Illamasqua Sacred Hours
You’ve got to love Illamasqua. They are like no other brand when it comes to crazy old collection concepts. The latest, Sacred Hours, and the press blurb about it, reminded me of my favourite comic (and yearly annual!)as a kid, Misty. Misty was ‘filled with chills from the midnight world’ and ‘stories from the world of shadows’ – and she was all spooky and beautiful on the cover.
Illamasqua’s Sacred Hours could give Misty a run for her money with words like this: “I lay down my body in surrender to the elements. My spirit soars, wiser than before. A raw force of nature. Yet I conquer. Stronger, I arise victorious. I am the Dawn spirit. I am the Dusk warrior. This is the Universe. I am the Magic. Welcome to the Sacred Hour.”
Welcome, indeed, to a lovely makeup collection, which, unlike some, doesn’t contain anything too off the wall – remember the green lipstick, anyone?!
Basically, it’s two collections in one – one for evening, and one for the day. Alex Box, Illamasqua’s Creative Director says this “A moment to reflect your inner fire and strength; a spark that is ignited with the dawn, and rolls towards a raging fire with the dusk. Inside we have the power to fan those flames, connect with our spirits and open our hearts to greatness.”
Or, as Illamasqua Director of Product Development, David Horne, puts it: “The Sacred Hour is a time portal for self-reflection, appreciation and empowerment. Let your inner spirit ascend, take flight and descend to rest”
Well, quite. But that’s enough of that. To the products. At the collection’s heart, is the Reflection Palette (£34), which has four gorgeous shades of eyeshadow – Precipice, a soft lemon, Acute, an ash taupe, Graphica, a graphite grey, and Dart, a toasted bronze. They are water-resistant, and can be worn in a ntural or enchanting way! There are two new Velvet Blushers (£18) with a cream to powder finish, which are matte with a radiance – they’re really lovely. Shades are Sleek and Peaked a dusky coral and dusky pink.
One of the biggest stories in this launch is the Skin Base Lift (£16) product – seven shades of brightening concealer – Illamasqua’s first under-eye concealer. There’s a Lipstick (£16.50) of course – in Shard – a red violet, which is bang on trend this season.
And there are two lovely Nail Polishes (£14.50), Facet, a grey crystal shade, and Hemlock, a lovely pale opal green.It’s actually a really wearable collection, with a little twist of course. I’m sure Misty would approve!
The collection is available on counter now at Illamasqua counters in Debenhams, and online at illamasqua.com, or debenhams.com
