(Image credit: Who What Wear UK)
If you were to ask a group of beauty editors to name their favourite dewy foundation, I’d be willing to bet that many would say Ilia’s Super Serum Skin Tint. It’s no ordinary skin tint—Ilia has mastered the ultimate formula that combines skincare ingredients with lightweight ‘your skin, but better’ coverage which has everyone who tries it (including me) hooked. I’m now on my third bottle and don’t ever intend to stop using it.
Ilia’s founder, Sasha Plavsic, developed the brand after questioning the ingredients in her lip balm. There were limited ‘natural’ makeup brands around, and the ones that were limited by performance, shade range and packaging, which led to her building the brand. Across all of the Ilia’s products you’ll find the fusion of natural and synthetic ingredients (“Not every natural ingredient is good for the skin, nor is every synthetic bad,” Plavsic says), coupled with extensive shade ranges and very chic packaging. It’s vegan and cruelty-free, as well as being sustainably conscious, too.
Seeing as I count the skin tint amongst my all-time favourite products, it only felt right to explore more of Ilia’s best makeup icons. I tried some of the Ilia’s best-sellers, as well as it’s unsung heroes, and I’ve shared my honest thoughts below. Scroll ahead my my verdict on the best Ilia makeup products that are worth your attention and money.
The Best Ilia Beauty Products
(Image credit: @eleanorvousden for Who What Wear UK)
1. Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 30
(Image credit: @eleanorvousden for Who What Wear UK)
Ilia
Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 30
If you only try one product from Ilia, make it this. I get compliments on my skin whenever I wear it thanks to the dewy glow it imparts to my skin, all while evening out my complexion without looking like I’m wearing makeup at all. It has a serum-like consistency that melts into the skin—it really does feel like you’re applying skincare—delivering sheer, lightweight coverage. I have sensitive and acne-prone combination skin and I love the way it looks on my skin, although if you prefer a matte finish (or more coverage) you may prefer the new complexion stick below.
The skin tint has the added bonus of SPF 30, and it also contains niacinamide to smooth skin texture, as well as hydrating hyaluronic acid and squalane to plump and nourish the skin. I really notice a difference in my skin after wearing this for a few consecutive days. It comes in 30 shades and for reference, I wear the shade Bom Bom.
2. Ilia Skin Rewind Complexion Stick
Ilia
Skin Rewind Complexion Stick
Ilia’s latest launch is this wonderful complexion stick. This offers more coverage than the skin tint along with a matte finish. That’s not to say it’s heavy or chalky like some foundation sticks, however. The Skin Rewind Complexion Stick glides onto the skin with a creamy formula and easy to blend with your brush or fingers (I prefer the latter).
It feels very weightless and because of its radiant matte finish, I can see myself reaching for this a lot on the summer months when I tend to get more oily around my T-zone. If you have very dry skin or favour a dewy finish, however, you’ll get on better with the skin tint above, but this does have plenty of skin nourishing ingredients, including ceramides to support the skin barrier. I love that you can build this up without it going cakey. In fact, I’ve been using it to spot-conceal blemish and acne scarring because the coverage is great, and it has a soft-focus finish on pores.
3. Ilia Limitless Mascara
Ilia
Limitless Lash Mascara
Incredibly, this mascara is made of 99% naturally-derived ingredients. I remember being sceptical the first time I tried it a few years ago. Can a natural mascara really be that good? It turns out it can. I struggle to get long-lasting hold and curl with my straight lashes and this manages to keep them standing to attention all day. The brush is particularly great. It’s dual ended, with shorter comb-like bristles on one side to add volume and curl, and longer bristles on the other side to stretch lashes to their full lengthening potential while leaving them fanned out. It doesn’t crumble or flake throughout the day and when you’re ready to remove it, it comes off with water.
4. Ilia Multistick
Firstly, how adorable is this? The Multi Stick has been designed to be used anywhere you like, whether it be patted onto the lips, swiped on the cheeks or even on the eyes, and it’s dinky enough to easily be thrown in your bag. They come in two finishes, natural and luminous, with the former coming in array of blush tones and the latter having a pearl finish that works well as a highlighter. I tried the shade At Last, a mauve rose shade which I’ve been wearing on my cheeks and lips on repeat. It has a radiant finish that isn’t overly dewy, meaning you get some decent staying powder.
