Illamasqua Mislead Eye Liner Cake Review, Photos and Swatches!

Illamasqua Eye Liner Cake in Mislead

Have you ever heard of "cake liner" before? The first time I ever heard of it was several years ago when I became interested in learning more about theatrical makeup (Ben Nye, Graftobian, Cinema Secrets, etc) and came across Ben Nye Cake Eyeliner - well, I never got around to trying it, but it's a product that's always sat in the back of my memory of products to try one day.

Cake Eyeliner is pretty much the only type of liner I haven't tried before. I've for the most part tried all of the liner options out there - pencil, cream, gel, liquid, kajal, powder, you name it. My preferred choices on most days are gel and liquid.

When I stumbled across Illamasqua Eye Liner Cake ($23), I decided I had to try it, despite there not being too many reviews out there.

Illamasqua Eye Liner Cake is a pressed powder formula, that when comes in contact with water/liquid, becomes an intense liquid-liner.  

There are three (3) colors in total: Mislead (black), Zeal (pine green) and Danger (navy). I chose Mislead, because one could never own enough black liners, right? haha

You can use water to mix the product with, but when using water, I notice the color isn't as vibrant and the lasting power isn't as good. There are of course other options in order for it to last longer - such as MAC Fix Spray, Illamasqua Sealing Gel, Benefit SheLaq, Visine, etc. I usually use Visine and it works great.

Illamasqua Promise Cream Blusher Review, Photos and Swatches!

Illamasqua Promise Cream Blusher

Illamasqua Promise Cream Blusher ($24) is described as a "petal pink". It's your average bubblegum cool-pink, that isn't overly cool, so it will definitely work on warm skintones as well as cool, without looking ashy and/or overly cool purple/blue. 

I use to stray away from wearing cool pinks because of my warm skin, but I've started really liking them on my skin when my skintone is a bit lighter. 

The consistency of Illamasqua Cream Blush is really nice. It's very thin and creamy and isn't at all heavy or sticky. It has a bit of a dewy finish, which you may or may not like. I think it looks quite fresh on the cheeks, and not greasy. For less shine, you can set the blush with a light dusting of powder.

The color is very pigmented and blends very easily. I've worn this blush several times and it never looks patchy or un-even on my cheeks. When used lightly with a stippling brush, it looks like cotton candy on my cheeks. It can be layered for a more intense, doll pink effect. 

Illamasqua Fable Lipstick Review, Photos and Swatches!

Illamasqua Fable Lipstick

Illamasqua Fable Lipstick ($22) is described as a matte, bubble gum pink on the Sephora website, and a bright, rose pink on the Illamasqua website. It's for sure bright, in a pastel sort of way. It has a warm undertone, as it leans slightly coral rather than purple or blue. I can't really call it a bubble-gum pink, because in my opinion, a bubblegum pink would be like a bright, neutral or slightly cool pink. Fable is more of a bright, pastel flamingo pink or salmon pink.

Anyway, Fable is a shade I knew I would love because I seem to have a fascination with warm pinks that have a hint of peach or coral. They just seem to suit me the best, especially when I'm sporting a tan.

I'm a big fan of Illamasqua's lipsticks, even though I've only owned one prior; Illamasqua Obey, which is one of my favorites. All of the shades are packed with pigment in one swipe. In fact, most of Illamasqua's products have amazing pigmentation, which makes me so sad it's so hard to find in the US! I want to do some swatching! *sigh*

The only bad thing I can say about this lipstick, which is usually the case with light colored matte lipsticks, is that it can accentuate any dryness present on your lips. To avoid having shriveled lips, apply a generous layer of lip balm prior to application of the lipstick. If you're not a fan of the matte finish, pop a little lip gloss on top!

Illamasqua Indulge Intense Lipgloss Review, Photos and Swatches!

Illamasqua Indulge Intense Lipgloss

Illamasqua Indulge Intense Lipgloss ($20) is a bright hot pink, highly pigmented and non-sticky full coverage lipgloss with a super glossy finish.

