Illamasqua in Bangkok

The first Illamasqua retail space in Asia, the newly-launched Illamasqua counter in Bangkok is a veritable playground for beauty aficionados.

Located at Central Chidlom, a major department store, I was delighted to see it in person last year. I couldn’t help but exclaim intermittently as I took a slew of photos – to his credit, the placid MA who served me wore an inscrutable expression the entire time I was enthusing over seeing the brand in person. :)

The rainbow riot of colours was a joy to see. Makeup styles and preferences in Singapore are less flamboyant than in the Land of Smiles but the explosion of colours spoke to my makeup artist heart.

With their extensive spectrum of colours, the lipsticks and lipglossses are laden with chromatic promise.

I enjoyed gazing at the generous squares of cheek colours, one of the brand’s star products.

Some of them were like pieces of confectionery sitting in their chic see-through compacts…eye candy, really!

The eyeshadows were a visual treat too, though I haven’t veered towards colorful mattes for quite a long time.

It was also good to see options for people with deeper skin tones.

As luck – and beauty-savvy shoppers – would have it, almost everything I’d wanted was sold out, so I only left the counter with one item: Powder Eye Shadow in Incubus, a matte smokey grey, whose finish and charcoal tone jumped out at me amidst the screaming brights of the Illamasqua shadow display. ;)

I wasn’t able to get the prices of all the products in Thai baht but here’s what I managed to glean:

• Lipstick ฿850
  
• Powder Eye Shadow ฿950
• Powder Blusher ฿1150
• Cream Blusher ฿1150
• Sheer Lipgloss ฿850
• Intense Lipgloss ฿1100

They are higher than their native UK prices: For example, the powder eyeshadow is about S$31 (£15.50) in the UK and around S$38 in Bangkok. The blushers are much more expensive, with a markup of about S$10. Do note that the Central chain of stores regularly has shopping discounts, as well as a permanent 5% tourist discount. If you spend above a certain amount, you can also claim the 7% value-added tax/VAT refund (VAT is their equivalent of our goods and services tax/GST). This might take the the edge of the prices.

Alternatively, you could shop online where international shipping is free with purchases above a certain amount. Nothing beats seeing the products in person, though.

Central Chidlom is conveniently located next to Chidlom Station on the BTS train line, a stop away from Siam Station. Besides Illamasqua, you can also find NARS (cheaper in Bangkok than in Singapore) and Suqqu there.

Special thanks to Joey for alerting me to the fact that Illamasqua had opened in Bangkok. :)

ETA: Illamasqua can now be found at Central Ladprao too. Hurray for Illamasqua in Thailand!