Oooo I do love trying out a new make up brand! I was vey, vey excited a few months back when I heard that Illamasqua was launching in BT2. Illamasqua is make up that’s definitely not for the faint hearted! It’s for girls [and brave boys!] who love a bit of drama, something a bit risque, something quite unique and who demand bloody good quality in their make up! Now, I mentioned drama and Illamasqua is all about the dramatic. Once you go onto the website, you’ll be under no illusion that this is more than ‘mere’ make up for the masses, it’s ‘Showtime Make Up’. Taking inspiration from the ‘dark and illicit club scene of the 1920′s.. and members of the alternative scene for whom self expression was paramount.. it also combines a rich heritage in make up for Film & TV’.
What I do love is that each range makes a fierce statement, for instance ‘Bite – for lips that are intense and arresting.. lips that speak volumes’; ‘Scratch – for nails that say you are in control’; ‘Pierce – for eyes that reveal the inner person.. expressive yet mysterious’. And the website is just stunning and there is so much info on it! Everything from the full range of products and accessories to a blog section, latest news, loads of video tutorials and how to’s and even the biogs of the Art Team are interesting.
But what’s the make up actually like?! Well, colourful is one way to describe it. Deliciously inviting is another! All lined up on a solid black counter, their twinkly, shimmery hues just begging to be picked up and slathered on… but I digress. My first purchase of Illamasqua was a lipstick and a lip gloss. The lipstick is ‘Underworld’, a fabulously rich, jewel colour with a slight bluey tint – I get many compliments on this lipstick, which lasts and lasts by the way and it really makes a statement. I also bought ‘Indulge’ part of the ‘Intense Lipgloss’ range which while creamy is shiny, there’s a bit of texture to it so you can wear it on its own. There’s also a range of more sheer lipglosses but you will get more colour in the ‘Intense’ range.
More recently, I purchased from the latest range, Dystopia. the 4-colour palette in purple is right up my street! The white base has a hint of glitter and shimmer, as does the black shading eyeshadow. The purples are matt and very much stand alone colours if you’re more into block colours on your eyes, which I am but as you would expect, work great together as well. Again, the staying power is great, you won’t get any budging of this stuff until you, eh, actually remember to take it off!
I also bought ‘Explode’, an unusual sheer lipgloss that is a bright pinky colour on its own but it’s designed to add depth over any lipstick or gloss, which it duly does – a dab in the centre of your lips will add a new dimension to any colour!
Priced in the MAC range, with the palette above costing €35 and lipsticks and lip glosses under €20, Illamasqua is available at BT2 on Grafton St and for online purchasing here.
Fizzy died at home yesterday. She was nearly 13 – a great age! Last Friday Fizzy wasn’t at all well and very quickly became quite weak. Our vet couldn’t diagnose exactly what the problem was there and then, prescribed some medication and wanted to see her again within a few days. Fizzy ate a little ham on Saturday but was having difficulty keeping anything down. Over the weekend she didn’t improve and by Monday it wasn’t looking good. We really don’t think she was in pain, maybe a bit uncomfortable. She wasn’t able to eat properly again. My Mom was on duty around the clock [Fizzy lived with her] and with a heavy heart told me that she didn’t think Fizzy would make it. An hour before she was due to go back to the vet, Fizzy let out a cry and breathed her last. Mom was with her, stroking her fur and talking to her. She left a voicemail for our vet a while later to let him know Fizzy hadn’t made it and he rang back within minutes to sympathise, as he’s that type of vet.
I got into the taxi and sighed with relief. I had been almost in pain trying to keep my face from scowling over the past few hours and there was also the fact that I was absolutely starving – I had just been at ‘The Meal from Hell’. Pretentious overpriced food, combined with snooty yet inefficient wait staff AND that I was out with work colleagues I didn’t want to spend a second more than necessary with, this had all the hallmarks of uncomfortable dining before we picked out the wine.
‘Excuse me, do you have these in a size 6?’
Oh I do like a nice military jacket! I have to say, it’s one of my favourite looks – sharp, edgy jacket with skinny jeans and boots with a heel just begs for a ‘I know I look great’ attitude. Back when I was a teenager in 1842 and not exactly living near Camden Market or the Portobello Road, there was a distinct lack of the kind of clothes I wanted to wear available in Smalltown. I did once resort to buying a man’s blazer in a charity shop and then fashioning epaulets out of gold material and sewing fringing that was actually meant for curtain ties into the kind of thing I wanted. I also managed to somehow find a gold brooch that resembled a type of battlefield medal and I looped some different gold rope-y kind of stuff that I also found in the local haberdashery store between one shoulder and the collar. Oh, I loved that jacket! And you couldn’t really see the sewing stitches unless you were really, really close up!
Everything I own is my stuff.. right?Just stuff I own. It’s my stuff, not anyone else’s and if I choose to actually put tacky fridge magnets from the town of my parents last holiday destination on display, well, I can stick them wherever I want to! And although it’s gone way beyond a joke at this stage and I don’t even try and refuse them, they’re not like my favourite things in the world, ok? They just make up part of ‘my stuff’, stuff you’ll find in my apartment.
