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Hello, dear readers!

I’m back from vacay at Disney World but am in the throes of moving to a new place. Moving stinks but where I’m moving to is just amazing. Plus I’ve got a great garden view right where my blogging ‘workshop’ will be.

Anyways, this past weekend I was at Sephora in the Willow Grove Mall and happened to notice the new nail bar. Why is this nail bar so exciting? Because the top row of polishes was all Illamasqua! ::makeup addict squeal::

Illamasqua polishes line the top row of Sephora's new Nail Bar like tropical Skittles

DISCLOSURE > I own stock in LVMH which is the parent company of Sephora and Dior.

There are very few Sephora stores that carry Illamasqua. For me the only two I know of are in King of Prussia, PA (which I frequent) and 5th Avenue in NYC. Illamasqua is my favorite nail polish in the $12 – $16 price range and the fact that it is available in a Sephora closer to me in location is an excellent bonus. No more motoring to the KoP mall or waiting for the order from Sephora or overseas directly from Illamasqua.

And look what was on the Illamasqua row? Nail Varnish shades in Nomad and Stance from Human Fundamentalism.

Speaking of Sephora, has anyone seen the Human Fundamentalism nail polishes in stores yet? I lucked out and found Nomad and Stance among the polishes at the Nail Bar and yes, pickings were very slim for these two shades.

2nd row is all Dior polishes while the 3rd row is all Julep polishes.

Nicely ensconced in the second and third rows of the Nail Bar display were Dior and Julep polishes. Dior polishes are an indulgence I’ve recently gotten into as I adore the long-wearing formula of the nail polish and the sophisicated yet edgy chic of the color palette. Julep is a brand I’ve heard very good things about but haven’t tried as yet. From what I saw in the display, Julep has a color palette very similar and ‘out there’ like Illamasqua. Julep polishes are definitely on my ‘must try’ nail polish list.

Bottom rows: SpaRitual polishes!!! Love these!

Just when I thought the Nail Bar couldn’t offer any more goodness, what do my eyes spy? A whole slew of SpaRitual polishes! I was introduced this wonderful brand when I got a manicure at Disney’s Grand Floridian Spa. The innovative rubber cap aside, the color palette is very diverse, exciting and the formula is one of the smoothest I have ever used at around a $10 price point polish. Previously I could only get SpaRitual at Disney World or from etailers such as Beauty.com and SkinStore.com. I’m so glad Sephora is now stocking their shelves with a sampling this wonderful brand.

From what I hear these are gradually rolling out to some Sephora stores so keep an eye out. Nail Polish is getting bigger and bigger in the beauty biz so I’m very pleased to see all of these great brands in one place. If a nail bar isn’t in your local Sephora (and I don’t believe Sephora @JCPenney will be getting them at this time) ask when it’s coming.

So who’s excited?

Yes, fellow makeup addicts, Illamasqua, the edgy cosmetics house which sponsors your ‘alter ego’, has rolled out a collection that is truly spectacular for Spring/Summer 2012.

Stunning photography to herald Illamasqua's Human Fundamentalism Spring/Summer 2012 collection. This is what my Alter Ego would look like.

Following on the heels of the equally-stunning Theatre of the Nameless Autumn/Winter 2011 collection, the Spring/Summer 2012 Human Fundamentalism collection is scheduled to launch at Illamasqua.com on 15 March 2012 and on Sephora.com on 20 March 2012. Would you like to know more? Of course you do…and Illamasqua is happy to oblige with an explanation of concept of this collection:

Get ready for a startling celebration of humanity’s connection with colour. Introducing the Human Fundamentalism collection, where blinding flashes of pigment provide a sharp contrast to neutral tones, creating a saturated palette that catapults your alter ego to new levels of self-expression. Mix contrasting textures to express your true self, spiraling from rich metallic to pale matt shades. This is nonconformity at its most fundamental. At its unpredictable best. — Illamasqua

Illamasqua's Human Fundamentalism Spring/Summer 2012 collection

This extensive collection is a stunning mix of bolds and neutral colors to use in whatever combination suits you. My eye is totally drawn to the neutral 4-color eye shadow palette and the teal and yellow eye shadow singles. The nail polishes look nice and definitely look dupeable but what isn’t dupeable is Illamasqua’s amazing nail polish formula. I’ll definitely be hauling the polishes as soon as I get the eye shadows.

Just so you know, the teal lipstick is an EU (European Union) only product. That means it can only be sold in the EU. No they cannot ship it to you if you live outside the EU. Yes, I have asked Illamasqua.

My haul picks from this collection

A few bloggers were lucky enough to get a first look at the items from this collection. Check out the swag photos here, here, and especially here.

Illamasqua is one of my favorite cosmetic brands due to their attitude, diversity of colors and textures, and the artistry of their collections and photography. In my opinion this is their best campaign to date and another quote about this collection sums it all up for me:

Human Fundamentalism is an explosion of your alter ego. It’s becoming who you are and not who you’re told to be. Beauty isn’t conformity, but the fundamental human desire to express your inner self on the outside. To rise above mainstream limitations and exist in a world where individuality is received with celebration not derision, and breaking the mould is a sign of strength not instability. We stand for freedom of expression, embracing our glorious imperfections and showing the world we’re not ordinary but extraordinary, even if society refuses to accept it. We’re beyond conformity. Beyond control. Beyond hiding who we really are. We are not a religion, but the singular opposite. We are Illamasqua.

Werd.

And with that, enjoy the promo photo picspam and let your ‘alter ego’ set up her shopping list from this collection.