MAC Heirloom Mix Review & Swatches

Hello world! Today I have some of the pieces from the MAC Heirloom Mix collection to show you, which is coming out for the holiday season - available in November 2014. I only have 4 pieces from an obviously much larger collection, but I wanted to give my opinion on the products I do have.

Keep reading for more pictures and the review!

Make Up For Ever HD Tutorial

Good Day, mateys!

Today I wanted to share with you a quick tutorial using, and review of the Make Up For Ever HD product range. I was sent these from the company and I showed all the goodies MUFE sent to me in my last Unboxing video here - there was a ton of great stuff in there, I'm really excited to really try out everything else too!

I was immediately drawn to the HD foundation, the primer, and the setting powder because I have heard a lot of hype surrounding these products. Watch my video below to see how I apply these products and my thoughts on them!

Aaaand if you're too short on time for that, here's a quick Pros and Cons list:

Pros

• The foundation is very lightweight and comfortable to wear. I honestly can't feel that I'm wearing a bunch of products on my face, which is always nice.
• Buildable coverage means you can use as little or as much as you like, depending how much coverage you need (see my Con on this later)
• I love the setting powder - it looks and feels invisible on the skin but does a good job of setting the foundation and mattifying oily areas. Also great to use on concealer under the eyes, and I will use this with other foundations too.
• These products don't contain sunscreen so they would be ok to use under flash photography (meaning no white flashback on the skin)
• Good for oily and combination skin as well

Cons

• To me the foundation just doesn't have enough coverage. It almost goes on sheer and I needed several applications to get a decent coverage. I don't have major problem skin but I mainly use foundation to even out my skintone on blotchy areas - it really didn't do that great of a job for this. To me, this just isn't enough coverage in an HD setting when a camera is a few inches from your face.
• The primer didn't wow me, but then, I rarely use primers. It wasn't a bad primer per se, but I didn't really see a noticeable difference here. Probably skippable.

In conclusion...

I would recommend this foundation to people with combination or oily skin who are looking for something very lightweight that has buildable coverage. The first application is semi-sheer, so you are flexible in how much you want to apply for more coverage. If you have a lot of discoloration in your face, however, and you're looking for something to cover it in one go, this probably isn't it. I did really enjoy the setting powder though.

Where to buy:

MUFE HD Foundation

MUFE HD Primer

MUFE HD Setting Powder

Have you tried any of these products? What did you think of them yourself?

L'Oréal Colour Me Pink Collection

Hello, today I've got the L'Oréal Colour Me Pink collection to share with you. This a collection of all pink products, for all the pink lovers out there! It's very girly and fun, if you're into that.

First up, the lipsticks!

Left to Right: Ballerina Shoes, I Pink You're Cute, Miss Magenta, Fresh as a Rose, Wisteria Rose, Everbloom, Pink Flamingo, Raspberry Rush

Swatches are in the same oder of appearance as above, left to right, top to bottom.

As you can see, there's probably a shade of pink in there for every skin tone and for every taste. Speaking of taste, that "Old Lady" scent of these lipsticks has remained unchanged since sometimes in the early 90s I think. L'Oréal, please - it's 2013 and that scent has got to go! It's just so dated. I don't like my lipsticks smelling and tasting like a 90s flashback.

Ballerina Shoes is the only really frosty shade in there, and I don't like it too much. Do frosty, light lipstick colours actually look good on anyone? Besides that, my favorites are Raspberry Rush and Pink Flamingo. They are all very wearable shades and I wouldn't call any of them neon, they aren't as intensely bright as the Maybelline Vivids for example, which might be a good thing for some people.

Next up are the nailpolishes.

Left to Right: Sugary Sweet, Taste of Romance, Hella Pink, Pink Attitude, Rosy Macaron, Berry Jealous

Just bottle pictures here for now. I've worn Hella Pink on my nails and it's so pretty! They have a slightly thinner texture than some other polishes I own, but this particular shade was opaque after two coats. I'm on my second day of wear right now and there are no chips whatsoever yet.

Lastly, the lip glosses...

Left to Right: Pucker Up Pink, Florid Pink, Rosy Demeanor, Raspberry Flush, Berry Chic

These have a nice pigmentation, and a pleasant caramel flavor. (Not the 90s scent like the lipsticks.) I personally would prefer a wand and brush applicator here because I find it's hard to get a nice application with the squeeze-out angled tops. But other than that, the bolders colors look really nice.

