Hot In The City

Hot In The City..

Urban Decay have something of a reputation when it comes to cosmetics for the eyes. Indeed, one of the first eye shadows I ever bought was a black glitter Urban Decay shade (purchased from the now defunct Boots Pure Beauty). As a fashion and beauty obsessed teen at the tail end of the 90's, it was all about Hard Candy and Urban Decay.

Though Hard Candy (and their uber-cute jelly rings) have since disappeared across the pond back to the US, Urban Decay has continued to produce cult cosmetics in their signature rainbow hues and dazzling pigments. Whether it's their top-selling Primer Potion for the eyes or "must have" Book Of Shadows eye shadow palettes, this brand knows a thing or two about retailing eye-watering colours at non-eye-watering prices.

In these economically austere times, quality and value for money reign supreme. So when my beauty spies told me about the Urban Decay 15-Year Anniversary 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil Set (exclusive to www.debenahms.com), It was hard not to get a little excited. With 15 awesome shades to choose from (one for each of the brand's fabulous 15 years), there really is a shade for every look - definitely a must have for all beauty junkies. Classic shades such as Zero, Bourbon and Electric come as standard in this essential box set, together with new additions such as Asphyxia, Stray Dog and Perversion (a blacker-than-Zero black). The box and each pencil is stamped UD15 in honour of the brand's birthday and there's even a sharpener included for ease of use.

The Urban Decay 15-Year Anniversary 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil Set is priced at £60, available exclusively from the Debenhams website until February 11th 2011.

www.debenhams.com

A Life Less Ordinary

A Life Less Ordinary..

While we're all familiar with amnesties on everything from firearms to weapons and used syringes, amnesties on make-up are as far as I'm aware, previously uncharted territory within the world of contemporary beauty. Granted, it's unlikely that the use of every-day cosmetics could lead to fatalities in the same way as the aforementioned weapons or drugs paraphernalia (with extreme allergies being a notable exception). On the contrary - we've come a long way since the ancient Egyptians applied mercury-derived powder to their faces. Furthermore, the fashion for arsenic face powder (thankfully) died with the Elizabethans. So with all this in mind, who would want to call for an amnesty on make-up and for what purpose? Illamasqua, the cutting-edge contemporary make-up brand "for your alter ego" is about to send seismic waves through the beauty world with their inspired "Make-Up Amnesty". Running from the 17th-31st July 2010, the brand are calling on all beauty consumers to "ditch the make-up drudgery and embrace the extraordinary". Take your old make-up products to any of the participating Illamasqua counters and invest in some of their signature densely pigmented products, available in shades and textures as vivid as the wildest of imaginations. It doesn't matter whether your old mascara has dried up, or if your blusher compact is crumbling beyond recognition - take your make-up "mistakes" to the participating Illamasqua counters and their artists will not only assist you in replacing them with superior (and infinitely more exciting) products, but you'll also receive a complimentary 25% discount on your new purchases. So whether you want to trade in your lackluster "beauty don'ts" for dramatic false lashes, a photo-perfect foundation, a cult liquid metal, vibrant nail colour or hyper-pigmented product for the eyes, lips or face, now is your chance to clear out those make-up bags of all things dull and invest in the products that will help to unleash the "real you". So whether your alter ego is a goth, vamp, rock star, punk, cyborg or fairy, start trading in the dull and invest in something daring. After all, who dares wins.

The Illamasqua Make-Up Amnesty runs from 17th-31st July 2010 and is available at:

Selfridges Oxford Street, Trafford Centre, Birmingham Bullring, Fenwick Newcastle, BT2 Grafton Street Dublin, Debenhams Glasgow, Belfast and Cardiff.

(This amnesty does not apply to the Illamasqua online shop)

www.illamasqua.com