Generally I love Ilia’s products but this one wasn’t for me. I tried it several different ways daily for 1.5 weeks. I tried it on my bare face, I tried it after prepping my skin really well, I tried it with primer underneath, I tried it with sunscreen underneath, I tried it as a spot concealer, and as a foundation. Despite how I applied it directly to skin, with a sponge, with a brush, it never quite performed (in a long term sense) the way I wanted.
Shade: I received the shade 12N Sycamore; it’s not quite my right shade, but I can make it work.
Experience: It feels a bit chalky. It doesn’t absorb into the skin so much as it stays on top. It doesn’t look bad though after the initial application. The formulation gives you a realistically matte finish. I didn’t find that there was any separation or reaction with my skincare products.
Typically I prefer my foundation to be sheer coverage so my freckles are still visible. This was able to provide the sheer coverage I am looking for.
The challenges I experience were that I found the product tended to settle into my lines (for context I am 28 years old). Areas where I have dimples or smile crinkles tended to become more pronounced because they product would sink into those place. Ultimately this is what led me to not enjoy the experience so much.
On the plus side, I do think the initial application is lovely. The product on the skin looks amazing at golden hour. It’s really only the settling that I didn’t enjoy (which with…