There seems to be so much talk of the upcoming Art of Darkness collection by Illamasqua and I have to say the collection looks very inspiring and creative, especially the promo images and all the different characters. My favourite being the Queen of the Gypsies. 

So alluring and quite sultry, my main attraction being the gilded skin and the almost venomous red lips. Also a look that that be translated into something quite sexy for A/W. 

However at first glance of the lovely Hermetric Intense lipgloss I knew I had a shade very similar in the form of a NYX Chrome Eyeshadow pigment as it really has that metallic element and richness to it, that I knew would be perfect. 

Now the Illamasqua Intense lipgloss' at £12.50 aren't that pricey really...however I know Hermetric isn't a shade I wouldn't be wearing that often as I am not that daring and of course £2.99 for a 2g eyeshadow that has a multitude of uses sounds alot better to me! Also having the added benefit of only mixing the lipgloss together when desired or making up a small pot of it.

As you can see the shade I mixed up isn't spot on but it does have the same qualities of the Hermetric Lipgloss, but to be honest I quite like my lighter version of it as it's that bit more wearable. However if you did want it even more similar you could always add the smallest amount of black pigment when mixing. 

The actual eyeshadow I used was the NYX Chrome Eyeshadow in Penny (17) which you can purchase from Fragrance Direct for £2.99. I have found these types of eyeshadows so so versatile - you can just use them as intended as an eyeshadow, you can apply them with a damp brush for a more intense look, you can use them as eyeliner, nail polish and ofcourse lipgloss. 
Your options are endless! 

So to mix the lipgloss, I simply use the back of my hand to work on (make sure you have some makeup remover to hand though). 
The bottom swatch is what the eyeshadow normally looks like if you are wondering. A really nice red/rusty metallic shade. 

Anyway, I first apply enough clear lipgloss on the back of the hand, I find only a small blob is actually enough and makes the lipgloss easier to apply, especially with it being a darker shade than most glossies. I then scoop up a generous amount of the eyeshadow and place it next to the clear gloss. The amount doesn't really matter as once you have mixed what you need to, you can just shake of the rest of the loose eyeshadow into a tissue or the sink. 

I then get onto mixing it - I just use a standard lip brush to pat the colour into the lipgloss and within seconds it will be looking as you wanted it to look. Really simple. 
Then you can just apply this to the lips. 
Ofcourse this all can be done in a little sample pot if you wanted more than just one application of it.

I also before applying the lipgloss lined my lips with a deep red lip liner just to give a sharper edge, I wouldn't normally do this with lipgloss however it is such a vivid colour that I thought it need to look that bit cleaner on the lips. 

Also as I mentioned before you can always deepened the shade with a darker pigment - here I just used a black pigment from Stargazer, again it cost me no more than £3.00.
However I wasn't feeling brave enough to show you all and to be honest I don't think I can pull a shade like that off! 

Really hoped you liked this as I know it's something that bit different for my blog. 
As always comments are appreciated!