After toying with notions of light and movement with its Spring/Summer 2010 collection, Illamasqua's Creative Director Alex Box has now gone in the opposite direction, crafting a fall/winter collection that's rife with a sinister sense of seduction. The Art of Darkness collection, then, explores the idea of the forbidden, taboo, and eerie, inspired by a mythical, underworld-like universe where animalistic, passion-driven Dionysian practices reign supreme. Each product in the collection, then, will bring out a naughty side of your personality, conjuring up your inner alchemist, sorceress, and black widow spider.
The products in the collection boast rich colors, many of them jewel tones and with metallic finishes that add to the collection's otherworldly, mythical motifs. There are two new varnishes: Scarab,a blackened metallic red, and Viridian, a metallic, almost emerald-like green. Two new shades join the popular Liquid Metals range: Superior, a metallic sapphire blue, and Resolute, a garnet-tinged russet red shade. Plus, a second edition of the Liquid Metal 4-Colour Palette (aptly dubbed the No. 2) incorporates jewel-inspired metallics — from the Resolute and Superior shades pictured above to the gold Solstice and emerald green Stoic. Lips, meanwhile, are meant to be intensely red, with either the creamy Maneater lipstick or the rusty red Hermetic lipgloss.
Here's a breakdown of all the products in the collection:
- Nail Varnish in Scarab (metallic red) and Viridian (metallic green)
- Pure Pigment in Ore (golden bronze) and Aluvium (lilac and gold)
- Liquid Metal in Superior (blue) and Resolute (Russet)
- Liquid Meta 4-Colour Palette No.2 (featuring Solstice, Stoic, Resolute, and Superior)
- Lipstick in Maneater (a deep red)
- Powdered Metal in Ether (pale gold)
- Intense Lipgloss in Hermetic (a pearlescent, coppery red)
- Precious Ink In Alchemy (sparkly gold) and Abyss (a gloss black)
- False Eye Lashes No. 23
Some of the products in the collection are absolutely bewitching, calling your name like playful, beguiling sirens.
The Precious Ink liners are one of the more understated offerings, but they're a great addition to any woman's makeup stash since they feature an angled brush leading to a minuscule tip that allows for greater exactitude when lining the eyes, so that you can get really close to the lash line or draw designs along your face and skin without it smearing everywhere. And the glitter-packed Alchemy shade adds that Midas touch with its bright yellow gold tone.
The lip colors are forbidden fruit that's impossible to resist, particularly the Maneater lipstick, with its near-matte finish, creamy texture, and richly pigmented red. The Hermetic, meanwhile, looks as magical as its name implies, with a rusty red color infused with light-reflecting particles for a sophisticated, high shine.
And then, of course, there are the new Liquid Metal colors and the Liquid 4-Colour Palette, which stands as the golden child of the collection, the cauldron with which you'll prepare those spellbinding looks.
Below, you'll find swatches of various products in the collection— the Maneater lipstick, Hermetic lipgloss, and Liquid Metal 4-Colour Palette — along with photos of a look created using these shades. Take a look and make sure to check out the above video for more info!
ILLAMASQUA LIPSTICK IN MANEATER
Here's what it looks like on my lips:
Illamasqua lipstick in Maneater, $22. Available at Sephora.com
ILLAMASQUA INTENSE LIPGLOSS IN HERMETIC
Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss in Hermetic, $20. Available at Sephora.com
ILLAMASQUA LIQUID METAL 4-COLOUR PALETTE NO. 2
Illamasqua Liquid Metal 4-Colour Palette No. 2, $42.59. Available at Sephora.com
Check out some photos of me wearing the Superior (blue) Liquid Metal and Solstice (gold) Liquid Metal on eyes, along with the Maneater lipstick on my lips.
To create the eye makeup look, I just applied the Superior shade along my lids and then layered the Solstice color along the inner half of lids and along the crease, blending the two shades together at the crease and creating wing-like corners at the outer edges of the eyes. I also lined lids very finely with the Precision Ink in Alchemy, a glittery gold shade, and applied two coats of black mascara.
Hope you like the look!
