Sunday 3 July 2011

Illamasqua Skin base Foundation

A couple of weeks ago Illamasqua had a little event to celebrate the launch of their new foundation and I was invited. Sadly at the moment I'm just not up to going to any kind of event  or leaving the house in general :( But the lovely Alex was very understanding when I explained and popped a few samples in the post for me to try.


If you've not heard of it before, Skin Base is Illamasqua's take on a BB cream. BB creams are a product started in Asia that act as a moisturiser, foundation and skincare balm all in one. Usually they contain SPF and whitening ingredients but Illamasqua has removed those.

Illamasqua claims it's Skin Base is 'Easily blendable, it effortlessly creates a perfect complexion, and like the entire Illamasqua foundation range, is undetectable in a professional HD environment. Suitable for all skin types, it smoothes, softens and conditions your skin whilst providing natural, buildable coverage.'
It comes in 18 shades from pure ghost white to a deep chocolate so hopefully there's something to suit everyone :) 

My skintone is very pale and very pink (i don't really know if thats my undertone or overtone or whatever and i think i might have very mild rosacea on the lower part of my cheeks) and it's very hard to find a foundation that really matches me. Usually they're either too dark or too yellow for me. I was sent the shades 02 which is the palest pink toned foundation, 04 which has both pink and yellow undertones (somehow :P) and 05 which is the second lightest pink toned shade.
Here are swatches of them:

02, 04 and 05 swatches heavilly

And blended out.

You can see that 04 and 05 just aren't right for me at all. Claire is quite pale and has more yellow toned skin than me so I've given 04 to her, if it suits her i'll get her to tell me what she thinks. 02 seemed a pretty close match so I have been trying that one. When I first applied it I feared it still wouldn't work for me but once I blended it out it matched me perfectly. Wahey! I've only been using this a few days but I absolutely adore it. 

It blends really easily. In fact while Illamasqua claim this is a medium/heavy coverage foundation, I've found that if I only use a tiny dot of product I can blend it out to give a light, sheer look. However it's really buildable, I can layer a bit more over my facial redness or any blemishes and it disguises them beautifully. The finish is beautiful, it's neither super matte nor dewy or shimmery, it looks just like natural skin. I love this because I have quite nice skin in general and the buildability means I can use a very thin layer over my whole face, letting my freckles and naturally good parts of my skin shine through, and then build it up on places that need more coverage and because of the finish it looks just like I have naturally flawless skin!  It's really easy to apply, I just spread it on with my fingers and it feels really light, I can't really notice it at all once I've put it on.

The longest I've worn this so far is about 8 hours (this is about as long as I ever wear makeup) and it lasted really well. I got a tiny bit of shine on my nose (the only place my face has any oil) but other than that it looked basically the same as when I'd first applied it. Maybe if your skin is naturally a little oily you'll need to powder over the top. The only negative I can think of is that if I have any flaky patches of skin then the foundation does tend to gather there and emphasize it. However after the actual flaky bits of skin had gone away it never emphasized any dry patches of skin. Oh and while it works brilliantly over spots and my redness I can't quite make it cover the blueish circles under my eyes.

Here are some photos of my face au naturale



And now with the Skin Base foundation:





As I've been using it for less than a week I can't really review it for it's skincare benefits. However I swear I've already noticed my skin feeling smoother, softer and with less dry flaky patches. This might of course be coincidental but I haven't changed anything else in my skincare routine (and at the moment my skincare routine consists of removing my makeup with wipes, cleansing and exfoliating about twice a week and moisturising when I remember to. I really need to treat my face better!).

Personally I would love to have some SPF in this product because I am terrible and always forget to put on sunblock (I burn ridiculously easily so I really need a high SPF everyday but I just never remember :( I suck) but I understand why they've removed it. SPF often causes light to act oddly in photoshoots and as Illamasqua like to cater for theatrical use they wanted to get rid of that problem.
They also removed the whitening ingredients so that the formula would be suitable for all skin tones, which I think is great. Most BB creams only seem to come in a few shades, Illamasqua is the first company I've seen that has shades that would cater to dark skinned people (though of course there may well be other companies that do and I just haven't seen them). Also I don't really know if I'd like to use a whitening product myself, I have some discolouration and redness on my face that I'd like to be rid of, but I also have freckles and I love them and don't want them to go anywhere so I don't think I'd better chance them!

So basically I'm in love with this foundation, it's probably the best I've ever tried. I'll definately be buying a full size bottle once I've used up a few other products. When I do end up getting a full bottle I'll do another review!

