Illamasqua 'Naked Strangers' Summer Collection 2012

Illamasqua Blush in 'Naked Rose'* £16.50, nail varnish in 'Swinger'* £13.50 and lip gloss in 'Intimacy'* £13

Illamasqua's Summer collection 'Naked Strangers' shocked me, which is something I've gotten used to with Illamasqua. They are always surprising us, but this time it's not with a blue lipstick or a white eye liner, it's with a simple nude collection. I had come to understand that Illamasqua was not the brand to go to if you want a natural looking product, but then this collection comes along and offers some beautiful natural shades. 

I was able to try out a few of the products and I'm really impressed. The blusher in 'Naked Rose' is a gorgeous pink powder blush that applies very matte. It's very pigmented as most Illamasqua products are, so only a little amount of product is needed. This is perfect for Summer if you are someone who doesn't like to glisten like Edward Cullen in the sun. They describe it as a neutral beige brown, which is spot on.

I also tried the nail varnish in 'Swinger' which is a glistening platinum gold. First of all I love the packaging of their nail varnishes... so sleek! The polish applies very thick and can you believe it, only one coat is needed! That's a pretty rare occasion in the nail polish world. It's very gold and shimmery and probably not something I'd wear regularly. I can imagine it looking gorgeous with a tan on holiday in the evening. 

The final product is the 'Intimacy' lip gloss. Intimacy is a nude pink brown and when I saw it in the tube I thought it would be a generic sheer nude lip gloss... I was wrong. This is probably the thickest, most pigmented lip gloss I've ever tried. It literally leaves a gorgeous sparkly nude pink layer on your lips and looks like something JLo would wear. I'm not a massive fan of lipgloss just because of the feeling of it and the stressful hair stuck to your lips in the wind situation. But this is so pretty I will definitely be wearing it this Summer! Oh, and it's not sticky! 

Will you be getting anything from Illamasqua's Summer Collection? 

Lily xx