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By now you’ll know I am not one to echo the whole Emperor’s Clothes thing when something is unnecessarily hyped up just because the majority say so. Fortunately with Illamasqua, I go all Ron Burgundy and want to ‘shout it from the top of a mountain’. That is pretty much how I feel about their new Gel Sculpt* and Gel Colour*.
These new arrivals are revolutionising our fascination and curiosity with ‘normal’ contouring but what makes it stand apart from its rivals is its formula and method of application. It’s a water-resistant high-pigmented tint in a gel stick that offers subtle definition to cheeks with ease. Firstly there is Silhouette, which looks terrifying in its dark form but actually creates a delicate shadow under cheekbones and along the jawline which can be blended to achieve natural contours.
The finishing touch comes from the Gel Colour in either Charm (soft apricot) or Fluster (a touch of pink). So far, you’re probably thinking this is nothing ground-breaking. There are plenty of other contour and cheek sticks on the market. Ah, not quite. The key is how to use these as Illamasqua’s Creative Director, Alex Box demonstrated when I dropped into Beak Street last week.
The only ‘tools’ you need are your hands. Yeah, that’s right so panic over, you can ditch the brushes and use what God gave you. To be exact it’s the fleshy part under the thumb. Start with adding Gel Sculpt in Silhouette on the palm of your thumb, rub both palms together creating equal amounts of product on the hands, then feel for the cheekbone with the palm of your thumb and place the product under it, pressing and blending. As the product is buildable, I usually go over twice with Silhouette so it shows up on my skin tone. You don’t even need a mirror – just let your hands do the walking.
Follow with the Gel Colour of your choice with exactly the same method except press on the apple of cheeks where you would naturally blush.
Hold up, this video by Illamasqua shows you the technique brilliantly:
The other day, I overslept and consequently was running late for work. I grabbed the gel sculpts and figured I’d deal with finishing off the rest of my face when I got in.
The ease at which these products transformed my bleak looking visage was miraculous. No exaggeration. You can go from natural to sculpted just from building up to the right intensity and coverage is always evenly distributed.
It amazes me we have the best tools literally in our hands but it’s only now the secret has been revealed. I’ve overdone with cream blushers using my fingers and just as much with powdered blushes. With the gel sculpts the transparency of them mimics nature in that you can see your skin through the colour, giving you a fresh and natural look.
I do remember Tonee (one of the educators at Illamasqua’s School of Make-up Artistry) making an interesting remark about contouring at the Skin Sculpting course I attended: it’s about creating the appearance of a shadow; where the light falls on your face is where you want your features to stand out, which is why the colour of your contouring should be a sluggish grey, NOT a contrasting muddy brown. This is exactly the illusion Silhouette creates.
By minimising the time and effort such a skill demands Illamasqua has bridged the gap of contouring with these gel sticks and the prospect is no longer terrifying. There is also no fear on piling on too much product as you’re in complete control and best of all, these shades are complimentary on all skin tones. It’s amazing to know a pale beauty like Kat from Tales of a Pale Face can wear the same shade as I and Silhouette works on her!
Gel Sculpt in Silhouette and Gel Colours in Fluster and Charm are priced at £22 each and available online, on Beak Street and at all Illamasqua stand-alone counters. What are you waiting for?
