Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Baptiste Review, Photos and Swatches

Jill and I have long raved about Illamasqua's nail polishes (case in point: here, here, here and here). They are easily some of the best nail polishes out there in terms of quality, price point and colour/texture selection. 

In this post, I have Baptiste, a rich, metallic purple shade, to show you. I'm at the point in the summer when I'm ready for it to be over. Warm weather and I are frenemies and each year I do my best to be patient and understanding, but every year, warm weather is a monster to me, and I stop trying in mid-July to be nice to it. Since it's now September, I'm pretty grumpy about warm weather and wishing for autumn.

Because of this, the fall shades start making an appearance around this time. The deep lip and nail shades start calling out to me. I miss them, and in my desire for cooler weather, I embrace fall and winter in the small ways I can. Mind over matter, right? Sod off, summer, I'm over your corals and pinks and neons and light, shimmery makeup. Bring on the vampy, the moody, the dark, rich tones of fall and winter.

Hello, Baptiste! I haven't seen you since last winter! I've missed you.

Baptiste is a dramatic royal purple, cool-toned, but with a hint of red to it. It's also very shimmery, and almost metallic depending on the light. Also depending on the light it can look inky and almost black. 

Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Baptiste

See how pretty it looks? It look so luxurious and rich. It makes me want a giant bed covered in purple velvet that I can wrap myself in naked. 

Anyway... Velvet, that's what Baptiste makes me think of. 

Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Baptiste

You can see hints of the red shimmer, as well as the silvery-fuchsia shimmer that make this inky purple metallic. This is a dark polish, first and foremost, with the shimmer playing second fiddle to the rich colour. It's a subtly shimmery polish.

Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Baptiste

And here it is on my (short) nails. Baptiste is a challenging shade to photograph. It looks inky in the shade but the shimmer pops when in direct light (like a camera flash). 

Application-wise, Baptiste is like the other Illamasqua nail polishes I've tried - smooth consistency, a good brush that allows for control, quick-drying, high shine, and opaque after one coat.

In this photo, I'm wearing two coats plus a top coat. Wear time with Baptiste is also like the other Illamasqua polishes I've tried - with a top coat, four days pass with only minor signs of wear.

Welcome back to my manicure, Baptiste!

Grade: A

C.

Beauty Squared's 2014 Favourites

On this first day of the new year, we thought we'd share with you some of our favourite posts for the past year. And before we get started, we want to wish you a very, very Happy New Year and that the year ahead is full of wonderful things, especially beauty and magic.

Here are our picks for our favourite posts of 2014.

Looking back at all the collections from 2014, MAC's Alluring Aquatics has to be one of my favourites. From the formulas, to the colours, the packaging and the concept - MAC hit this one out of the park! - Jill

http://beautysquared.blogspot.ca/2014/05/mac-alluring-aquatic-extra-dimension.html

The Illamasqua Sculpting Powder Duo has turned me into a contouring fan. The contouring shade is perfect for my skintone and so easy to use. The highlight shade is gorgeous and gives the perfect amount of glow to my skin. 
- Catherine

http://beautysquared.blogspot.ca/2014/03/illamasqua-sculpting-powder-duo-review.html

Another favourite product from 2014...this past fall Tom Ford finally satisfied my inner eye shadow junkie by releasing this finely milled, buttery textured, highly pigmented smokey neutral quad. If only all the Tom Ford eye quads were like this (I would be BROKE)!

- Jill

http://beautysquared.blogspot.ca/2014/10/tom-ford-nude-dip-eye-color-quad-review.html

I've never bought any of Charlotte Tilbury's products but I've been tempted by Jill's reviews. The Fallen Angel Luxury Palette looks so beautiful...
- Catherine

http://beautysquared.blogspot.ca/2014/12/charlotte-tilbury-luxury-palette-in.html

I've found a holy grail product in these finely milled, luminous, never over-the-top highlighters from Clé de Peau Beauté. Definitely splurge worthy!

- Jill

http://beautysquared.blogspot.ca/2014/09/cle-de-peau-beaute-luminizing-face.html

MAC's Magnetic Nude collection came out in late December 2013, but I didn't get around to reviewing the items I'd purchased until January. I'm still thinking about this collection. The Extra Dimension Skinfinish in Superb is by far my favourite of those - silky, shimmery and so flattering. 

- Catherine

http://beautysquared.blogspot.ca/2014/01/mac-magnetic-nude-superb-extra.html

I love this EOTD by none other than my talented blog partner Catherine! A sophisticated, smokey look that contrasts cool blues and warm coppers and nudes. I love mixing up warm and cool tones and she does it so beautifully in this look. 

