Best of the Illamasqua 2015 Sale

Illamasqua has to be the winner of the best new years sales this January, with such a wide range of products at extreme discounts it was really hard to keep myself under control. I did have a few other purchases but I'm actually going to save them for another post (not that they weren't pretty awesome).

For a while now I have loved this brand, their graphics are visually stunning, they're product formulation are brilliant and they support one of my favourite charities.

  Sheer & Intense Lipgloss - Tantrum & Hermetic

I actually made two orders during the Illamasqua sale, primarily because I was desperate to get my hands on the shade Hermetic, settling for Tantrum initially as I'd been dying to try these glosses out and Hermetic sold out in no time at all. Fortunately, Hermetic came back in stock not long after my first purchase and I knew I couldn't live without it.

Being a sheer formula, Tantrum provides more of a wash of colour in comparison to the intense formulas. I love layering this one over a dark plum or cherry shade for an extra boost of colour.

Hermetic feels more like a liquid lipstick, thicker in consistency and coverage. It has a pretty good lasting power, and can also be used sparingly to stain lighter shades of lipstick.

From the swatches, it's pretty easy to see why I had to make another purchase to get my hands on Hermetic. They both have a very sweet scent, like a grape jolly rancher (this may effect lasting power due to any weakness you have to sugar).

Both Hermetic and Tantrum are still available online (RRP £16.50, Sale £6.60).

Powder Eye shadow - CanCan

This was a very last minute decision. I rarely purchase single eye shadows these days due to palettes being such good value for money. I couldn't resist CanCan though, despite being the queen of purple eye shadow I have no matte lilacs to create a soft look, so most of the time my purple eye looks come out very shimmery and the colour feels a little lost amongst sparkles.

Despite being a matte shade, the formula doesn't have an unpleasant chalky feel, it's more soft and almost creamy to touch, and the high pigment means I won't have to pile it on my eyes to get a decent colour.

Have you ever seen such a glorious shade of matte lilac? This is most definitely a shade worth investing in if you're on the prowl for colourful matte shadows that pack a punch (it's harder to find than you think to be honest).

CanCan is still available online (RRP £15.50, Sale £6.20).

Multi Facet Palette in Aura

This was another last minute decision. With the recent launch of the Urban Decay Naked on the Run palette, I feel that the all-in-one palettes are going to be a must-have item. I felt that this palette better suited my tastes and the colours would get far more use than the other palette that was up for grabs.

As you can see, this palette comes equipped with a cream highlighter, a powder a blush, a contour cream, a brow powder, three eye shadows, a liner cake and a dual ended brush.

If I were to make a small criticism of the palette, it's that I would have preferred a gel liner rather than a powder, as I would then need to bring my sealing gel to get the right kind of effect with the liner. Otherwise it's pretty much all I would need for a weekend away (apart from mascara obviously).

I've always wanted to try hollow, not so much as a contour, but I've seen it used in plenty of tutorials as a base for eye shadow. It's such a gorgeous creamy formula that glides on effortlessly, I can't wait to give it a proper work out.

Aura is a lot more subtle than I was expecting after trying Illamasqua liquid highlighter previously, I had to shine my day lamp pretty close to the swatch in order for it to show up the photo. Fantastic if you're into your subtle highlighting, not so much if you're still trying perfect your Kim Kardashian contouring (it's getting out of hand now people, lets be honest).

Tremble is described as a soft lilac, but I felt it came out more like a coral shade when I swatched it on my arm. I'm slowly but surely being a big fan of blusher these days, so I have no doubt that I'll get a lot of use out of Tremble.

I'm loving the shade feint which reminds me of an old brick work house, blended out in the crease I think it will make for a very unusual neutral eye look. Vision was a surprising shade, containing gold shimmer that you only really notice when the light hits it, this is a very creamy feeling eye shadow despite it being a powder (now I can stop panicking about hitting pan with my Bobby Dazzle).

The Multi-Facet Palette in Aura is available to purchase online (RRP £45, Sale £13.50).

How did everyone else cope with the Illamasqua sale? Did you make a few cheeky purchases or do you have a little more self control?