be seen as jet black from black and white images on screen and in paper. During most of her entire life, she had an attraction towards drugs and alcohol and dealt with a stark dark atmosphere of depravity and corruption which lead to her death just before she turned 30.

Due to her lifestyle and personality, she was neglected throughout history for more than half a decade. It wasn't until the year 1984 where a German writer wrote the first ever book devoted to Anita Berber; the book was titled 'Goddess of the Night'. To this day, her life continues to live in memory and her image... comes to life in Illamasqua's Theatre of the Nameless collection...

Alex Box (Illamasqua Creative Director)-  
''Theatre Of The Nameless is a heady mixture of opulent hues, decadent pigments and fearless application. A braised and burnished pallet that gives a sensual slip that bleeds colour into colour, worn through and kissed off.''

Deanna's work of art on Annabelle (model)

Daniel describes the products he applied on Thomas (model)

Tiarah demonstrates the versatility of the new products  on Abby (model)

The final look- bold and dramatic!

Illamasqua Theatre of the Nameless collection

L-R: Tiarah, Thomas, Mandi (Celebrity Makeup Artist and Manicurist) and Annabelle. The names of the nail varnishes Mandi is wearing are: Vice (deep cerise),  Taint (stone brown), Faux Pas (blue violet) and Kink (bottle green).

Illamasqua's new set of nail varnishes are THE most talked about products from the collection! These nail varnishes provide an incredibly smooth rubber-look finish and they are absolutely amazing! What's also interesting about the nail varnishes are that the lids are not the usual black plastic like the permanent Illamasqua range of nail varnishes...they are actually made of rubber! 

Grandeur Flase Eye Lashes

These false eye lashes in Grandeur are huge! The box in which these falsies come packaged is twice as large as the permanent styles on counter. There are two styles of flase eye lashes in The Theatre of the Nameless collection and the other one is called Weimar, which was designed in collaboration with Amelia Tan (founder of fashion label 'A is for Arsenic'. In Australia, Weimar is available online and in Sydney and Melbourne).

The Precision Ink in Havoc (aubergene) is also part of the collection and the formula is waterproof, so it will last all night without smudging/fading! To create a dramatic look, Deanna explained that you could use Havoc  to shade the brows and define the eye socket. 

L-R: Intense Lipgloss in Facade (grey pink/beige clay) and Lipstick in Kontrol (blue violet)

Intense Lipgloss in Belladonna (deep pink)

In the collection, there are two Intense Lipglosses in Facade and Belladonna and one Sheer Lipgloss in Violate (dark green with shimmer). The latter was MIA at the time of the event (alongside Illamasqua's New Masquara).

L-R: Depravity (magenta) and Androgen (soft coral)

 Illamasqua cream pigments are still fairly new to Illamasqua (first launched as part of the Toxic Nature Collection), so it's great to see this type of formulation for the shades Depravity and Androgen in this new collection.  These cream pigments are soo versatile! Tiarah demonstrated that these shades can be used on the eye lids, cheeks and even lips! 

Pure Pigment in Zeitgeist- dark shimmer

Pure Pigment in Berber- auburn shimmer

Pure Pigment in Beguile- light shimmer

Pure Pigments are 'triple' milled which is why the shimmers appear incredibly minute! Pure Pigments give an absolutely precious shimmery look to the eyes, cheeks and lips! Deanna explained to me that Buguile could be mix into liquid foundation and just apply to the cheeks, forehead, between the brows and on your chin to highlight the face. Mandi also suggested to dab a few specs of Berber to Facade coated lips to give that extra bit of shimmer and colour. 

Powder Blusher in Ambition- soft coral

Ambition provide a soft coral shimmery finish which adds a hint of glow to the cheeks. Like all Illamasqua blushers,  Ambition does have the same level of high pigmentation and quality. There are two powder blushes in this collection, the other is Morale (magenta) which is unfortunately not stocked in Australia.  However, you can purchase Morale from the  Illamasqua website.

 Here are a few swatches of some of the products on show at the event last night. Note that the swatch of the Pure Pigments in the photo below are only light swatches!

Illamasqua's Theatre of the Nameless is an inspiring collection with a deep sense and feel of the darkness in the nightlife of history. The names of these Illamasqua products truly depict the life of Anita Berber back in 1920s Berlin...

At the conclusion of the party, Mandi gifted us BBB's with a couple of amazing products from the collection. I've been admiring Mandi's stunning nails and the Pure Pigments, so I was uber excited to have one of each to play with!

Nail varnish in Faux Pas and Pure Pigment in Beguile.

Stay tuned for reviews on these two Illamasqua beauties!

Illamasqua's Theatre of the Nameless collection launches today at all Illamasqua counters in Myer across Australia.

Promotional images courtesy of Illamasqua.

