More Illamasqua....

So I went to Dublin AGAIN and of course, went to Illamasqua (I get online discount and the exchange rate is bruuutal but I CAN'T HELP MYSELF! Super massive thank you to Illamasqua by the way!) and got the last few bits from "Dystopia" that I needed!
Yes I needed!!
I finally got the Liquid Metal in "Phenomena", I've been SO into getting it, but was worried as I'm not "traditionally" a huge fan of cream products in general.
Lately however, that's all changed!
"Phenomena" is well, phenomenal! The coulour is...amazing! I love Illamasqua for so many reasons but the main reason is the products!The texture is soo nice and it's just so versatile! The scent too is really nice, like vanilla?
I know I'm quite behind on "Dystopia!" products but I've been busy!
The "Pink Smoke" quad is super versatile too, and I thought I wouldn't like it! "Synth" is AMAZING!
I cannot wait to see what Illamasqua bust out for S/S '10! I'm already excited about it.

Was really thrilled to see Mika decked out "Dystopia" style in i-D magazine!
I'm gonna be practising those looks! Hahaha! I can't believe Alex Box did those designs free hand, she's amazing!

www.illamasqua.com
www.illamasqua.blogspot.com

The Fame Monster

Wow, so I'm quite excited as yesterday I got "The Fame Monster" by Lady GaGa and having lived with it for a day (short time I know!), I can say it's fantastic!
Before I go into it, there are a few things that are odd about this release:
Is it actually an album?
Is it a glorified re-release of "The Fame"?
Is it just a very clever stop-gap from the record label?
It's probably one of the above, but to be quite honest, I don't care too much about it being filler when it's this good!
EVERYONE must have heard "Bad Romance" by now? Having had over 20 MILLION views on Youtube in 2 weeks, I'm sure you may have heard it!
Well, the song is somewhat different from GaGa's previous work in that it's (to me anyway) a bit darker (haaate that phrase) and does seem a bit nihilistic, which is interesting as I like seeing that side of her.
The rest of the album (e.p?re-release?!) doesn't necessarily follow suit but there are definitely feelings of isolation and the pain that causes as well as some self concious questioning on tracks like "Alejandro" and "So Happy I Could Die".
"Monster" is great visually and has that kind of sadness that a lot of GaGa's songs seem to have (Papparazzi...) and is SO CATCHY you'll be singing it all day.
"Telephone" with Beyoncé seems almost out of place here mostly because of the kind of daft lyrics. It all just seems a bit "Jumpin' Jumpin" to me, a bit flashy. It will no doubt be everywhere though.
The stand-out for me is "Speechless" which sounds, almost like Queen, that same kind of EPIC songriting.
It's very touching lyrically and really shows off the Ladies voice. I hope she plays this live because even on record it makes me sentimental.
Whether it's an album, a stop-gap or a donkey, it really doesn't matter as "The Fame Monster" showcases some of GaGa's strongest tracks thus far and is, well fantastic!
DEFNIITELY buy this record.
I know a lot of people get annoyed by how much I like GaGa but she's just so unique in an arena full of people like Rihanna and Britney Spears who make music so obvious, so formulaic and so terribly boring!
Her appearance in itself is artistic. Her music, which some would argue is banal, is ludicrously far from as it pushes more boundaries (and buttons) than any other artist out there today.
To be honest, there aren't enough people like her which is a crying shame.

Illamasqua!

Hurray!
Going to Dublin in a few days which means I get to go to Illamasqua!
EEEEEEEK!
Hmm, I really should finish off with the Dystoia collection and get the pink quad.
Hmm though as pink can make me look a bit washed out but perhaps that will be the look I am going for!
Or, I can be truthful and just admit that I want it.
=)
The girls at the counter are soooo lovely and very helpful. Most counters bar MAC tend to try to shoo me away or assume I'm buying for my girlfriend (come onnnn!) so it's nice not to be rushed or ignored.
I really adore Illamasqua as a brand too as they tend to give great feedback to customers and are genuinely excited about the products.
To be honest, if I worked at an Illamasqua counter, I'd probably have to be forced to leave every day!
Can't wait to see the new look website that will apparently be more interactive and have more accurate swatches!
I INSIST you check it out:
www.illamasqua.com

Getting into MAC too to pick up some supplies, including some Pro palettes and maybe a lipgloss or 2 (or 8!).
I've run out of Foolishly Fab again and I love that, it smells so good! Also purple in any shade really works for me especially in lighter tones.
So amazing.

