Illamasqua Queen of the Night Pure Pigment (With Added Dupe!)

Why you might ask am I bothering to review a product that was ltd edition and sold out months ago? Partly because the packaging fail will apply to all of their pigments and partly because I might have an answer for you if you missed out on this but want something similar. This was released as part of a gift set with the Freak fragrance before Christmas. Ordinarily the Pure Pigments can be bought individually at £15.50 for 1.3g of product.

Firstly the packaging. Looks good doesn’t it? Well it’s crap. Sorry Illamasqua but prising the lid off with my pathetic nails is no fun and once you get in there that little hole to let the product through manages to be both inefficient and messy at the same time.

The shade itself it lovely though. It’s a deep black base with burgundy/ purple sparkles in it. Like all loose pigments it benefits from a sticky base and I would apply your foundation after applying this due to inevitable fall out. It is very, very pretty.

And the alleged dupe? Barry M Dazzle Dust in Shade 102. The base is slightly more black and the shimmer slightly more fuchsia but it gives a very similar look on the eye. Plus I find it sticks to the skin a little better. Oh and it costs £4.59, and it’s not limited edition. Ok so it’s not an exact dupe but it is a viable alternative! The Swatch shows Barry M 102 on top with Queen of the Night underneath.