Hey Lovelies,
I hope you all have had a nice restful or fun weekend. Mine has been quite restful. The month has finally come to an end and I must admit June has been a really fast month and I am thankful to God for everything.
So, I went to Debenhams a little while ago to nose around which is a very dangerous thing to do. I saw many tempting beauty items but i restrained myself. One beauty item stood out for me though; the Illamasqua Alter Ego Mystery Collection. You know when your eyes keep going back and forth to a beauty product and you pick it up,look at it, drop it, leave, come back and repeat same steps all over, that was me. I loved the idea of a mystery box but I had read a few dodgy reviews of this mystery box so I was a little hesitant. So, I ended up leaving it on the aisle while trying to ignore its incessant plea "come pick me up" it seemed to say.
The next week I found myself there (don't ask me how I found myself, I just did). This time around I was trying to justify buying this box for many reasons. The main one being I have never tried any Illamasqua products and I know they are good quality although they may have some crazy products with exorbitant prices. On top of it, I knew there were six products in it but i could only see two of the actual products which were shown on the box like so which implies that the remaining 4 could be a hit or miss. I know this collection has been around since last year and even earlier in USA, so I am not sure if it is still being sold there but it is currently in Debenhams here..
Anyway, I looked closely and saw one of the boxes had been opened and just taped with a new transparent cover so I had a full view of all the products....yaaaaasss. I picked the opened one and compared with the boxed one and made up my mind that it was a good match and it was worth the spend. The total worth of products in this collection is £91.50..Wowwzas, however, its original retail price was £38 which is fair.
The amazing thing was it was knocked down from £38 to £19; now that's a real bargain although I was hoping all the products were okay. I promptly paid and could not wait to get home to savour this beauty and share with you guys so here's a toast to a special un-boxing and to many more to come....
The next week I found myself there (don't ask me how I found myself, I just did). This time around I was trying to justify buying this box for many reasons. The main one being I have never tried any Illamasqua products and I know they are good quality although they may have some crazy products with exorbitant prices. On top of it, I knew there were six products in it but i could only see two of the actual products which were shown on the box like so which implies that the remaining 4 could be a hit or miss. I know this collection has been around since last year and even earlier in USA, so I am not sure if it is still being sold there but it is currently in Debenhams here..
Anyway, I looked closely and saw one of the boxes had been opened and just taped with a new transparent cover so I had a full view of all the products....yaaaaasss. I picked the opened one and compared with the boxed one and made up my mind that it was a good match and it was worth the spend. The total worth of products in this collection is £91.50..Wowwzas, however, its original retail price was £38 which is fair.
The amazing thing was it was knocked down from £38 to £19; now that's a real bargain although I was hoping all the products were okay. I promptly paid and could not wait to get home to savour this beauty and share with you guys so here's a toast to a special un-boxing and to many more to come....
Packaging
You all know I am a huge fan of good packaging in fact I have often left products because I did not think their packaging were good enough. Anyways, I love this packaging although it has that strange halloween vibe to it with all the black tissue stuffing but it's not too bad.
The outer box is really colorful and captures the whole mystery theme. Opening the box reveals some black tissue strips and stuffings which remind me of some monthly beauty boxes. Within all the stuffing lies your products.
Lipstick-Illamasqua "Blaze"
The color may look a little OTT especially for darker skinned ladies but fear not, I think it is very flattering. I love it. It is a semi-bright orange lipstick with some hints of dark red. I am a little rubbish in describing some colors but here is a swatch on my lips and hand.
I am in love with this color so much because it is perfect for summer and it really flatters my skin tone. It is a semi-matte finish but I paired it with my favourite coral Lipgloss from Gemma Kidd. If you remember one of my blog posts Spring Wish list where I wanted the MAC So Chaud, I think I may be sticking to this till further notice.
This was very difficult to photograph because it just won't show up with the original colour; it kept coming off as a red shade....:-(
Blush- Illamasqua "Create"
This blush strongly reminds me of a lighter version of of Sleek's Sahara Blush. I think the best description would have to be a brownish coral/peach colour. I think it will be good for contouring for lighter skinned ladies but it is almost my skin tone; hahaha, I joke
I thought it would not show up on my skin but it does show up rather subtly which I don't mind at all because I can wear it work. I have already put this into my make up bag as we speak because I think it would become a staple part of it.
It was really difficult to photograph especially with the sun dancing in and out with its beautiful rays so I have different shots of this blush to try and reflect its true shade(Fail!!) but I hope this picture below looks the closest.
Lip gloss- Illamasqua Intense Lip gloss in "Twist"
To be honest, this has to be the trickiest product within this whole pack. It is a dark brown/chocolate coloured lip gloss and I am unsure as to why such a shade was created but since this is an alter ego and it is Illamasqua (who are well known for their vivid and crazy colours), we may try to make this work.
Having said that, I actually like the way the tube is packaged because it means there is little wastage and only a fair amount is dispensed. I found a little trick to working this lipstick; I combined it with the Illamasqua Blaze Lipstick and I got a burnt orange colour which I actually really like so it is not a waste at all.
So far, that is the only suitable way so far I have found to make this lip gloss wearable as wearing it on its own is not flattering. AT ALL.
Eye Shadow- Illamasqua "LeStat"
This is a darkish grey eye shadow which is perfect for creating smoky eye looks for both summer and gothic looks. It is not a very intense dark eye shadow but it works for a basic smoky eye look. I tried it out in a few pictures which I would share towards the end of this post.
It is not a shade I am crazy about or would purchase but I like that it is a greyish colour as opposed to a dark(black) colour as black shadows for some strange reason is not flattering to me at all. This is a nice eye shadow for creating a subtle smoky eye. Also, I like the idea of individual eye shadows for no reason at all.