What are your thoughts of the Theatre of the Nameless collection?

Which product/s would you dare to use?

Rose

MBFF Brisbane: The City Fashion Flash

 The Myer Centre has launched their In Season Spring campaign and together with Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival Brisbane, a number of models were sporting red, yellow, pink, blue and purple fashion pieces of the lastest season's look, strutting their stuff in Queen Street Mall today at noon. 

Here are a few happy snaps:

ASOS Haul!

A few days ago I made my first ASOS purchase! Yay! 

Due to popularity, ASOS has announced to open the inaugural ASOS Australian online store in September 2011! So, you needn't worry about converting pound to Aussie dollar!

The great thing about ASOS is they offer free standard shipping worldwide and I received the parcel in no time!

ASOS order placed on 23rd August 2011

ASOS order dispatched on 24th August 2011

ASOS order received on 31st August 2011

After I placed my order I received a notification telling me that I would receive a tracking number, however, I didn't receive any other e-mails from ASOS. I wasn't too fussed about this as I  received my parcel after 6 business days. Now that is super quick and efficient service!

L-R: Illamasqua Gleam Cream, Intense Lipgloss in Mistress, Pure Pigment Loose Eye Powder in Ore.

I've recently found my new love for Illamasqua (I've talked about my first Illamasqua haul a couple of weeks ago), so I couldn't pass on purchase more Illamasqua products from ASOS. I've read so many blog reviews and swatches of Illamasqua's most coveted products, so I ended up buying 3 prodz.

In addition to the Illamasqua products, I also bought a couple of dresses. I absolutely LOVE the dress styles from ASOS that I wanted to buy a bunch of clothes, however, wasn't too sure about sizing, since this was my first purchase. The site has a sizing chart to follow, which I found useful. I ended up getting two dresses which fit just right! Phew!

Vero Moda Sheer Layered Drape Collar. Image: ASOS

ASOS Ruffle Neck Swing Dress in Ditsy Print. Image: ASOS

Have you made any purchases from ASOS recently?
What do you think of Illamasqua's Ore Pigment, Mistress Intense Lipgloss and Gleam Cream?

Rose

Review: Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Minimizing Lotion

Kiehl's skincare line always enthralls me with their specialty skincare products suitable for dry, combination or oily skintypes. My skin type is combination to oily and Kiehl's products  from the Rare Earth Deep Pore Collection is compatible with my skin.

So far, I've tried the cleanser and pore minimising lotion from the collection. I have recently reviewed the Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser here. 

This review looks at the Pore Minimizing Lotion with Amazonian White Clay. I received this lotion with compliments from Kiehl's online store, click here to see my Kiehl's haul.

Deluxe sample size 30 mL bottle

Full size 75 mL bottle (A$49)

I was surprised that I was given a 30 mL sample as I've never usually been given such a large sample of that volume. Kiehl's is great with samples as you could definitely get a good experience from trying a sample before purchasing the full sized product.

This product works a treat to mattify the skin and refine pores under foundation, however, after about 5 hours my T-zone starts to look shiny. If only there was a product that that could both minimise pores and control oil along the T-zone. 

I've also noticed that this lotion does not contain an SPF factor. So, it's important to bear this in mind and apply foundation, tinted moisturiser or sunscreen with SPF before leaving the house in the morning!

The scent of this lotion is quite subtle, though I could sense a hint of clay, this must be the scent of Amazonian White Clay which claims to absorb excess oil.

Ingredients list (click on image for larger view)

All in all, this Pore Minimizing Lotion was gentle to my skin and refined my pores, however it did not keep the shine on my T-zone at bay. I will only continue to use this as a night lotion as it feels very soothing and moisturising to my skin.

Have you tried Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Minimizing Lotion before?

Rose

Clinique GWP at selected Pharmacies

Clinique Gift With Purchase at Clinique Service Centres, Terry White Chemists and selected Pharmacies includes an 8 piece gift with the purchase of Clinique products of $60 or more: All About Eyes De-Puffing Eye Massage, 7ml Eyeshadow Quad Compact with Colour Surge Eye Shadow in Blush Shade from Pink Chocolate Quad, Pink Shade from Strawberry Fudge Duo, Stone Violet & Chocolate Chip Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion, 30ml 7 Day Scrub Cream Rinse-Off Formula, 50ml Sparkle Skin Body Exfoliator, 40ml High Impact Lip Colour SPF 15 in Extreme Pink, 3.6g High Impact Mascara, 3.5ml Clinique Cosmetic Pouch Offer available from 31st August 2011 until stocks last.

Review: Kiehls Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser

Kiehl's has recently become one of my favourite skincare brands. I've been super impressed with the recent launch of Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free collection that I have reviewed recently. 