- Jill

I chose this post too, because it's a look I'm still surprised I put together. It's not a look I typically wear, but I really like it. It just shows how you should grab inspiration and run with it. 

- Catherine

http://beautysquared.blogspot.ca/2014/01/navy-smoke-eotd-with-copper-and-rose.html

2014 was the year we launched our Facebook page. It's been a fun year! You should join us. 

http://beautysquared.blogspot.ca/2014/01/our-new-facebook-page.html

Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Vice Review, Photos and Swatches

The holiday season is all about decadence, right? OK, maybe not ALL about decadence, there's some joy and love and peace and let's not forget about the stress and frustration, and OK, it's a lot about decadence. Because we need self-care to get through the bad stuff! Happy Holidays!

Speaking of Decadence, let's talk about Illamasqua's Vice for a second. It's a berry colour with an abundance of red to it. And it's got a rubber finish. A rubber polish has a finish somewhere in between the standard glossy nail polish finish, and a matte finish. It's a glossy finish that's been muted but not to the point of having no shine. 

I'd never tried Illamasqua's rubber polishes before, and I was intrigued, so I grabbed Vice during the Illamasqua clearance sale at Bay stores a few months ago. Vice is a discontinued polish, according to the Illamasqua website, so you might have trouble finding it. 

Illamasqua polishes are fantastic, some of the best out there in terms of the quality of the polish and the selection of colours and textures they have. They're a highly creative brand so if you're like me and like unique polish shades, this is a brand you'll want to check out. 

Here's Vice - pretty, right? It's a fairly standard berry toned nail polish, but it's got some depth to it. It's reddened nature hints almost at the colour of blood. 

Illamasqua nail polishes are highly pigmented, creamy, and the perfect consistency to apply quickly to the nails. It typically takes two coats to get opaqueness Vice, however, takes three coats.

Below is three coats of Vice on my nails. Because of the rubber finish, you can't wear top coat without making it a shiny finish, so the wear time of Vice is lessened. 

Also, I found with Vice that you need to let each coat dry completely before applying another. The rubber finish shows texture very readily, so any drags of the brush across not-yet-dry polish will show. As will any texture left by your base coat. This is a high maintenance nail polish finish!

As you can see, the rubber finish gives it a slightly-less-than-glossy finish, almost like rubber. Think of a pair of brand new black wellington boots. Or, as I'm sure Illamasqua was going for with the rubber finish, something like this.

I love the colour of Vice and the rubber finish, I just wish it lasted longer on me. I found that it lasted better than most polishes do with a top coat, but there were still chips and tip wear after a few days. I would likely forgo the rubber finish and put a top coat on to wear this. 

Grade B-

C.

Other Illasmasqua nail varnishes reviewed on Beauty Squared:

Viridian
Stance

Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Viridian Review, Photos and Swatches

Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Viridian

Illamasqua is on it's way out of Canada, very sadly. It was available at Bay stores and on the Bay website, but soon they won't be available to Canadians apart from on their website. As of today's date, The Bay is having a clearance sale on all Illamasqua products on their website and I believe, in store. 

I picked up a few items from the clearance sale online. You can see my review of Illamasqua's Salacious lipstick here and Illamasqua's nail varnish Vice here. 

This post features Illamasqua's Viridian nail varnish. It's described as a peacock green and has a metallic finish. 

Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Viridian

Packaging detail

There was a promotional card inside the nail varnish box, advertising Illamasqua at Sephora, which of course is no longer true. Illamasqua is not available at Sephora anymore either.

Promo card 

Promo card

From the Illamasqua website:

A spectrum of bold shades with a range of finishes including matt, rubber and high-gloss. Award-winning, extremely hardwearing and chip-resistant, there's an Illamasqua Nail Varnish for every shade of humanity. 

15 mL/0.5 fl. oz.

Illamasqua's nail varnishes are some of the best in the industry, in terms of formula, quality and unique colours and textures. They cost £14.50.

Let's take a closer look at Viridian.

I'm a sucker for green (and blue) nail polish, so while I already have a similar shade in Butter London's British Racing Green, I thought it'd be worth it since it was half price ($12 CDN). Also Viridian has bit more blue to it and was quite a bit more shimmery. I was intrigued.

Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Viridian

It makes me think of the ocean, deep and mysterious. It makes me think of mermaids and fish. 

Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Viridian

All the Illamasqua varnishes I've tried go on beautifully. Viridian was no different. It applied smoothly and was complete with two coats. 

Here it is on my nails. Gorgeous, right?

Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Viridian

I love this colour and have nothing negative to say about the formula. This is an absolutely beautiful nail polish, so if you like blue-green shades, you'll love Viridian. 

