Review and Swatches: Illamasqua Toxic Nature Cream Pigments, Sheer Lipgloss, and Nail Varnish

"In retaliation against the genetically modified society that plunders it, the landscape has issued forth a torrent of hybrid shades. Corrupted hues glister amongst muted tones - extreme, intoxicating versions of their original selves.
This is an atomic-botanical environment where survival is key and camoflague by colour is the path to existence.
We scoured the abandoned toxic wastelands of the world to create an eclectic selection of corrupted hues for the eyes, lips, nails, face and body. Flitting effortlessly from poisonous pastel to hazardous neon, this cataclysmic mix of brave new tones take your look to the outer limits of nature's palette.
Become a herald of the new age of Toxic Nature with uncharted night-time make-up".

Image source: Google

Back in March, Illamasqua introduced their new Spring/Summer collection, whose name says much about the shades of choice: Toxic Nature.

As usual, the promo imagery was pure art - everytime they put a new collection out you think you've seen the best, but it will surprise you how creative they can be. By far, along with Art of Darkness, this is my fave.
Here is a taste (and for further images, just click on www.illamasqua.com):

Image source: Temptalia

The main feature of this collection is undoubtedly the new Cream Pigments (£ 17,00), a way better version of their past cream eyeshadows (which I own, but could never use if not as a liner because they used to crease ridiculously).
This is what they say about them:

"Six neo-toxic colour mutations create the ultimate in textures on your face, eyes, lips or body. Apply with an Illamasqua brush or simply use your fingers for a buildable, water resistant, highly pigmented finish. Layer under Powder Eye Shadow and Pure Pigments for intensity".
Alex Box, Creative Director of Illamasqua, adds that Cream Pigments are "super-blendable, they can be pressed and blended into skin or slicked on for graphic shapes. Education is the key to pigments. Once you have learnt how to master them, you can control their impact".

What do I think? 
Illamasqua's Cream Pigments are the ultimate versatile product. At least 3 out of the 6 shades in the range can be worn on eyes, lips and face without making you look like a clown.
It is really true that they are super-blendable both with brushes or fingers. It is also true that they have a matt and highly pigmented finish. It is amazing how much of a color pay-off you can get by simply dabbing your finger once. They can make great bases on both eyes and lips for other colors, although I am really loving them on their own for now.
As for the water-resistant claim, I can confirm.
One thing that has surprised me a bit is that one year ago, when I was talking to Alex about their past cream eyeshadows, she told me that they were being discontinued because Illamasqua wanted to put out a new product that didn't crease. Fortunately, there is no such claim as "creaseless pigments" in their description, because that isn't the case.
In fact, I noticed that some shades do crease, some others stay put all day. Emerge, a beautiful peach tone, creases like crazy if you don't put a layer of powder onto it. Delirium, on the other hand stays perfectly put even in high humidity and on my oily eyelid. So, like Alex Box said: education is the key. You need to know which of the shades crease on the eyes, and which ones do not. You have to know what you want to do with your Cream Pigments.
One by one, I will tell you my experience and thoughts of the 3 pigments I own:

Emerge: Matt peach that brightens everything up, even under eye shadows. Used on the lids, it provides a neutral chich wash (at least, on my skin tone) of color, used under the eyes, it acts as a color correcting concealer (and it does conceal), but you can also use it as a highlighter on olive skins (or a subtle blusher on very pale skin tones), or as a nude lipstick (alternatively, you can blend it along your outer lips to make them look fuller). This one creases a lot on oily eyelids if you don't use a powder over it.

Dab: a gentle lilac for any season and acts as a great base for blue/indigo/purple powder eyeshadows. For the brave people out there, it can also be used on the lips for a 60's look. Duration: medium. It tends to crease after some hours

Delirium: my favorite! A gorgeous rose taupe shade. It is fantastic on the eyes, on the lips, on the cheeks (paired with red lipstick for an 80's glam look), and as a contour cream. I use it EVERYDAY as a contour cream and think it's the best I've ever tried. A matt contour product is not so easy to find. Duration: great! On me, it stays put for hours and hours.

I was also provided with an artist's palette, so that I can experiment with mixing and matching them, so do expect some experiments from me sooner or later (the palette is also great for mixing foundations, by the way).

There are also two Sheer Lipglosses in the collection, I was sent the the deep fuchsia pink one, called Divine (£13,00).
Super glossy with a hint of color, this is just how I like my lipglosses. Plus, this is non-sticky! Two thumbs up. It looks scary in the tube (although I couldn't make it and photograph its neon color), but it is really cute and sheer on the lips. You'll see the swatches when (and if) you get to the end of this review.

The last product I had the chance to try is their Nail Varnish in Gamma (£ 13,50). I've already reviewed their nail polishes in the past, so I'll spare you some lines (eheh...). However, I must say I am not a fan of neon colors on the nails. I am just not the type. There are some cute varnishes in the collection (think Bacterium, Stagnate and Purity), though.

Now, if you have actually made it til the end of this long, long, très long review...

...here are some swatches!

natural light

with flash

Just remember: "water-resistant" does not mean "creaseless".

*Disclaimer: all products in this post were provided by the company for reviewing purposes*