Today, I'd like to share my experience with Kiehl's cult-classic skincare product: 

Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser

Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser is encased in a squeeze tube with a flip lid. This cleanser is very lightweight and the cream formula does not strip away essential oils from the surface of my skin. Once the cream is massaged onto the skin, this cleanser lathers up very well and results in a milky formula, which is then rinsed off.

Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser contains Amazonian White Clay and finely crushed diatomaceous earth particles which helps to exfoliate and gently remove surface debris, toxins, and oils.  The presence of this white clay ingredient claims to exfoliates and detoxifies the skin. I couldn't feel the scrubbing action of the minute particles onto my face, though I did feel that my skin was refreshed and thoroughly cleansed. This cleanser effortlessly removes all makeup, however, I still need to use an oil cleanser or eye makeup remover to remove mascara and dark eye shadow.

A little trick I believe which helps to thoroughly cleanse deep into the pores is to rinse skin with warm water to expand pores, cleanse face and then rinse skin with cold water to shrink pores. 

Overall, this is a very gentle cream cleanser which helps to thoroughly cleanse the skin and pores. I use this once a day (PM) and I love the fact that this cleanser has both cleansing and exfoliating properties. 

This cleanser is suitable for normal to oily skin types. 

Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser retails for A$30 for a 150 mL bottle. 

Other products within the Rare Earth Deep Pore Collection include the Pore Refining Tonic (A$28, 250mL) and Pore Minimizing Lotion (A$49, 75mL).

Are you a fan of Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Collection?

Which Kiehl's products are your favourites?

Rose

Illamasqua Haul + Swatches

 I was feeling very happy this morning when I discovered a parcel sitting in my mail box! I received some amazing Illamasqua products in the mail!

Illamasqua recently started their Summer Sale on their online site with a selection of makeup products on sale at up to 65% off. Have a read through my recent post about the sale here.

I must admit that I 'was' an Illamasqua virgin until the day this package arrived...

Since the day I made the order, 11 business days went by and these Illamasqua beauties arrived in my mail box! Postage to Australia was £8, which is very reasonable in my opinion. 

L-R: Powder Blusher in Sin (£10) and Cream Blusher in Betray (£12.40)

Swatches without flash, L-R: Sin and Betray

Swatches with flash, L-R: Sin and Betray

Powder Blusher in Sin: Deep violet plum with a matte finish
Cream Blusher in Betray: Deep rose plum with a dewy finish


Both Sin and Betray are slightly too dark as a blusher for my light skintone, however, it's a good thing that Betray is a cream blusher and that it works perfectly well as a lip colour! Betray is a highly pigmented cream formula which gives my lips a very modern and professional look. I would definitely wear this shade for any formal meetings to come.


Sin appears slightly rosey in the photos above, so don't be fooled as this shade really is a slightly darker plum shade. The pigmentation is supurb and I found the swatch on my arm very difficult to remove! Sin would be suitable for warmer skintones and I wouldn't recommend this shade for pale skintones, unless you're looking for a dramatic look.

Lipstick in Filth (£5) and Lipstick in Wanton (£10)

 Filth Lipstick: Pastel pale pink with a matte finish
Wanton Lipstick: Warm lilac rose with a matte finish

Matte lipsticks tend to appear chalky and unattractive, however, the trick is to dab the lipstick onto your lips then use the warmth from your fingertips to blend it in. This gives an overall 'soft' and 'matte' look. 

I've never attempted to try such a pale pink lipstick before, but since 'Filth' was on sale for £5, I couldn't resist not trying it out! I actually like this shade more than Wanton as I have way too many dusky rosey shades like Wanton. Wanton is still definitely a beautiful shade and it reminds me of Chanel Rouge Coco in Mademoiselle lipstick and Revlon Colorburst lipstick in Soft Rose.

Intense Lipgloss in Femme (£9.75)

Intense Lipgloss in Femme: Bright red/coral 


Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss smells absolutely divine! It smells like sweet candy and it's just really addictive! The shade Femme appears more red than coral, though it's a very wearable bright shade. The finish of this lipgloss is highly reflective and provides a bold and beautiful finish which leaves my lips looking fuller. 


I absolutely LOVE the packaging of Illamasqua's Intense Lipgloss as the tube is nice and slim and the applicator is small and slanted. This makes applying lipgloss on the go so much easier!

Swatches without flash, L-R: Filth, Wanton and Femme

Swatches with flash, L-R: Filth, Wanton and Femme

Top, L-R:  Cream Eye Shadow in Morn and Stimulus (£5)
Bottom: Pure Pigment in Involve (£11.65)

Swatches without flash, L-R: Involve, Morn and Stimulus

Swatches with flash, L-R: Involve, Morn and Stimulus

Cream Eye Shadow in Morn: warm pink with satin finish
Cream Eye Shadow in Stimulus: Soft lavender purple with satin finish
Pure Pigment in Involve: Royal purple shimmer

The cream eye shadows provide a beautiful satin finish. The texture is very thin, however, the pigmentation is fantastic. The intensity of the shade appears exactly the same after you apply it on the lids.

