An Honest Review of Il Makiage
I tried Il Makiage and this is what I thought about it.
When it comes to makeup, I mostly stick to what I know, especially when it comes to foundation. I've been using the same brands pretty much the entire time I've been wearing makeup. A lot of that has to do with the fact that my skin is super sensitive. Like to the point that I can't wear perfume or scented lotion. I also have a moderate dairy intolerance that affects my skin when I overindulge.
I recently had a really bad reaction to some apple cider vinegar gummies. Apparently, I am allergic to apple cider vinegar, something I was not aware of before trying them obviously. Unfortunately it took me too long to put two and two together and connect the breakout to the gummies, and now almost two months later I'm still correcting the damage.
You can see some of the lingering signs of that damage in my 'before' picture.
You're probably wondering what that has to do with a makeup review, but I assure you it plays a role in my decision to try something new.
You see, it's almost as if that reaction triggered something in my skin, and suddenly my usual favorite makeups stopped getting the job done. They were too dark, too light, too dry, too oily...you get the picture. Bottom line, I was seriously starting to hate the way my face looked, to the point that one morning I had what can only be described as a breakdown.
Something had to give or my sanity was going to break.
I've been seeing ads for Il Makiage all over my social media for years now, but never felt the need to deviate from the routine that's worked for me for the past decade or so. However, after two months of struggling to feel comfortable in my own skin - with and without makeup - I decided now was a good time to take advantage of their 14-day free trial.
So here's how it works... I went to their website and took a color-matching quiz. It was unlike anything I've ever taken, and I'll be honest - I was 1000 percent skeptical. As a redhead with freckles, finding a true color match has been a struggle since I first started wearing makeup.
I was matched with the Woke Up Like This foundation in the shade 20 and the F*ck I'm Flawless concealer in the shade 2.5. As part of a promotion they had going at the time, I received a free foundation brush and a black eyeliner marker (which I haven't used yet because I rarely wear eyeliner).
To my complete and total surprise, the foundation was basically a perfect match. I have no idea how they managed to do that through an online quiz, but the proof is in the pudding as they say.
In addition to the color being perfect, it also feels amazing. It goes on smoothly, and I only needed one pump to do my entire face.
The concealer is, to put it simply, amazing. I have never used a concealer that covered my under-eye circles and looked so natural.
This is the finished product on my first day using it...complete with my usual Mellow blush/bronzer, eyeshadow, and brow powder, and my Cover Girl Lash Blast Clean Volume Mascara. I'm pretty sure I used my translucent Cover Girl Clean Fresh powder to set it.
It lasted all day - through magazine distribution, afternoon car line, and after-school activities. Plus, it was hot and I sweated, but at the end of the day my makeup still looked great.
The foundation is blendable and buildable. It's streak-free and has a special ingredient to blur fine lines, redness, and blemishes. It also has light-defusing spheres to deflect attention from any imperfections you might have.
It comes in 50 shades, has a natural-looking matte finish, and is infused with Vitamin E and Hyaluronic Acid for anti-aging and hydration.
I've used the foundation and concealer every day this past week, and I've still got a few days left in my free trial, but I definitely plan on keeping both. I'll also probably be adding some powder and maybe even primer in the future.
Other products in their lineup include highlighters and contours, lipsticks, eyeshadows, liners, and mascaras. They also have a line of brushes, eye lashes, serums, sunscreen, and self-tanner.
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17 comments
Hi, thank you for the review, I just did the color match, but wanted to check reviews from others first. I have skin similar to yours, freckles, but I also have/had a couple age spots. 6 days ago I had a fraxel laser treatment, and omg all of my pigment came to the surface and is sloughing off, I have this new shiny clearer skin, there’s a few more spots that need to shed, but the age spot I hated is practically gone, I keep asking myself why I didn’t do this years ago. Anyway, I wanted to share my experience with Fraxel with you, since in your article you mentioned you have some damage, thought you could look into it. It lifts out pigment, diminishes scarring, shrinks pores and more. You are beautiful! I just wanted to share my fraxel experience since we have similar skin ;)
ReplyDeleteSo I'm 44 and never really cared or was taught about makeup I kind of figured it out myself (at 44) I got the concealer and ABSOLUTELY love it. I don't like to put anything on my face [usually just use mascara shadow and undereye stuff with a lil cheap drugstore powder, well this is game changing for me I just ordered the night anti aging serum I hope I love it as much as the concealer....
DeleteThank you my foundation is not doing its job anymore. I wondered for a long time if this makeup was worth the hype. Looks like it.
ReplyDeleteDo you know what shade of Il Makiage corresponds to Cover girl 510?
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, but no. And that's not really how it works. You have to take the quiz and it will match you through that.
DeleteAhhhh thank you for this review! My skin has changed as well and everything I’ve used for over 4 years now has stopped working! I’ve lost confidence and legit just ordered ilmakiage then thought h maybe I should’ve researched it a bit more beforehand! I SURE hope I find this much success with it!! It looks great on you! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI'm curious as to what shade they matched you with. My complexion is so very much like yours! You look lovely!!
ReplyDeleteThank you! My shade is #20, but I definitely encourage you to take the quiz. It's very thorough in a way that I can't really explain.
DeleteCan I ask what shade you used? My complexion is very much like yours and your look lovely!
ReplyDeleteWhy is it difficult returning items back
ReplyDeleteI purchased this makeup and was disappointed because the match wasn’t right. But I do have to say that probably had to do with the way I answered the questions as I perceived my own skin to look like. Anyway, I loved the way it felt but did return due to the color not matching. But I didn’t experience any difficulty returning the items and they allowed me to keep my free gift and the eyeliner. I ended up reordering and they were so easy to work with on reordering and my initial return.
DeleteHi! I know it’s been a while since you posted but I wanted to put this out there…it may not have been the apple cider itself that you were reacting to. It may have been the ACV is high in histamines. I have Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. I react to histamine levels rather than foods themselves. It was confusing to me at first because I could eat something one day and be fine but have a reaction to it the next day. If my levels are low, I can eat higher histamine things and vice versa. Just wanted to share in case you are still having issues.
ReplyDeleteThat is interesting. I'll have to bring it up with my dermatologist. Thanks!
DeleteI am looking for info because I saw the fb video and as I’m aging I’m looking to appear younger. Vanity? Probably. 🤷🏻♀️ Don’t judge me 😆 I feel like it’s probably not going to do what the video suggests- filling in wrinkles/lines- but I also feel like there are products that do more than my current foundation. Can anyone speak to how well it works on aging skin? Thx
ReplyDeleteQuestion - the foundation I currently use and have used for a decade seems to "all of a sudden" bring out all the fine lines and wrinkles now. I hate wearing it because I feel like it make my face look MORE wrinkly than when I'm not. Did you have the experience of il makiage settling in that way on your face?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure that I'm the best person to answer your question. I don't really have wrinkles and fine lines that I'm trying to cover up. I do have a pretty deep crease/wrinkle in my forehead and smile lines around my mouth, but I have not noticed any issues with my foundation not being smooth in those places. However, I wear very little foundation - always have because of my freckles.
DeleteThanks for this review. I have similar freckles like you. If course none of the faces on the quiz are freckled, so I was wondering, when you answered the questions about skin tone, you were looking at the areas without freckles, right? Some of my freckles are so pale that it can be hard to see what the tone underneath is.
ReplyDelete