My Illamasqua Top 15: Part One

Hi Guys,

If you're a regular reader and/or follow me on Twitter, you will probably know that Im quite the Illamasqua Junkie! So much so that I tried to do a Top 10 post and have found it so difficult that it has now become My Illamasqua Top 15! In two parts as well because I could talk for days about these products! 

Illamasqua are probably by far my favourite brand, I'll even scream it from the rooftops, I just cannot recommend them enough! If I was to tell you all the reason's behind why I love them so much we'd have a very long post! So instead I'm going to share with you my very difficult decision on my Top 15 products they do. 

This first part is all about the face and body, then Part 2 will be focusing more on the fantastic colour aspect of Illamasqua in the form of their Lip and Eye ranges. I must also add that these are in no particular order and theres not one favourite shade, it was hard enough as it was! I feel like this is how it feels if you had to pick a favourite child. 

First up are the three products that make the most amazing base when paired together, even used alone, these are now three necessities I couldn't live without. The Skin Trinity!

I suffer from very dry skin and Im very pale, MAC NW10 pale. Trying to find a foundation that actually matches my skin tone is a nightmare. Until Skin Base came along, Illamasqua's best selling foundation. Its a medium to full coverage, you can also really sheer it out too. I love that its so versatile and comfortable on the skin, the shade range is also amazing! It has 25 shades to choose from in so many different tones, Im SB3.5, but I also love that they do a white. It is fantastic to contour with or like me have in your kit. Its so handy to mix on set and Skin Base is actually the only foundation I carry in my kit!

However pair Skinbase with Hydraveil and its a dream team! I did a bit more of a post explaining the ins and outs of Hydraveil HERE. As my skin is so dry, I find it really difficult to get a foundation to sit properly without catching in any dry areas. Hydraveil gives such an instant boost of Hydration I don't have to worry about that anymore and it leaves you with such a natural glow too.

Due to the success of Skin Base, the Skin Base Lift concealers were launched. I use them in two shades, Light 1 to brighten and Light 2 to cover any darkness Light 1 may of missed. I have very dark under eye circles and I was giving up on finding a product I actually liked to cover them. What I love the most about these is the fact Illamasqua have made them with a mixture of their Cream Pigment in Androgen, a fantastic peach colour which counteracts any purple tones. They're basically a concealer and corrector all in one!

I was never a blush person until I tried the Illamasqua Blusher in Unrequited, which then broke my heart when they discontinued it. As its all down to that Blusher that I actually like to wear it now. They are incredibly pigmented so you only need the teeniest little bit, which means Unrequited is still safe for a little longer! Two shades I have been replacing Unrequited with are Naked Rose and Hussy. They're both pink shades and matte, but there is such a wide range of colours and finishes to the Powder Blushers, you can get purple to shimmers! The shade Intrigue, just a plain matte white, gives the most beautiful highlight and is very natural and blowy, which you just don't expect.

The newest Illamasqua launch has been the Gel Sculpt and Gel Colours, As soon as I saw Gel Sculpt I knew I was going to love it! As I am quite pale, contouring can be that little bit terrifying, but the Gel Sculpt in Silhouette is the most natural contour product I have ever used. Plus it smells fantastic and leaves the skin feeling so refreshed and cooled. Due to its gel texture it goes on so sheer, you'd think whats the point, but it leaves you with the most beautiful natural contour and has fast become one of my favourite products in such a short space of time!

Firstly the Illamasqua Loose Powder smells like sweeties, this just makes it the best powder ever because of that. Though it is also one of my all time favourite powders due to its wear time, if you set your make up with this, especially Skin Base. Its just not going to budge, If you have an oiler skin than mine then you will most likely have to reapply it a couple of times through out the day. But whenever Ive used this I've found my makeup to last all day, without the need to re powder whats so ever. Plus because its translucent it doesn't alter the colour of your make up underneath, its incredibly finely milled, so it doesn't look cakey either, win win!

Lastly for this part, Ive chosen the fragrance in Freak. Im not entirely sure, but sometimes I feel like the fact Illamasqua do fragrances are a little overlooked or forgotten about. They are incredible fragrances though and need their credit! Freak is the one I have and its quite dark, its a heavy scent. Which you might not like, Im usually a fresh scent kind of person, but theres something about it I just love. I think even though its a warm fragrance its still floral, so I would still wear this as a daytime scent. 

(Swatches - Left to Right: Silhouette, Intrigue, Naked Rose, Hussy, SB01, SB3.5, Skin Base Lift Light 1 & Skin Base Lift Light 2)

There is still so many Face and Body products I wish could make it into my Top 15 but it was such a tight squeeze! Don't worry though Sculpting Duo, Gleam and the Nail Polish range, I still love you too!

Eloise x