5. Ilia True Skin Serum Concealer
Ilia
True Skin Serum Concealer
I had high hopes for the concealer judging by how great Ilia’s other base products are, and this one doesn’t miss either. It’s a creamy formula that melts into the skin to deliver a radiant finish that sits somewhere between dewy and matte. It has a soft-focus, radiant finish that doesn’t slip and slide around the skin yet isn’t drying, making it great for adding brightness around the under eye to concealing redness and blemishes. It has a lightweight finish that delivers a medium coverage that is buildable without going cakey. It also contains vitamin C, maastic, and albizia julibrissin bark extract which work in tandem to help even the skin tone as you wear it.
6. Ilia Liquid Powder Eye Tint
Ilia
Liquid Powder Eye Tint
I love the idea of having a couple of individual eyeshadows—rather than a whole palette filled with inevitable duds—and these Ilia ones come in so many flattering shades to choose from, from matte to shimmer. They’re really easy to use. Simply swipe the cream onto the lids and blend with a brush or your fingers. You have a few seconds to work with before they dry down to a matte finish. I would advise doing one eye at a time so you can blend it out to your desired intensity. I tried the shade Tannin, a warm brown which I’ve found myself reaching for. For daytime I do a sheer application, and for the evening I like to layer two coats for a bolder look which I find is more long lasting.
7. Ilia Color Haze
This is another multi purpose pigment that you can use on lips and cheeks. The texture is different from the Multistick, which has a more buttery texture and a dewy finish. Color Haze has a mousse formula and matte finish, so it really comes down to your preference on dewy versus matte. On the lips, Color Haze results in a soft, blurred matte finish that feels very Parisian. On cheeks, it gives a very pigmented veil of colour. I have dry lips, so I personally favour the Multistick, but this one does have better staying power.
8. Ilia In Full Micro-Tip Brow Pencil
Ilia
In Full Micro-Tip Brow Pencil
I’ll be honest. The first time I originally tried this the formula seemed quite dry and the spoolie end of the brush fell off after a couple of uses, so I was quick to disregard it. I may have had an unlucky sample, however as having had the opportunity to try it again, I take it all back. This time round, found the pencil glided nicely to fill in the sparser areas of my eyebrows, and it lasted really well throughout the day without smudging for fading. The shade range is also very inclusive. Consider me converted.
9. Ilia In Frame Brow Gel
I always *think* I’ve found my holy grail brow gel, but they either end up being a total flop with their promises on hold, or ultimately go weirdly flakey halfway through the day. I’m happy to report this does neither. It holds brows in place nicely. I will note that it does make your brows feel a little bit stiff, but you can’t tell this from looking at them alone—they do look like they’re naturally groomed into place. Amazingly, it held my brows in place all day long and didn’t go crumbly or crusty throughout the day. I’m impressed.
10. Ilia The Base Face Milk
Ilia advise using this as skincare preparation for its complexion products. This ‘face milk’ is similar to an essence to deliver hydration and also help to even the skin tone and strengthen the skin barrier as you wear. If you have dry skin you can layer it underneath a moisturiser, or wear it alone if you have combination to oily skin. I found it to be really softening and soothing, as well as being great makeup prep as it sinks in so quickly and provides a great base for whatever you’re applying on top. Ingredients-wise, you’ll find hydrating hyalruonic acid, barrier-boosting lipids and fatty acids, as well as microalgae extract and prickly pear flower extract for more luminous skin.
11. Ilia C Beyond Triple Serum SPF 30
Ilia Beauty
C Beyond Triple Serum SPF 30
I did wince at the price tag with this one, as it’s a fair bit more than what I’d want to spend on an SPF. That being said, I really love it. Think of this as a serum with the added benefit of SPF a sheer tint. It really is a light veil of colour, so it won’t provide enough coverage to cover acne scarring, but it will even out the skin while delivering a healthy and dewy glow. It’s a nice way to streamline your routine when you just want a touch of colour on your skin. I love the added benefit of niacinamide and vitamin C which help to leave the skin looking radiant and glowy. It’s worth noting that it’s oil-based, so if you’re breakout prone you may find it’s not compatible with your skin.