Has anything here caught your attention? Anything you might pick up? These products are available at the drugstore in the USA, unsure of how it looks with worldwide availability.

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Illamasqua Paranormal Collection

It's Friday!! Looking forward to the weekend? My boyfriend and I are throwing a rooftop BBQ party tomorrow as a housewarming for our Penthouse. Got the kegs of beer ordered, and right now I've got about 6kg of potatoes boiling away for a potato salad. Slaving away over a hot stove in the summer, oh dear...

Anyway, I thought I'd get a break from the party preparations by showing you some pieces of the new Illamasqua Paranormal collection that is out now. You can view the entire collection and some instructional videos on the Illamasqua website - here.

First up the Paranormal Palette (Price: £34)

Illamasqua describes this as "A unique water-resistant eyeshadow that can't decide if it's a cream or a shadow. Instead it combines the best of both worlds, delivering the textured silky appearance of a powder, but with the deep color wash of a cream."

I played around with this briefly and I'd say that description is pretty accurate. At first I couldn't tell if it was a cream or a powder eyeshadow and it's a very unique texture, one I personally haven't seen before. The pigmentation is nice, but I haven't actually worn this on my eyes yet so I can't make any claims on its longevity, creasing, smudging, fading and the like. I'm really keen to try this out because I think it's pretty neat! The colors are also really bold and fun for summer.



Illamasqua Gleam in Supernatural (Price: £18)

This is a cream product that can be used for bronzing, blushing, and maybe even highlighting on darker skin tones. It has a pearlescent finish that can really give you that beautiful glowing, dewy finish on your cheeks. For me personally, this shade is pretty intense - maybe a bit too dark for fair skin tones, but I can imagine this to look really beautiful on darker or very tanned skin. Since I don't do much tanning (just say no to future wrinkles) I don't know how much use I will personally get out of it, but the product itself is nice.




Illamasqua Lipsticks in Posture (L) and Esp (R) (Price: £16.50)

When I saw the lipstick Esp (pictured on the right) I was so excited: Intense, vivid Purple!! Egad!!! Both lipsticks have a matte finish. Esp seemed right up my alley, Posture - however - makes me look zombie-fied, or like a corpse. Super unflattering on fair skin, in my opinion at least.

Also, both lipsticks have an extremely dry, sort of chalky texture. It's really hard to get an even, smooth color payoff because they don't glide on very well at all. Posture just looked quite strange on me overall, and Esp was hard to work with. I might put up with it anyway because the color is so unique. I think it's probably really difficult to make a lipstick out of purple pigment, because pretty much every purple lipstick I own or have tried has some kind of issues. Either the color is patchy, or doesn't spread evenly.

Swatches of Esp, Posture and Gleam in Supernatural.

Precision Gel Liner in Infinity (Price: £18) and Hydra Veil (Price: £27)

First up, the gel liner I haven't tried yet so I can't make statements about it. It's a black gel eyeliner.

The Hydra Veil is another unique, new product, one I haven't seen before yet on the market. When you open the jar, you are met with a completely transparent jelly, which moves exactly like Jell-O in the tub. Very funny! There's a little scoop applicator which you can use to get some of the product out, and when you rub it onto your skin, it turns into a super fast absorbing gel, almost like water. This is supposed to be a hydrating gel that you can use as a base before make-up. It has a beautiful light texture, and feels very refreshing on your face and absorbs fast. I don't think it can replace a good moisturizer completely, especially if you have dry skin, but as far as primers go it's quite nice. I think I will have to try this out a bit more, I'm very intrigued!


Overall I think it's a very interesting and innovative collection, and aside from the troubles I had with the texture of the lipsticks, I'm really looking forward to using everything a bit more. Are there any pieces here that have caught your eye and that you might pick up?

For more information and online shop: Illamasqua.com

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Maybelline Vivid Lipstick Swatches + Review

Well gosh darn it, if I'm not the last person in Beauty Blog-o-land to write about the Maybelline Vivid lipsticks!!

I originally heard about these on Youtube and Twitter from some American girls I follow, because living in Ye Olde Europe means we're always way behind when it comes to new drugstore product releases. I heard a lot of people raving about these, so after oggling over pretty pictures on the Internet, I bit the bullet and ordered four of them on ebay no less. Imagine, even with jacked up ebay pricing, plus worldwide shipping, these were still cheaper than buying them locally in Switzerland! :-O

(I added one more lipstick bullet to my collection when they finally arrived here.)

