I am a big fan of Illamasqua for many reasons – one of them being that Illamasqua do a sale like no other make up brand. Seventy percent reductions are common and prices usually start from five pounds. I am happy to buy from the brand at any time of year but I always make a point of looking at their website during sale time.
During the January sales I picked up this palette for ten pounds. That makes it two pounds and fifty pence per shadow taking this high end product down to drug store prices with high end quality. The compact as with all of the Illamsqua range is sleek and black and has a large mirror in which you can see nearly all of your face. The knack to opening the palette is to pop a fingernail under the Illamasqua on the front of the palette.
The colours in this palette are liquid metal which is Illamasqua’s cream shadow. As with all cream eyeshadows, these colours are prone to creasing especially as the texture is very buttery on the skin. A primer is a must for these shadows regardless of whether you wear them alone or as a base for other eyeshadows. Application can be either with your fingertips for a wash of colour or with a brush for more intense colour deposit.
The colours are Resolute (burgundy red) Solstice (yellow) Stoic (green) and Superior (blue) and they are very very pigmented. They are colours which in other brands would not be suitable to wear on the eyes and there is a disclaimer on the back of the palette that these colours should not be used on the lips… which is a shame as the blue and the green would make exceptional lip colours. The yellow has proved really useful for those off white shades which look ashy on my skin. With the bright yellow underneath, it provides some intensity and makes the colours more wearable.
Not all cream shadows are made equally – this is not a paint pot /colour tattoo type product. The texture is much softer so unless you are a after the creased look, make sure you prime – but I made great use of this palette because the colours are perfect for my skintone.