Illamasqua Sacred Hour - A/W 13 collection

Dusk and dawn are the two "sacred hours" providing the imaginative fuel for Illamasqua's new autumn winter edit for 2013. There's a pagan, woodsy feel to the collection, with campaign images that show two female figures, one for dawn, one for dusk, roaming through a lovely deciduous forest, and looking a bit like they're off to conduct a fertility ritual with a liberal scattering of crystals. Dawn and dusk are also important makeup-putting-on ritual times - first thing in the morning, and before heading out at night.

Will this brand ever run out of original ideas? In such a well-trodden, packed-out niche as cosmetics, it's always impressive how they come up with something fresh. I love seeing what they roll out each season.

The Sacred Hour collection gives a nod to the prevailing seasonal trend for full-on eyes and full-on lips (at once! Shock horror), and also includes some diaphanous duochrome shimmeryness, and some lush, full-on pigments as well.





The collection includes a new under-eye concealer, Skin Base Lift, which is designed specifically to nuke dark circles under eyes using a peachy compensating tone. There's a relatively small range of shades, but there's also a pure white, intended to be used with the coloured shades to add a lifting highlight element. The concealer is rich and creamy in texture, and adheres keenly to the skin of the undereye without much creasing or slippage.

There are two nail polishes in the collection, the green-beige duochrome Hemlock*, which is a repromote (as we used to say in the MAC days), and Facet, a beautiful mid-tone grey with coppery gold shimmer.

There's also a set of outrageously thick and feathery false lashes. These are inspired by one of the Illamasqua artists who wears multiple sets of lashes on counter, and the aim is to recreate her look with just one strip.



Probably the star of the collection is the new Reflection palette. Like last season's Paranormal palette, it features Illamasqua's exciting new liquid-gel-powder eyeshadows. They're designed to be easy to apply with fingertips, and the liquid-gel texture makes them extremely blendable and easy to layer. The Reflection palette is ideal for a neutral smoky eye. It's got a dark silvery gunmetal, a classic taupe, a warm bronze and an ivory-lemon sort of highlight colour.

There's just one lipstick involved, a cool, vampy plum called Shard, which Illamasqua describes as red-violet. This isn't such a pigment-fest as previous colours, taking a few swipes to show up true to tube on the lips. The texture's quite solid, giving it good stamina, but it's definitely best worn in combination with a balm.

Two cream-to-powder Velvet blushes round out the collection, the warm coral Sleek, which is in the group photos, and Peaked (above), an insanely pigmented cool rose.

FOTD: Featuring Sleek blush*, Reflections palette*, Skin Base in Light 2*, Shard lipstick* and Motto brow powder

Sacred Hour will be released on counters and in stand-alone stores on Monday 19 August, and is available exclusively at Selfridges from 9 August until the general release date.

*Disclosure - PR samples

This post originated at www.londonbeautyreview.com. If you're reading it elsewhere, it's been stolen, violating our copyright.