Nail Polish- Illamasqua "Collide"
This is their best selling nail polish which is a bright neon pink colour which I really like because it is a bright neon colour and I don't think I have any shade of pink that looks like this.
It looks brighter on the bottle than it is on the nails and I love that. It is definitely a wearable shade and perfect for both summer and spring as it is a very cheerful colour.
Liquid Metal Cream Shadow- Illamasqua "Electrum"
This was one product I was unsure of because it seemed too OTT for me but surprisingly it is quite flattering on my skin. Just as the name implies, it is a metallic yellowish shade which has also been described as "antique gold" by Illamasqua themselves.
I used this on my waterline and it really made it pop and it did not irritate my contacts which is a massive big plus for me. You can also use it as a highlighter, with a really light hand, may be on the bridge of the nose or above the cheek. It is highlights without leaving any shiny glitter on your face and I really like it but I have only tried it on my waterline for now.
Overall Verdict
As I mentioned earlier, I think it is a very good bargain and I think I am really lucky with the products have received because I have read quite a few reviews of this collection and many of them were not pleased at all with the contents of their boxes. I really love all of them except the lip gloss which I am just managing for now until i find an additional use for it other than accompanying the Blaze Lipstick.
I think it is an easy way to try out the Illamasqua range without burning a hole in your pocket because this costs £19 while a single product from Illamasqua starts from £18 so it is a really good bargain. Having said that, I believe many of these products included may have been discontinued and Illamasqua was just looking for a nice way to get rid of them without much ado. All in all, I don't mind my mystery box at all and I already tried out one look trying to incorporate all the products as nicely as I could without looking like a hand painted circus clown :-).
If you are in the UK, you can find the Illamasqua Alter Ego Mystery Collection here in Debenhams and If you are in the US, you may find it in Sephora although I am not sure if it is still being sold over there. Hope you enjoyed this post and see you in the next one...Lest I forget, Happy New Month...
I am in love with this color so much because it is perfect for summer and it really flatters my skin tone. It is a semi-matte finish but I paired it with my favourite coral Lipgloss from Gemma Kidd. If you remember one of my blog posts Spring Wish list where I wanted the MAC So Chaud, I think I may be sticking to this till further notice.
This was very difficult to photograph because it just won't show up with the original colour; it kept coming off as a red shade....:-(
Blush- Illamasqua "Create"
This blush strongly reminds me of a lighter version of of Sleek's Sahara Blush. I think the best description would have to be a brownish coral/peach colour. I think it will be good for contouring for lighter skinned ladies but it is almost my skin tone; hahaha, I joke
It was really difficult to photograph especially with the sun dancing in and out with its beautiful rays so I have different shots of this blush to try and reflect its true shade(Fail!!) but I hope this picture below looks the closest.
 |
| This was the closest shot to what it looks like in real life |
To be honest, this has to be the trickiest product within this whole pack. It is a dark brown/chocolate coloured lip gloss and I am unsure as to why such a shade was created but since this is an alter ego and it is Illamasqua (who are well known for their vivid and crazy colours), we may try to make this work.
Having said that, I actually like the way the tube is packaged because it means there is little wastage and only a fair amount is dispensed. I found a little trick to working this lipstick; I combined it with the Illamasqua Blaze Lipstick and I got a burnt orange colour which I actually really like so it is not a waste at all.
So far, that is the only suitable way so far I have found to make this lip gloss wearable as wearing it on its own is not flattering. AT ALL.
Eye Shadow- Illamasqua "LeStat"
This is a darkish grey eye shadow which is perfect for creating smoky eye looks for both summer and gothic looks. It is not a very intense dark eye shadow but it works for a basic smoky eye look. I tried it out in a few pictures which I would share towards the end of this post.
It is not a shade I am crazy about or would purchase but I like that it is a greyish colour as opposed to a dark(black) colour as black shadows for some strange reason is not flattering to me at all. This is a nice eye shadow for creating a subtle smoky eye. Also, I like the idea of individual eye shadows for no reason at all.
Nail Polish- Illamasqua "Collide"
This is their best selling nail polish which is a bright neon pink colour which I really like because it is a bright neon colour and I don't think I have any shade of pink that looks like this.
It looks brighter on the bottle than it is on the nails and I love that. It is definitely a wearable shade and perfect for both summer and spring as it is a very cheerful colour.
Liquid Metal Cream Shadow- Illamasqua "Electrum"
This was one product I was unsure of because it seemed too OTT for me but surprisingly it is quite flattering on my skin. Just as the name implies, it is a metallic yellowish shade which has also been described as "antique gold" by Illamasqua themselves.
I used this on my waterline and it really made it pop and it did not irritate my contacts which is a massive big plus for me. You can also use it as a highlighter, with a really light hand, may be on the bridge of the nose or above the cheek. It is highlights without leaving any shiny glitter on your face and I really like it but I have only tried it on my waterline for now.
Overall Verdict
As I mentioned earlier, I think it is a very good bargain and I think I am really lucky with the products have received because I have read quite a few reviews of this collection and many of them were not pleased at all with the contents of their boxes. I really love all of them except the lip gloss which I am just managing for now until i find an additional use for it other than accompanying the Blaze Lipstick.
If you are in the UK, you can find the Illamasqua Alter Ego Mystery Collection here in Debenhams and If you are in the US, you may find it in Sephora although I am not sure if it is still being sold over there. Hope you enjoyed this post and see you in the next one...Lest I forget, Happy New Month...
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| I really tried to look presentable but hey!! it was the weekend...xxx |
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