Illamasqua #Creators Collection

Back in November 2011, I received an intriguing email from Alex Cummins from Illamasqua, which asked if I would be interested in working on a project with the brand. Not much was given away and it wasn’t until I’d confirmed my interest, that the plan was revealed. I was to be one of four people chosen to create a product for its first blogger collection.

Illamasqua are a brand who in its first five years have received huge support aided by the influence of beauty bloggers and social media alike, and wanted to celebrate their success with an online partnership. The #Creators collection not only celebrates an amazing five years for a unique brand who have pushed through a  message which thorougly encourages self expression and acceptance but also the bond formed between brand and blogger.

Now I didn’t embark on this journey on my own. I had the pleasure of working with fellow social media contributors, and they are:

Our intial brief was Dark Stars (which the four of us came to be known as) and Unknown Galaxies. My assigned product was a nail polish. Me? Create a nail polish? To go on sale? OMG What would nail bloggers think of it? The pressure was on! It was a lot to take in but I felt hugely honoured to have been chosen and was determined to do the best I could.

We only had two attempts to get our shades right so collecting swatches, colours, photos and whatever else we could find which best represented our ideas was a challenge. I wanted my create a shade which reflected my vision of the galaxy – dark, intense adn mysterious, with the magic of the stars shining through.

Fittingly, I named my nail polish Fusion. Fusion is a glossy blackened metallic, inflused with gold glitter. A fellow blogger described it to me as “black diamonds”, which sounded pretty cool. Smooth to apply and opaque in one coat. It changes colour depending on the light you’re in.

And here it is:

I’ve had the pleasure of working with some great people and after a lengthy process of meetings, brainstorming, factory sample scrutinising and photoshoots – we’re finally here! I’m very proud to be a #Creator, and part of the first product design collaboration, that a British brand has done with bloggers. Hands down this is by far, my proudest moment and greatest achievement in the 4.5 years I’ve been blogging.

I didn’t realise how much work goes into creating our favourite cosmetic products. Having an idea of what you want a product to look like is one thing, but translating your ideas to a team in a factory, who you will hope will blend your creation to perfection is nerve wracking to say the least.

Fusion and the rest of the limited edition collection is available for sale on Monday 7 October from Illamasqua.com.

Let me know what you think!