My Counter Crawl: Illamasqua

I fancied having my makeup done on a makeup counter purely for the experience, as all though I'm a makeup student I've never actually has it done on a counter before.
So my friend an I have decided that over the next couple of weeks we're going to try out several different counters and let you know what we think!

The first counter on our list was Illamasqua at the Trafford center, it's £30 for a total make-over which is about 45mins and that money is redeemable against products, the girls on the counter were very friendly and perceptive, the girl doing my make-up asked plenty of questions and new exactly what I wanted, even though the picture wouldn't load on my phone! I went for quite a dark smokey eye as it's a bit different to how I normally wear my makeup and Illamasqua are well known for their more dramatic looks! 

The make-up application itself was good, the girl told me most of what she was doing, some techniques, the tools she was using and of course the products - mustn't forget to sell, sell, sell!
The eye make-up she applied lasted all day, but the foundation and especially the lips didn't last long at all.
I think the reason the lips didn't last long was down to the fact a lip liner didn't come any where near my face, there was no blotting and it felt a little rushed. The foundation however, just didn't suit my oily complexion, and looked greasy and patchy not long after leaving the counter.

I do have to add though, that I'm a huge fan of the majority of Illamasqua products, but the foundations just aren't one of them - which I put down purely to personal preference!

Rachel looking lovely! The peach lips really complement her skin tone!

Over all I was happy with the make-up application, everyone loved the eyes! I've popped a picture up of them, all though it doesn't seem to do them justice (they look a lot 'smokier' in person) and with me not being particularly photogenic, it's not a great pic! I've also added a picture of my lovely friend Rachel's final look, which I think turned out really nicely!

Needless to say I came away with a couple of things: Gleam in Aurora, which everyone's been raving about, so there will be a review on that very soon, I've tried it already and I love it!! And the Precision Ink in Scribe (white) which I can't wait to try some speckled eyeliner with. All in all it was a good experience, and if you're thinking of buying something from them anyway it's well worth having a make-over at the same time, as it's effectively free (as long as what you want is around the £30 mark)!

Next stop: MAC!!

 

Anna x