In the tube this shade looks a little deeper - almost like a slightly reddened neon pink. But once applied to the lips, the shade is a lighter, milky neon pink. Think Betsey Johnson or Barbie pink.

I've been wanting to try Illamasqua's Intense Lipglosses for what seems like forever. I always imagined they would be like a toned down & more moisturizing version of OCC Lip Tars. What sealed the deal was seeing Temptalia's reviews for them over and over in bright, gorgeous hues, which of course built up my "need" for them even more.

The formula is a little thick and gooey, but not sticky. It feels nice on the lips, and has good lasting power because of the thicker texture. It has very good pigmentation for a gloss, so a lot of product isn't necessary. I've found when I applied too much, it looked thick on my lips, felt heavy and even ended up on my front teeth - not a pretty sight! A few drops is all you need.

Illamasqua Lover Powder Blush Review, Photos and Swatches!

 Illamasqua Lover Powder Blush

Illamasqua Lover Blush ($24) is a pale apricot with a completely matte finish. To be truthfully honest, from the photos I've seen of Lover, I expected it to be more of a soft pastel.

I've been on the hunt for the perfect peach blush, and when I came across Illamasqua Lover on various beauty blogs, it looked exactly like what I wanted. 

I do own a bunch of other peach blushes, but I really wanted a matte, true peach with no tricky/misleading undertones.

It strikes resemblance to MAC Peaches (which I no longer own) In fact, they're are so similar that you most likely don't need both, unless you're a peach fanatic, or have a preference to one of the brands. I personally prefer Illamasqua because the consistency is softer, more pigmented and easier to blend. 

Illamasqua Obey Lipstick Review, Swatches & Comparisons.

Illamasqua Obey Lipstick

Illamasqua Obey Lipstick ($22) is described as a coral-pink with a matte finish. Since peachy-pinks are my favorite shades of lipstick to wear, Obey was my first choice out of all of the different shades Illamasqua has to choose from.

Obey is very vibrant and very opaque. Applied heavily, it looks neon, so I like only applying a thin layer and applying a little gloss on top. It's absolutely gorgeous!

I like the formula of this lipstick and even though it's a matte, it hasn't seemed to dry out my lips more than average. If my lips are already dry though, it does accentuate the dryness a little bit (which is normal with matte lipsticks.)

Illamasqua Obey Lipstick on my lips (My lips are lined with MAC Spice Lip Liner)

Sephora Haul! NARS and Illamasqua!

Hey Guys!

I purchased a few things online from Sephora a few days ago and received my package today! I'm so excited to try everything!

Onto what I purchased...

1) NARS Bronzing Powder in "Irresistiblement" - A terracotta toned bronzer.. rather than a brown toned bronzer. I've read this is somewhat similar to MAC Smooth Harmony Beauty Powder.. so I'm excited to see if they are anything alike.. since I love Smooth Harmony! (It was a limited edition item. I have it from the Heatherette Collection)

2) NARS Single Eyeshadow in "Bali" -  A pigmented neutral taupe.

3) NARS Single Eyeshadow in "Coconut Grove" - A very pigmented, deep brown.

4) Illamasqua Lipstick in "Obey" - I was stuck between Brink, Fable, Obey, Over and Test. In the end, I chose Obey. It's a matte, pink peach/coral.

5) Illamasqua Powder Blusher in "Lover" - I'm on the hunt for a peach blush.. It was described on the website as a "vibrant apricot". Looking at Lover, it doesn't look like what I had invisioned. I was looking for a peach blush with no pink tones.. because anything peach with pink all looks the same on my skintone. Like Nars Orgasm.. or MAC Springsheen. It's very aggravating. I did own MAC Peaches, but ended up swapping it.. because it still wasn't what I was really looking for. It was too coral on my cheeks. I hope Lover looks better on my cheeks than it does in the pan.

I'll have swatches and photos of these products up for you soon!

Do you own any of these products??