Review and swatches: Illamasqua Toxic Nature

From tomorrow on there will be new Illamasqua spring/summer 2011 collection called Toxic Nature available at Illamasqua on-line store .

Once again Illamasqua’s team let their imagination run wild and here is what they came up with:

… a colour collection born from a visionary concept of nature fighting back against the genetically modified society that plunders it. Illamasqua has created the Toxic Nature collection through a palette of lurid shades, corrupted hues and glistening muted tones that offer intoxicating versions of their original selves …

… this is an atomic-botanical environment where survival is key and camouflage by colour is the path to existence …

Take a look at gorgeous artistic make-ups adorned in promo material. When I grow up I want to be Alex Box. :D

Products in Toxic Nature collection:

• cream pigment (~20 EUR): Bedaub, Mould, Dab, Emerge, Hollow, Delirium;
• nail polish (~16 EUR): Gamma, Radium, Bacterium, Purity, Stagnate;
• lip stick (~18 EUR): Flare, Atomic;
• lip gloss (~15 EUR): Divine, Torture;
• precision ink (~20 EUR): Glister;
• toxic claw (~40 EUR).

First we got the promo material and of course we started to drool over it, but few days later there was very pleasant surprise in the form of the black box in the mail. Did I say pleasant? Not an appropriate word. Our reaction was something like this – . THANK YOU, Illamasqua!

Can you imagine that this time polishes were not the first thing I had to try out? We received three very useful cream pigments: Mould, Delirium, Dab.

I used matte cream pigments as:

• eyeshadow base: I applied Sweetscents Dream over Mould and the combo actually lasted few hours on my super oily eyelid (I usually have to use at least 2 primers to achieve long lasting make-up … but this could be enough for those with non-problematic eyelids). I also loved the way the cream pigments gripped the eyeshadow so it really stayed in place.
• contouring: Delirium was a little harder to spread on skin but it did good job at shading;
• lipstick: Dab and Mould were harder to apply than Delirium, which went on easily and then cemented itself on my lips. :D But I must confess I loved Mould best on my lips – dark shade really livened up my face. (P.S. Please overlook the sloppy application of Mould … it was done in a hurry. )

Next in line were the polishes: Purity and Bacterium.

Purity is pastel peach shade and with surprisingly easy application for this kind of a color. Color can be more orangy or can turn into some kind of muted peachy. I used two layers + top coat.

Bacterium is one of those shades I’m not overly fond of … but they look really good on me. :D Illamasqua says this is pearlescent ash ochre … I have absolutely no clue how to describe this color so I’ll go with their description. I do not like the pearly/frosty finish. Shimmer is multicolored but you mainly see some kind of grayish cast over the base color. I used two layers + top coat. Photo was take on day 2, so you can see slight tip wear.

Last product we received from Toxic Nature collection is Sheer Lipgloss – Torture. This is sheer lip gloss in orange color. It colored my lips slightly orange, does not have strong taste or smell and it lasted longer on my lips than average glosses do.

I passed on all the products to our Maestra and can’t wait to see what will she come up with.

You have couple more hours to join Illamasqua’s Toxic Nature Wish List campaign. What do you have to do? Register for an Illamasqua account – go to the Toxic Nature collection and click Join Waiting List by the shade that you desire. 3 winners will then be sent all the items they’re eagerly awaiting, in advance of the main launch. You can join the waiting list for as many Toxic Nature products as you wish.

If I were to compile WL, I would put rest of the cream pigments on it. What do you have on your WL?

*promo photos courtesy of Illamasqua