Illamasqua Night Time Diva Course -

I was elated when I found out that one of my presents for my birthday this year from my brother and sister was a two hour make-up course with the cult British beauty brand Illamasqua.

Illamasqua have no competition when it comes to being different in the make-up industry, their slogan is 'Make up for your alter ego' and it encourages people to step out of their comfort zone and dare to be different.

I can't even comprehend how excited I was to go on this course, it is held at the Illamasqua School of Make up Art which is based at the flagship store Bleak Street, London.

I arrived a little early so had time to take a few snaps....

I'd describe the layout of the store as a lot more 'friendlier' than most Make Up stores and it has to be said the girls and guys that work there are much more approachable too.

I spotted these gorgeous nail polish duo sets, I have my eye on the red glitter set for Christmas (ahem..wish list)

Last week Illamasqua launched their first fragrance 'Freak' and I had been dying for a sniff since I heard they were going to launch one.
With aromas of Frankincense, Opium Flower, and Queen of the Night blossom it really does smells divine and I think it's a truly warm wintry fragrance that would suit anyone.

So after taking all these snaps it was finally time to have a lesson with the professionals.

I was seated in the School's Make Up studio at my own dressing table with a humongous mirror, a set of brushes and a pair of my own gorgeous eyelashes.

We were taught step by step by two Illamasqua Make up Artists (who were lovely) how to achieve a signature Illamasqua smoky eye look with very few products.

They used each one of the five students to demonstrate each area:

-Eyes

-Brows

-Skin

-Lashes

-Lips

With luxury Illamasqua products:

-Cream Eye shadows

-Pigments

-Lashes

-Eyebrow Cake

-Masquara

-Skin Base Foundation

Top tips of the night:

-Use a lighter foundation under your brow for a highlight. I already do this but with a concealer which is only a couple shades lighter, in the class we used a Skin Base that was about 5 times lighter!..And that's exactly what Illamasqua are about..full on drama!

-Recycle your tired reused false lashes by cutting them in half and just using the outer half to emphasise the outer part of your eye. I thought this was a fab idea, I reuse my lashes all the time, if you look after a pair of lashes that are of good quality it may surprise you how many times they will last.

-Using translucent powder around the nose area, chin and forehead only. This will matte out the shiny areas but keep the dewiness around the rest of your face.

This is the finished look..I could have gone much more extreme with this look but I had to keep in mind that I would be travelling home on the tube and didn't want to give anyone a pre-Halloween fright!

I'm usually really picky about doing my make up, I have to have my skin fully prepped the way I like it and have the brushes I prefer to use to hand. Considering all of this, I was pretty happy with the outcome.

Check out the tattoo on the MUA's arm behind me!

Once we had finished our session, the MUA's revealed that we would be getting 25% off any product in the store as well as being able to keep our lashes.

*Whips out the Credit Card* ..and I was off!

I had to buy the Coral blusher that the MUA chose for me in the class, it was super pigmented and sat so well on my skin. I also picked up the sheer gloss that I used in the class which was also a Coral colour.

As well as that I picked up a few things in the sale. Yes you heard right SALE! Illamasqua are one of the only brands that actually have a sale, I held back from going crazy.

As expected I came home with a bag of goodies, a dent in my pocket but a huge smile on my face so it was worth it!

I would totally recommend this course as a 2 hour fix for Make Up lovers, although I would say if you prefer the 'no make up' make up look and prefer to keep it toned down this may not be for you as the course promotes the idea of being able to wear a more extreme look for the night time.

It's also perfect if you're spending the evening in the cities bars and clubs after the course.

xXx

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