Left to Right: Pink Pop, Fuchsia Flash, Shocking Coral, Vivid Rose, On Fire Red

The packaging: bright orange see-through lipstick bullets

Left to Right: Pink Pop, Fuchsia Flash, Shocking Coral, Vivid Rose, On Fire Red

Let me tell you, they are soooo lovely! If you are into bright colors as much as I am, then these lipsticks are a great drugstore purchase. The colors are very well pigmented, they feel very comfortable to wear with a creamy but not too creamy finish, and last for a good amount of time on my lips before I have to reapply. Sure, they don't last as long as my Rouge d'Armani, but they are definitely better quality than some other drugstore lipsticks I own.

The color I reach for the most is Shocking Coral, and I recently picked up Vivid Rose, which I think will be another contender in my lipstick rotation. I've read a few of these colors are dupes of certain MAC lipsticks (Candy Yum Yum I think?) but I can't compare because I don't own those shades. The only one I'm not crazy about is On Fire Red - I just think I own some nicer reds in my collection already, but it's not a terrible color or anything. I just don't reach for it as much as the other colors.

So, two thumbs up for these lipsticks from me! A definite drugstore bargain purchase that packs a punch. :)

Do you own any of the Maybelline Vivid lipsticks? If so, which one is your favorite? Let me know in the comments!

Sigma Eyeshadow Bases

Sigma has released nine brand new eyeshadow bases, and I decided to put them to the test to see how well they work, and if they really stop eyeshadow from fading and creasing. The nine shades released are:

• Persuade: Creamy light beige (no shimmer)
• Dash: Deep dark plum (no shimmer)
• Pose: Brown burgundy (with shimmer)
• Provoke: Light peach (with shimmer)
• Pursue: Medium warm purple (with shimmer)
• Sculpt: Charcoal grey (with shimmer)
• Spy: Duo-chrome green-brown (light shimmer)
• Strike: Rusty red (with shimmer)
• Unveil: Bronzed gold (with shimmer)

Price: $13 USD each, or a set of 3 (pre-determined) with an applicator brush for $36 USD

Top row L to R: Persuade, Provoke, Unveil

Middle row L to R: Pursue, Strike, Dash

Bottom row L to R: Pose, Spy, Sculpt

Top to bottom: Unveil, Provoke, Persuade

Top to bottom: Dash, Strike, Pursue

Top to bottom: Sculpt, Spy, Pose

Here's what I like about them:

• Interesting colour choices with some nice finishes, and several nude shades for lighter skin tones
• Easy to blend and apply, either with a finger or brush
• Hold the eyeshadow in place without much noticeable creasing for about 6 hours
• Relatively affordable price
• Packaging has a plastic stopper lid to further help prevent drying out

What I don't like so much:

• Texture is a bit thin and slippery when applying, I prefer my bases to be a bit richer and stick stronger to my lid
• The nude colours don't enhance the vibrancy of the powder eye shadows you apply on top
• Light creasing and colour fading after about 2 hours, noticeable creasing, smudging and colour fading after about 6 hours of wear
• Staining of the lid with the more vibrant colours, slightly hard to remove the stain
• Made in China - Some people might take offence at that, but I'm always a bit weary of makeup made in China because I have really no idea what kind of conditions the makeup is produced in, how stringent the Chinese government is on health and safety inspections, and the true cost of the product is probably insanely low, meaning the company makes a huge profit on mark-up. I know some people might argue that I should thus avoid buying anything made in China, but it's become virtually impossible nowadays to avoid all products made in "The World's Factory". The question is then what you think is ok for you, and what you'd rather avoid.

Bottom Line:

I think these probably aren't the hands down best eyeshadow bases out there, there is always room for improvement, but I was pleasantly surprised how well they held up for 6 solid hours of wear, before I noticed visible creasing and fading. The trio sets are a good way to try out a few colours at once, and also come with a brush for easy application if you don't have a lot of makeup brushes yourself. The colours are nice and I like the fact that there's a couple great nude shades in there, and the pigmentation of the colourful ones is pretty good.

Where to buy? Directly on the Sigma homepage here!

