First, the brand offers an impressive 50-shade range that accounts for both skin tone and undertone to help you find the perfect color match. Instead of leaving it 100 percent up to you to guess which shade to buy, though, you take a quick online quiz. The "WOW!" factor here is not to be underestimated. A lot of folks who try the foundation are skeptical the quiz will accurately guess, but the right shade typically does end up on your door.
Second, the innovative formulation delivers medium to high coverage but without the heavy cake. The ultra-fluid texture claims to offer a blendable, lightweight, "second skin" foundation. It's also infused with light-diffusing particles to better conceal imperfections.
Image courtesy of Wendy Rose Gould
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It's Here!
It took around a week for my Il Makiage delivery to arrive after taking the online quiz. The next morning, instead of opting for my usual BB cream, I decided to give it a try. This picture is my makeup-free "before." Before applying the foundation, I followed my usual skin care regimen for my dry skin type, which involved a hydrating toner, hyaluronic acid, a vitamin C serum, a lightweight cream, and my sunscreen.
Image courtesy of Wendy Rose Gould
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Trying it On
I applied my Il Makiage foundation with clean fingers and then went in with a dampened BeautyBlender to make sure everything was blended well. The texture is slightly heavier than my favorite BB cream, but it still went on very thin. The color match was perfect, and the foundation did a great job of covering up areas of redness, which you can see from this "after" picture.
One small complaint about the product is that it seemed to exacerbate some of my drier areas — like my nose and chin — which you can also see from the picture. I live in a very hot, dry climate and my skin type leans dry anyway, so super hydrating products are a must for me. It probably wasn't something that other people would notice, but I do want to include that here in this review for my fellow dry-skinned friends.
Image courtesy of Wendy Rose Gould
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A Full Face of Makeup
Of course, I also wanted to see how the foundation looked and held up under the rest of my "no makeup makeup" I've been sporting these days. In this picture, I'm wearing Anastasia Beverly Hills Lash Brag Volumizing Mascara, $25, Onomie Boosting Lip + Cheek, $30, in Cruz, and Il Makiage Rave, $22, in Playa. All in all, I think it looks pretty natural — definitely not like the cakey texture I always try to avoid.
Image courtesy of Wendy Rose Gould
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My Final Thoughts
If you're on the prowl for a new, medium to high coverage foundation in a shade that truly matches your own, I 100 percent recommend Il Makiage. Because it's not as hydrating as some foundations, I recommend doing a gentle exfoliation treatment before applying and opting for skin care products that are extra moisturizing. I have already worn the foundation a handful of times, and it'll be my go-to for days when I want more coverage than what a traditional BB cream or tinted moisturizer can offer.