I'm a fan of products that are versatile and so I've decided to test out the shade Morn as a cream blusher. Morn is such a girly pink shade that it really does pass as a pretty pink blusher for my cheeks. I don't really see myself reaching out for pink eye shadow as often, however, I would probably reach out for this more often as a blusher rather than eye shadow. 

Pure Pigment in Involve is packed full of irredescent shimmer and the swatch in the above photo just doesn't do justice! The texture is surprisingly smooth and very easy to blend. I never knew how good the quality of Illamasqua Pure Pigment collection was until now!

Illamasqua is my new love! I will definitely look into expanding my Illamasqua collection, as their range of shades and quality really is exceptional!

I'm already going through a list of Illamasqua products in my wish list and I really need to try Pure Pigment in Ore and Intense Lipgloss in Mistress.

Have you purchased anything special from the Illamasqua Summer sale?

Which Illamasqua products do you love most?

Rose 

Review: Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Collection

At last! I've finally found my 'Holy Grail' moisturiser! 


You may have read my post on the newest release to Kiehl's Since 1851 skincare line:

Ultra Facial Oil-Free Collection

My skin suffers from uncontrollable moisture outbreaks, leaving me with an oily skin surface at the end of a long day at work. Kiehl's has recently launched their brand new Ultra Facial Oil-Free Collection which helps to balance skin and control shine over a 24 hour period.

I've been trialing the Ultra Facial Oil-Free Toner and Gel Cream and so far, these products have put a huge smile on my well balanced and fresh face!  

Ultra Facial Oil-Free Toner

Ultra Facial Oil-Free Toner

The striking blue packaging that houses this toner looks brilliant! I also love that the packaing is made from sturdy plastic material. The bottle is capped with a flip-top lid and you could easily control the amount of toner required.  This toner comes in a huge 250 mL bottle and I think this will last me quite awhile.

 I've been using this toner for just over a week after cleansing my face using Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleanser. This toner is great for my sensitive skin and it does not feel astringent like most other toners I have used in the past. It's great to see that this toner is free of oil, alcohol, paraben and fragrance.  The scent is extremely subtle and I could only notice a gentle refreshing scent when I held the product close up.   


Although a cleanser removes the majority of oils, impurities and dirt adsorbed to the skins surface, the use of a toner also aids to remove any remnant impurities (especialy oils) which are difficult to remove using a cleanser. Squirt or shake the bottle to apply a few drops onto a cotton ball and then gently wipe the surface of skin. After wiping most parts of my face, I could already see some dirt and impurities which were strongly bound to my skin.

This toner makes my skin feel very nice and relaxed! I love that this toner contains core ingredients of Imperata Cylindrica Root Extract and Antarcticine, which help to soothe and hydrate skin.

Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream

Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream

This gel cream is a lightweight formula which goes on translucent and applies on smoothly to my skin. Since the consistency of this product is quite thin, I found it very easy to evenly apply a small amount of product to my face and decolletage. 
 
My skin looked moisturised immediately and the absorption rate of this product was pretty fast! Despite making my skin feel a little sticky, my skin looked and felt matte after about 20 seconds after application. I am very impressed with this gel cream and how well it penetrated through my skin so quickly. There was no shiny layer from the gel cream left behind. After a few hours, my skin managed to maintain shine as it no longer looked shiny.

This product is encased in a jar with a white twist top lid. Honestly, I must say that I am disappointed with the packaging. The gel cream appeared slightly watery in the jar and upon opening the lid for the first time, I almost 'spilt' the gel cream off it's edge. The jar is basically filled to the top and there was no protective plastic cover that you sometimes get between the top of a jar and lid of a moisturiser product.  The slightly watery consistency would have been better packaged in a pump bottle rather a jar. I always have these hygiene issue with moisturisers encased in a jar, when it would be perfectly suited in a pump bottle!  

Overall, I love this product as it is oil-free, hydrating and VERY fast absorbing, leaving my skin to appear very matte and refreshed! These characteristics are great in a moisturiser as I usually don't wait long enough for my regular moisturiser to settle in before applying primer/makeup. 

I will definitely have these products as my skincare staples!

This new Ultra Facial Oil-Free collection is definitely suitable for oily skintypes and I highly recommend these products. I'm very satisfied with these two products from Kiehls new Ultra Facial Oil-Free collction, so I may as well purchase the cleanser to complete the collection!

Have you tried Kiehl's new Ultra Facial Oil-Free products?

Rose

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Toner and Gel Cream were provided for consideration. This review is 100% based on my own thoughts and opinions. I  did not receive remuneration to post this product review.