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Illamasqua Sculpting Palette Review

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After seeing the launch of the new Illamasqua collection, Dusk, I was really intrigued by the addition of the Sculpting Palette. A palette which contains ’six versatile powder shades which work in harmony to contour and highlight. From champagne shimmer to matte light peach, ash taupe and deep coffee, the range of shades and textures allow you to shape and define your features to perfection.’

Being a former employee of Illamasqua, I know full well that the company isn’t telling fibs when they rave about the high pigment of their products. A little goes a long way at Illamasqua which means that not only do you get a great colour payoff on products, but that you also get a lot of bang for your buck in terms of how long a product will last.

I’d been searching for a highlight and contour palette for a while, and after considering Anastasia Beverly Hills and Kat Von D, I was happy to come across this one much closer to home. So of course, I hit the order button and checked it out immediately.

The palette arrived a few days later in the customary sleek, black Illamasqua packaging and I couldn’t wait to open it up and try it out. Even my mum and dad sat curiously looking on as I tore into the package and shouted ‘LOOK AT THAT! JUST LOOK AT THAT! BEAUTIFUL!’

So, here is my Illamasqua Sculpting Palette review broken down into a few sections…

Packaging
I love the sleek packaging design and the palette is actually larger than I expected which is a pleasant surprise. The palette comes with a mirror for handy on-the-go touch-ups which I also really like.

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Colours
The palette comes with six different powder colours: Rush, Cirrus, Heroine, Nimbus, Steal and Create.

Cirrus is great for adding light back into the face – think of the brightening Kim K look – and Rush is gorgeous for adding a beautiful champagne shimmer to the high points of the face and illuminating.

For my fair skin tone, Heroine is the perfect contour shade to add that natural definition to cheekbones, I also loved warming this up with a touch of Steal over the contour and just above my temples.

The powders are buttery smooth when blending them in and work into the skin beautifully. There does seem to be a lot of fall out from the brush gliding over the powders on the palette, but I would expect this to a certain extent considering how silky the powder feels when you touch it, but the fall out doesn’t transfer onto the face as you apply the product.

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Price
The palette retails at £44 which I think is more than reasonable – considering that an eye shadow costs £16.50 for 2g. Here you are getting six 3g shades for £44 which works out at just over £7 per shade.

Overall
I’m really impressed with this sleek little palette and I’m pleased that I decided to make that impulse purchase without trying it out in store first. In fact, I’m that impressed that I’ll be re-purchasing this for my own makeup bag as it’s just too heartbreaking to see it be put away into my kit solely for use on my clients! Great for makeup artists and makeup lovers alike – I also think that this would make a cherished gift.

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Illamasqua Artists tip
‘Apply Cirrus to the highest points of the face to subtly highlight features…create an under-shadow by applying Nimbus to the hollow of the cheek and down the sides of the nose. Follow by blending Heroine (light to medium skin-tones) or Create (medium to deep skin-tones) over the under-shadow created with Nimbus for a more realistic finish. Achieve a cooler tone to your contour by mixing in Nimbus; or create a warmer effect by mixing in Steal. Illuminate your highlighted areas by layering Rush down the bridge of the nose, and above the cheekbones, blending towards the hairline.’

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© This post is copyright of Rachael Divers 2015.

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