Illamasqua Art of Darkness - Swatches and Review

Like a lot of other bloggers I was recently invited to attend the Bloggers preview of the new Art of Darkness collection from Illamasqua, but I was unable to attend as I was attending the engagement party of a really good friend. I was pleased then to recieve a parcel from Illamasqua the following week with a few pieces from the collection.

There are two nail varnishes in the collection - Scarab, a red, and Viridian, a shimmery green. I was sent Viridian, and this is a perfect "Beetle green" - the kind of colour you imagine a beetle to look when it catches the light. I'm probably not selling the shade on that description, but this is a beautiful colour.

Viridian is similar to a racing green, but is shot through with blue. On the nails it looks like this;

When it catches the light, the blue tone really stands out, and in close up, it has a lovely microshimmer...

I am a big fan of the formula and finish of the Illamasqua polishes, but I mostly go for creme finishes, so this is something a bit different for me. To me this is a lovely alternative to harsher statement colours like black, and is unusual so will be noticed. Scarab, the red version looks like it has a similar finish, so it's on my list of purchases. 

I was also sent the new lipgloss from the range - an intense gloss in the shade Hermetic. This shade is described on the website as a "deep, wine red". This is a dark and daring but sumptuous shade, and I really like it. It definitely has impact, and in a way it has a 1920's vibe about it which I love - the 20's are my favourite period for makeup looks!

This darkened plum shade has a gold shimmer to it which can be seen in the swatch below...

It also translates well on the lips...

The other lip product in the collection is a navy blue lipstick (Disciple) - a shade I'd love to be brave enough and attractive enough to wear! I might get one for my kit though!

I was also sent one of the two pigments from the collection - Alluvium. There is also a bronze shade called Ore, which looks like a must have;

Alluvium, is a beautiful metallic blue which contains multicoloured fine shimmer particles - I can see gold, red, purple, green and silver reflects in the product.

The pigment give a subtle result when swatched dry;

But when applied wet or over a primer, the richness of the pigmentation and shimmer really stands out;

There are a few other things I hope to pick up from the collection... namely the liquid metal palette, which contains three new shades;

I am also hoping to get the new powdered metal in Ether, as I love the other powdered metals, and this one looks like a fab gold highlighter...

I've reviewed the new liners from the range in a separate post which you can find HERE.

Will you be picking anything up from the new collection?