I would have no qualms ordering any Illamasqua nail varnishes online, even if I can't see them in person first. Their formulas are excellent and the colours and textures are innovative and unique. 

Grade: A

C.

Illamasqua Lipstick in Salacious Review, Photos and Swatches

Illamasqua Lipstick in Salacious

Illamasqua is sadly leaving Canada behind. All of their counters at The Bay stores are closing, and clearance prices are in effect. While it's sad news that Canadians won't be able to shop Illamasqua products in person anymore, clearance sale prices make me happy. I picked up a few products from The Bay's online store. Reviews for Illamasqua nail lacquers Vice and Viridium are coming soon!

This post is on Illamasqua's Salacious lipstick. Illamasqua retails regularly for £18.50.

From the Illamasqua website:

Let your lips speak volumes. Indulge in colour-intense lipstick with a highly pigmented formula, available in a choice of flawless finishes, from creamy matte to iridescent finishes. Illamasqua Lipstick glides on smoothly and doesn't give up without a fight for the perfect all-night pout. A must have for professional make-up artists, and those who want to make a statement.

Net wt. 4g/0.14 oz.

Salacious is one of their matte lipsticks, described as a matte raspberry-red. 

Illamasqua Lipstick in Salacious

Packaging detail

Illamasqua packaging is one of the stand-out features of the brand. It's innovative, and unique. The Illamasqua lipstick packaging is rectangular with rounded corners, and sleek, shiny black plastic. It feels nice in your hands. Solid and easy to hold onto.

Illamasqua Lipstick in Salacious

Illamasqua Lipstick in Salacious

Illamasqua lipsticks are lightly vanilla-scented. I noticed that the lipstick had beading happening on it and wondered if it had maybe gone bad, but that I tend to discover by a change in scent. This lipstick does not smell off, nor is the texture grainy or rough in any way. I definitely wouldn't review an expired lipstick, regardless of how pretty it was.

And yes, Salacious is very, very pretty.

Illamasqua Lipstick in Salacious

Illamasqua Lipstick in Salacious
Swatched on NW15 skintone

It's also very, very dry. Illamasqua's matte lipsticks are very, very dry as I understand it, as are most matte lipsticks. Salacious, however was by far the driest lipstick I have ever encountered. 

I know that the best way for me to wear a matte lipstick is to exfoliate my lips well and apply a rich lip balm in advance. I had done so this time, but still found it really challenging to apply Salacious. It dragged along my skin, and did not fill in some of the lines in my lips on first pass. When I went over it with a second swipe, it started to roll a little, picking up some of what was underneath. I found it challenging to get a good lip line as well. You can see that in the photo below, as well as how the formula enhanced the lines in my lips. 

Illamasqua Lipstick in Salacious

Salacious felt very drying after about an hour or two, but it did not budge all day. I did have to pat a little lip balm over it to make myself more comfortable, which altered the appearance of it. It did soften the texture though, softening the appearance of the lines in my lips. 

Illamasqua Lipstick in Salacious

The colour of Salacious though is gorgeous. It's not quite a full red since it's got a bit of pink to it. I wish it were an easier lipstick to wear but I will persevere with lots of lip balm and a lip brush for applying! 

Grade: C+

Illamasqua Sculpting Powder Duo Review, Photos and Swatches

Contouring is one of those makeup steps that can be rather intimidating. Or at least I've always thought so. You need to use a colour that's strong enough to make a difference, but you have to make sure to blend it down a lot, so it's just a hint of a shadow. Contouring also always felt like an extra-special step, like putting on false eyelashes. Bronzers are typically used as a contour colour and being fair-skinned and liking the pale look, I've never really used a bronzer. It's also tough to find one that's not orange which would be disastrous on me. 

So when I kept reading about Illamasqua's Sculpting Powder Duo, I was intrigued. I had to buy it. 

It's a compact that contains a contour colour (Heliopolis) and a highlight shade (Lumos) and a mirror so you can carry it with you in your handbag. The contour shade is a neutral brown and quite light, so it works well on lighter skin tones. The Sculpting Powder Duo only comes in one shade combination, and while Heliopolis could be layered for depth, this would work best only on lighter skin tones. Lumos is a champagne shade with a good amount of shimmer so it makes for an excellent highlighter, though again, for skintones on the lighter end of the spectrum.

The Illasmasqua Sculpting Powder Duo is priced at $36 CDN and is available at Bay stores in Canada and online. It can also be ordered online at Illamasqua.com.

Some packaging photos:

The compact itself is Illamasqua's signature packaging, a stylized square black shape with curved edges. It's sexy packaging. The shiny surface will get grimy with fingerprints and product pretty quickly (if you care about that sort of thing). 