10% off code for February! The code BASE2013 will be valid for 10% off your entire purchase from February 1-28, 2013

Disclaimer: The above is an affiliate link and all products were sent to me from Sigma. I have no direct affiliation with the brand and do not work for them directly, I am not on their payroll and I am not encouraged to endorse the brand in any way. I will always tell you straight up what I like, and don't like about any product that's sent to me to try. If you want to buy Sigma products, more power to you, and I would really appreciate if you do decide to use my affiliate link since it takes me time to do these reviews, make swatch pictures, buy the necessary camera equipment, etc. If you choose not to, no problem. I would never want anyone to buy anything they didn't really want or need!

xo, Julia

Sleek True Colour Lipsticks, Flick It Liners & Eyelashes

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I've got some fun new products from Sleek to show you from their upcoming spring collections, so get ready! First up, the True Colour Lipsticks. The formulation is highly pigmented, available in matte or sheen finish, and they come in bright colors that are very in trend for spring 2013.

True Colour Lipsticks in Loved Up, Tangerine Scream and Smoulder (£4.99)

Loved Up

Tangerine Scream

Smoulder

My thoughts: I'm loving all up on Loved Up!!!! Wow - it's incredible. It's one of those BAM in yo face kind of colours, which I personally love. Super creamy, feels smooth to wear, and very opaque. These are great lipsticks, especially when you consider the low price. I'd love to try out more colours as I think they're really cool!

Next up are the Flick It Eyeliner pens, of which the black one is permanent, and the purple and blue ones are limited edition. They have a felt tip end, and are fairly easy to apply for a cat-eyed look. Launching February 13, 2013.

Flick It Eyeliner in Royal Blue, Dazzling Black and Purple Aura (£5.99)

My thoughts: I'm not wowed about these because I don't think the colours are really all that original, and I'm generally not too fond of pen tip eyeliners. I always find they dry out really fast, and I just prefer to work with a brush. They did, however, last incredibly long. I washed my hand several times with soap after swatching, and the colour was still there. You'll have to remove these with an oil-based eye makeup remover, and some eyelid tugging might ensue. Long lasting yes, but a bit hard to remove.

Lastly, I was sent some of the new Sleek Eyelashes, which have newly launched.

My thoughts: They all look slightly "fake" when wearing, which might or might not be a good thing, depending on what look you're going for. If you want lashes that really stand out and look unique and sort of artificial and artsy on your eyes, these might be a good find. If you're more a fan of natural looking falsies that blend really well with your own lashes and don't stand out too much, these aren't so great. They are very long, and the band to apply is very thick, so they tend to stand out and draw a lot of attention. The shapes are also not very natural, so they will obviously look fake. That might work for a more dramatic look though, so it just depends what you prefer!

Sleek makeup is available at Superdrug in the UK, and online through their shop's website here.

Would you like to try out any of these products? Which ones?

Smashbox Love Me Spring Collection

Today I've got a few pieces from the Smashbox Love Me Spring collection to show you, and I have to say - I love a couple of these products so much already! The collection was created in collaboration with street artist Curtis Kullig, with his signature print decorating both the packaging and the cosmetic products themselves (blush and lipstick imprint.)  I got these a few weeks ago and have had a chance to try all the products, so here are my thoughts.

Left to Right: Love Me Blush in Idolize Me, Love Me Be Legendary lipstick in Tempt Me, Love Me Paint Pen Eye Liner in Jet Black

First things: Packaging! I absolutely love it. The blush comes with a nice sized mirror, the lipstick looks sleek, and the red writing on the front is really nice.

Next, I really absolutely LOVE the blush color, I don't have anything exactly like it in my collection. It has a satin finish without any garish sparkles, and the color is a soft pink, leaning slightly coral when worn. The pigmentation is really good, and very buildable, so if you have fair skin - no worries that you will look like a clown on the first swipe. I'm really starting to love Smashbox blushes!

Here is a swatch of the blush, and the pen liner on my hand, wherein I applied several layers of the blush for a really strong pay-off for swatching purposes.

The lipstick in Tempt Me is another great product, with an absolutely perfect color payoff that I think is so nice for spring. It has medium coverage, so you can either wear it more sheer, or apply two coats for an opaque finish. I would describe it as a warm pink, that leans ever so slightly into coral. The lipstick contains shea butter so it's very moisturising and super comfortable to wear, without being too slippery that it immediately creases and feathers into fine lip lines. I really like this lipstick a lot!

The only product I don't care very much for is the eyeliner. It's quite bulky and the tip is really thick, so I feel like I'm applying my eyeliner with a jumbo Crayola marker. I prefer more the thin tips, or an art brush for an eyeliner. However, the thickness of the tip means it's also more sturdy and easier to get an even line. I also felt the color wasn't black enough, it looked more like a very dark grey on me.

Have you tried any Smashbox products? Let me know your favorites in the comments below!