*I was sent samples for review but all thoughts and opinions are my own. I'm well aware that this review is so incredibly gushing it might as well be another 'Lillian Loves' but honestly this is how I feel about this foundation. I don't want to desperately rack my brain for more negative things to say just for the sake of it. It's a holy-of-holies!*

20 comments:

  1. I have the same problem with everything looking too yellow or too dark. I'll find something light enough and it will be too yellow and vice versa. I'm not sure how easy these are to find in the US but with my terrible luck finding base products to match my face I'm hesitant to buy them online without testing first.

    In the pictures it looks like the color matches your skin really well. Even though you don't even need foundation. You have the most beautiful skin I've ever seen!

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  2. Thanks for the review. 04 just might suit me - do you think it's lighter than Gosh's Xeptional Wear in Porcelain? (it was too dark / oxidized on me)

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  3. You don't even need foundation! Amazing skin!

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  4. Your skin tone is a lot like mine, but less red (I have pretty bad rosacea). The fact that it matches you gives me hope. BB creams are never pale (or pink) enough for me.

    I just hope it's not out of my price range.

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  5. I love how the foundation makes your skin look like a china doll!

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  6. Great review, looks like it gives a lovely natural finish. I've got generally good skin myself so might give this one a go soon :)

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  7. Your skin looks flawless! I've been thinking of trying this one out as Revlon Colourstay is just looking cakey and gross on me lately.

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  8. Oh, crapola, I'm going to have to go and buy this.

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  9. I want to try this for sure... maybe next time they have a sale? Looks amazing.

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  10. It's a lovely match to your skin tone. Good to see a company catering to the fairer-skinned ladies, such as yourself & myself!!

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  11. Your skin looks lovely with it on. I can't wait to try this!

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  12. It looks really good on your skin. I have not heard anyone review this product yet so that was nice. I really appreciate the thorough review and honesty. It was very helpful.

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  13. Can I have a bathtub full of this stuff? You look so good with it on! But why, oh why does Illamasqua have to be out of my price range? T_T

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  14. Jessi M:
    I know Illamasqua is available at Sephora but I don't know when/if they'll have this I'm afraid! Another foundation that works for me (actually it's a tiny bit too pin if anything!) is NYX liquid foundation in LM01 Pale. That might be easier for you to find and give a go :)
    Awww thank you so much! I think it must all be smoke and mirrors though, my skin certainly isn't terrible but it's not amazing!

    mizzworthy:
    Thanks lovely :)

    Anonymous:
    Hmm see I actually can wear GOSH porcelain so I really don't know! It's not at all too dark on me and I've never had a foundation oxidise. Maybe 03 would be better? It's about as pale as 02 only more yellow toned :)

    Lilybeans:
    I agree that generally my skin is nice but I don't like the redness on the lower parts of my cheeks. But thank you so much, you're so sweet!

    Spooki:
    I've never tried any nother BB creams so I'm afraid I couldn't say if this one would be too dark for you, however they have a pure white one too! :D
    It's quite pricey at £25 for a full bottle, but I need such a tiny amount I think it would last a long long time!

    Y:
    Thank you! I love that I can layer it on my red parts and it still shows my freckles and things when I use it sheerly :)

    Jadegrrrl:
    Thank you! It does look really natural to me, but if you've got very good skin then you might not need it. Or only use a very small amount spread out like I do :)

    SilhouetteScreams:
    Thank you! It's awesome stuff. I can't wear Revlon, it's all too dark and yellow toned for me :P

    Robyn:
    Oh no, I'm an enabler! :P

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  15. Ruthy:
    It's really lovely. I'd definately wait for a sale before buying a full bottle though :P

    Mandy:
    I know, Illamasqua are great for light and dark skin tones but for ages I couldn't find a match because everything was too yellow so I'm really glad to have found this! :)

    cinseven13:
    Thank you! Wearing it makes me feel good because it still looks like my skin only a little more flawless :)

    Pang:
    Thank you so much, I'm so happy you liked the post! I think there are some other reviews of it around now.

    Brian, the Viking:
    Thanks lovely! It's way out of my price range too, but I just can't help myself!

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  16. So nice all of these brands are bringing out bb creams! I still wish it had spf in it then it would be perfect; medium coverage with the actual right skin tone for everyone and sun protection. Poopie.

    _M

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  17. Wow, that looks beautiful on you! And very natural, just, like, you, only a bit smoothed out. Gorgeous. I wish it had spf in it, also, but I might have to give it a try nonetheless.

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  18. I was recommended skin base 2+6 however due to the price tag i only got it in 2. I was hoping i could get away with it on its own but it's too pink and ashy on my neutral undertone :(

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  19. OOOH I want to try the white one!!!

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