I should note that this compact is somewhat frustrating to open. The lip that you have to get your finger into and push upwards to open it is a bit challenging. There's not a lot of room and it's tightly closed. It can take a few tries to get open.

Heliotrope is the bottom shade and Lumos is the top shade. They're pretty close in colour and they're fleshtone shades, so they should blend well into the skin. For daily or special event makeup, you want your contour shades to melt into your skin. It should look like a shadow, not a strong line.

Top: Lumos - shimmering champagne
Bottom: Heliotrope - neutral matte

Heliotrope and Lumos go on very nicely and both are well-pigmented. Lumos is quite powdery and messy when dipping my brush into it which is a bit of a pain. I wish it had more of the consistency of Heliotrope which is almost creamy in texture.

Here they are swatched (NW15-20 skintone).

L-R: Heliotrope, Lumos

I use my Real Techniques Contour Brush to apply Heliotrope just below my cheekbone from my hairline to just where the outside corner of my eye starts if there was a line from it down my cheek. It's OK to apply a few layers and then blend. Heliotrope blends very, very nicely. I couldn't ask for any better and the shade looks very natural on me, which is a relief (many products that are meant for contouring are orangey). You can see in the photos below how softly but distinctly my cheekbones have been defined by Heliotrope. I've also applied a bit of Heliotrope softly down the sides of my nose. And on top of my cheekbones, where the light naturally hits, I've applied Lumos. In the second photo particularly, you can see the glow of it just below my eye. 

Both shades work very well on my skintone. Lumos is easy to play down or up. As I am wearing it in the above photos, I've got a small amount dusted across my cheekbones. It easily can be built up for a more dramatic look. Heliotrope is the same. 

I'll do a blog post in the future about contouring, once I get the hang of doing it on myself. Stay tuned!

Grade: A

C.

Illamasqua Facet and Boosh Nail Varnish "Accent Manicure": Review, Swatches and Photos

I recently was at a wedding and noticed one of my friends sporting the trendy "accent manicure". I really liked it, and decided to do my own with two Illamasqua nail varnishes I recently picked up in London (£ 14.50, $18.00 CA). All photos in natural light, NC 40 skin with Seche Vite Crystal Clear Basecoat, no topcoat.

Facet on ring finger, Boosh on all others.

Facet is part of Illamasqua's new "Sacred Hour" collection, described as a "grey crystal",  it's a taupey grey base loaded with tiny copper flakes. It's a very unique colour and formula, the only polish I could think of that was similar in formula, though not in hue, was Butter London's Two Fingered Salute (which is tiny copper flakes in a celadon base.) Facet flowed on the nail perfectly, dried quickly but did need three coats for full opacity.

Boosh is part of Illamasqua's permanent range and is described as a "pure black, glossy finish". This is the best black nail polish in the universe, full stop. If you wear black polish, and don't already own this, throw out all your other blacks and buy this - it's all you need. It's incredibly pigmented, flows easily on the nail and is so glossy it doesn't need topcoat for added shine. Perfection.

Both polishes wore incredibly well, showing minor tip wear (but no chipping) after three days even without a top coat.

*Though Illamasqua is available in Canada at Sephora, Sephora does not stock Boosh and I have doubts they will get Facet.  Apparently, The Bay (Vancouver and Toronto only) will have full Illamasqua counters shortly.

Grades: Facet: A-, Boosh: A+

J

Illamasqua Hemlock Nail Varnish Review, Swatches and Photos

I  don't know if I've ever mentioned it on the blog before, but Illamasqua is one of my all time favourite brands for nail polish. Highly pigmented, perfectly textured and long wearing, you probably cannot go wrong choosing any of their shades. Even better yet, is their polish (but somehow not their makeup?) is now available in Canadian Sephora stores.

I recently ordered Hemlock, one of their new shades for spring, which is described  as "pale opal green iridescent"....pretty apt description as Hemlock is an iridescent duochrome green shimmer suspended in a sheer beigey grey base. For the most part Hemlock flashes green, but if you catch it at the right angle it flashes orange too. Photos taken in natural light, three coats of polish with no top coat.

Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Hemlock

This is a very pretty polish that is soft enough to wear to work, but kicky enough to still feel fun. The one thing that may be a drawback is the opacity of the polish - it is very sheer. The above photos are taken with three coats and my nails are still clearly visible through the polish, although the base has significantly lightened my nail bed . For some this may be a deal breaker. It's sheerness doesn't bother me too much, as I like it's ethereal fairy dust quality, but I do wish I could reach the effect of three coats in the standard two. Wear time and application are excellent as with other Illamasqua polishes. This polish is limited edition ($18.00 CA/$14.00 US).

Grade: B