Switzerland Prices:
Love Me Lipstick (26 CHF)
Love Me Blush (40 CHF)
Love Me Paint Pen Eye Liner in Jet Black (29 CHF)

Available at Marionnaud, and wherever Smashbox products are sold worldwide.


(Products were sent for review by PR.)

Review: New L'Occitane Products

I've become a little bit of a L'Occitane junkie lately! If you've never heard of or tried this brand, it's a French brand that makes wonderful bath, body and skincare products. Their products are inspired by the southern French Provence region, but are available worldwide. I just love their body and hand creams, and also their shower products are excellent and smell divine. What I love about this brand is that the products not only smell sophisticated and appealing, but they actually do a wonderful job of moisturizing as well.

Left to right: 20% Shea Butter Hand Cream, Bonne Mère Gentle Cream Body Milk, Shea Butter Solidarity Soap, Bonne Mère Honey Body Wash, 25% Shea Butter Rose Petal Ultra Rich Body Cream, 20% Shea Butter Date Bouquet Hand Cream, 10% Shea Butter Mango Flower Lip Butter

One of my new favorites is the Bonne Mère Honey Body Wash. This was designed to be gentle enough to use for babies - although I have to say if I had a baby or young child, I'd definitely pick something non-allergenic and completely fragrance free. However, I absolutely love this for myself. It lathers up perfectly, I love the pump dispenser, and the fragrance smells like Honeysuckle. Even my boyfriend likes this one as he loves honey-scented products too.

Another favorite product is the 20% Shea Butter Hand Cream for dry skin. These are from the Fall Limited Edition line, which was inspired by West Africa, and has a variety of body products in the scents Date, Mango Flower, and Rose Petal. Pictured here is the original hand cream in the Limited Edition packaging (top) and the Date scented hand cream (bottom), both containing 20% Shea Butter. 

These hand creams are rich and luxurious, and smell absolutely wonderful. I love the 30ml Date scented one for my purse, and the large 150ml size is perfect for at home. They moisturize my hands perfectly, and absorb into my hands without leaving a slimy, sticky film. An absolute must-have for dry hands and cuticles!

Also released with this line is a limited edition body cream which comes in a cute metal tin and contains  25% Shea Butter, and 100ml of product. I have the Rose Petal scent, and it smells beautifully like rose, without being too strong and "fake" smelling.

Also released with the limited edition line is a Rose Petal "Solidarity Soap", the profits of which are 100% donated to community projects in Western Africa. I haven't tried this soap yet, but it is very inexpensive (2.50 Swiss Franks here for 50g) so you might as well add it onto your purchase if you buy something, as the money is being donated to a good cause! I have tried another soap by L'Occitane from their Lemon Verveine line and I liked it, so I can't wait to try this one too.

Have you tried any or want to try the L'Occitane products? What are your favorites?

L'Occitane Global Site

Review: Hermes L'Ambre des Merveilles

Hermès has released a new perfume, called L'Ambre des Merveilles, which translates to The Amber of Wonder in English. By amber they mean the amber stone created from the resin of trees, fossilized over many thousands of ears within the Earth. The bottle above (100ml Eau de Parfum) resembles the stone, and stands leaning slightly to the side.

Amber

The perfume was created by the perfumist Jean-Claude Ellena, who wanted to create a decidedly feminine note without floral elements, rather with woodsy elements. The scent is a mix of vanilla, Patchouli and Labdanum, the latter of which is a sticky brown resin attained from rockrose shrubbery, often used for perfume. Perfumes that are named after amber don't actually contain the precious ingredient, but is often used to describe the type of scent created by mixing vanilla and Labdanum, which creates the honey-amber-colored perfume.

So what do I think of this scent?

I admit I was skeptical at first, because Hermès is not the type of brand I would ever choose to describe my personality. I always picture rich old ladies shopping there for purses and scarves; however, I also associate it with timeless, classic style and sophistication. This is exactly how I would describe the scent.

It is a beautiful perfume that is very elegant, high-class and sophisticated, without being edgy, cool or adventurous. It is feminine without being baby-ish, grown-up without being stuffy, elegant without being cloying. It might not be the first perfume I would grab off the shelf to buy, but it has definitely grown on me and I would wear this on a night out when I want to feel like a perfect lady. The lasting power is also incredible, since it is an Eau de Parfum, not an Eau de Toilette. A little goes a long way and lasts for many hours.