Malachi Marx's book will be shipping in early December too, which is very good to know as I'm quite interested in reading it.
However, I may have to buy it as an e-book as it doesn't look like the site posts internationally.
Bah!

Adam Lambert has been filming a video for his single "For Your Entertainment" I believe which should be great, he's so great visually that I expect big things from any of his work!
Can't wait to get his album of the same name on the 23rd, which is the same day GaGa's "The Fame Monster" comes out.
Big day!

A glitter conundrum and gay for pay...just another day!

Chuh!
So I have had an LG Viewty (KU990) for ages and when I got it, I didn't get the software cd with it, as Meteor (the provider) were apparently very "rushed" with the high demand for the phone.
SO for months my phone has remained un-customised much to my annoyance and general distress.
However, on searching for a download for the pc suite, I found that most people who bought the phone didn't actually get the software at all, which is annoying as searching for a good download has been difficult.
I have found one but from the comments left on the link, it remains to be seen if it actually will work.
Bah!
I just want some ringtones I can change around and stuff.

In other news, I recieved an e-mail the other day telling me that Malachi Marx has written a book detailing his work in the gay porn and escort industries.
It sounds really interesting because he used to be a high fashion model then started doing porn which would have been career death only a few years ago but these days gives people an edgy credibility.
Now, Mr. Marx is straight in his "regular" daily life but has earned a such a huge amount of money from doing the porn/escort thing, that he can retire from it comfortably which is, I suppose in a way, the dream of today.
His book is called Gay4Pay, funnily enough, and I'm looking forward to reading it.
(hmmm...finding a clothed picture of the man in question proved almost difficult!!)

For a long time, I maintained that I didn't like Gosh Cosmetics very much as I thought they weren't of the greatest quality, and were to be quite honest, grossly over priced.
Recently, however, I have been experimenting with some of their products out of some good word of mouth and the fact that teh nearest counter to me is Benefit and well, thats another story.
Richie Nickel in his fabulous videos mentioned the effects powder by Gosh in Holographic Silver being similar to MAC's 3D Silver Glitter, but more finely milled making it easier to work with.
So I tried it out and it is a LOT less chunkie than it's MAC counterpart though not necessarily easier to work with if you work with pigments as much as I do!
I love using in the inner corner of my eye near the tear duct for an amazing light catching glow.
The first pic is the Gosh powder while the second (and scarily huge) pic is the MAC glitter.
I like both a lot but MAC's is a Pro only product and is pricey while Gosh's glitter is available mostly everwhere and retails in Ireland for €10.
Which is grossly overpriced!
=)

Going to Dublin during the week so I'll be dropping into MAC (as they have Pro discount!) and Illamasqua, as I need a fix!

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Intro

So it's about time I started writing about all the things I like as I simply cannot contain myself any longer!
=)
This is basically where I'm going to go to rant about all the things I love and hate and things that interest me.
I am obsessed with music, fashion, make-up, art and a whole pile of other crap so I'll be writing a lot about all of that!
At the moment I am hugely inspired by Francois' Nars and Sagat as they are both incredibly interesting in their own while seeminlgly hugely different, in truth very similar ways.
Both men create fabulous things with their bodies and I completely respect that.
Nars

Sagat
Hmm, they are both amazing.
I'm also HUGELY into MAC's Greaspaint Stick (from Style Black and Dsquared2) right now, so much so that I'll need to buy a back up which is very rare as MAC's stuff lasts so long.
I know everyone and their gran has talked about the stick but I do reeeeally like it especially if you play around with it and other products.
I REALLY want Lip Erase from Dsquared2 in "Dim", I must get it soon as it is usually only available in Pro stores which is fine except my nearest one is in London.
Bah.

I need to go buy Vogue and Dazed And Confused now!

LxK