Two negatives: For one, it doesn't come with a proper bottle cap. There was a round plastic tube "thingee" supplied with it, but it's not a proper cap. So you cannot really close the perfume bottle for traveling, which is a nuisance. I like to take my perfumes with me for touching up, so unless you fill this into a travel size bottle, you run of the risk of it accidentally spraying in your bag. Definitely a "leave at home" bottle then. It struck me as very odd.

Second - well, let's face it: The Price! Hermès isn't exactly in the same price category as Bath and Body Works, or even mid-range perfumes like D&G or Boss, etc. I only was supplied the prices for the Swiss market (50ml Eau de Parfum 128 Swiss Franks, 100ml Eau de Parfum 182 Swiss Franks) but I imagine the prices are pretty high for other countries as well. The question then becomes, are you willing to pay for Hèrmes prices, or are you able to find another similar perfume in a slightly lower price class that you like equally?

If you like grown-up (but not old-lady) perfumes and don't mind spending a bit more for Hermès, I would definitely check this one out.

What is your favorite perfume for fall and winter? Share in the comments!

Review: Illamasqua Generation Q Collection

Hello dear Readers!

Today I've got some bits and pieces from the Illamasqua Q (Fall/Winter 2012) collection. The collection slogan is "Where Beauty has no Age Limits" - one that I find very empowering. Generation Q is a celebration of beauty, regardless of age and restrictions. Beauty is not young or old, black or white, male or female, but includes everyone.

I absolutely love that they have used models from all different walks of life and of all age classes. Here are some backstage pictures from the shoot of a few of the models, as Creative Director Alex Box works her magic. I applaud Illamasqua for not photoshopping these gorgeous women half to death in the final promo pictures to magically get rid of all wrinkles!

Now on to the collection, which encompasses two eyeshadow palettes, two lipsticks, two lipglosses, two nailpolishes, two powder blushes, one liquid eyeliner, and one cream highlight product. Here are some of the products I have to show you.

Left to Right: Intense Lipgloss in Opulent, nailpolishes in Charisma and Creator, and Aurora Gleam (cream highlighter)

Gleam in Aurora

Aurora swatched

First up: Gleam. It's described as a lightweight compact highlighter, with an iridescent formula. I haven't played around with this too much but it feels a bit greasy. I'm not sure how well I will fare with this as I generally use shimmering powder highlighters, so this will be something different. I can see how it could add a wet look to the skin, which looks good on older skin, but it could also look a bit oily if you already have oily skin to begin with. To be honest, it's a bit underwhelming if you ask me.

  Charisma & Creator

Creator & Charisma

The polishes look absolutely beautiful and I can't wait to wear them! I've never been disappointed by an Illamasqua nail polish yet, and these look so wonderful for fall. Charisma has a beautiful raspberry-magenta shimmer, and Creator is black with a lot of silver glitter.

Opulent Intense Lipgloss

Above you can see a swatch of the Intense Lipgloss in Opulent. This is the one products where my immediate reaction was, "Oh HELL no!!" I have several Intense Lipglosses by Illamasqua and they are all that - lovely, intense glosses that apply like liquid lipsticks. This one has barely any color pay-off, the rainbow shimmer is barely discernible. This could be applied over another nude lipstick, but by itself it's a bit bland.

Now here's the real doozy - the packaging. Illamasqua have recently repackaged some of their products (I know of the nail polishes and the lipglosses) and wow, major downgrade! The bottle for the lipgloss looks and feels like a cheap lipgloss you might expect from the dollar store, and the brush head is just terrible. As you can see from the above picture, the fibers of the brush wand are spiky, stiff, plastic-feeling, and not uniform. It's an absolute pain to apply this gloss on the lips - to me, this is definitely not on the level of a department store lipgloss.

They have also repackaged the nail polishes. Because of the square bottle head, you used to be able to take off the top cap and re-align it so it's flush with the sides of the bottle when screwing closed. Now, you can't do that anymore, so you end up with a bunch of square heads that often won't align with the polish bottle. It's ugly and annoying for storing.

I really dislike these changes the brand has made and think it has downgraded the overall appearance and usability of the products. Illamasqua, please go back to the old packaging, or find a better bottle for your lipglosses. These wands are just awful!

In conclusion, I really like the polishes, am a bit underwhelmed with the Gleam, and completely dislike the lipgloss due to terrible packaging. The eyeshadow palettes look absolutely beautiful from what I have seen.

You can see the full collection on the Illamasqua Website. They also ship internationally.

Website: Illamasqua Generation Q

Will you be picking up any of the products? What do you think of their promo images and all-inclusive age campaign? Let me know in the comments!