Illamasqua Rich Liquid Foundation

Courtesy of Sephora.com

After hearing much about the Illamasqua line on places such as YouTube, countless beauty blogs, and my dear friend Sheila– it was inevitable that I would take the plunge.  So I wandered off to Sephora and was WOW’d by the makeup artistry of their picture ads.

Courtesy of Sephora.com

After perusing the many choices, I decided I’d pick and review yet another foundation:  Illamasqua’s Rich Liquid Foundation in R215.
 
It comes in a squeezable plastic bottle, and there is a reason for that– it’s because the product truly lives up to its name.  It is rich.  If you fellow beauty fanatics out there have tried Illuminaire, this foundation is similar in texture:  oh-so-very-VERY-thick.  Silky, but thick.  I must say that texture very rarely deters me from liking a product.  If it does its job, then I’m all over it.
 
So next comes application.  As you can imagine, the thicker the foundation, the more difficult it will be to spread it evenly.  I applied it first with my fingertips and blended as much as possible.  A little goes a long way, but it did take some time for me to get it all over my face evenly.  I’m accustomed to tinted moisturizers (I’m the slap-on-and-go queen), so that could have been a factor.   However, I used my dampened beauty blender sponge with my second attempt and it was L-O-V-E-L-Y.  The finish was matte, and it covered up my pigmentation imperfections fabulously. 
 
Now, the finish.  The first attempt was without primer, and I thought it looked fabulous, EXCEPT around my under eye area.  Now I don’t have severe wrinkles present there, but this foundation really made them practically scream “LOOK AT MY WRINKLES!!”.   Everywhere else was this picture of silky matte perfection.  So with the second try, I decided I would use a primer, especially under my eyes, but one of the moisturizing kind.   Nars Makeup Primer with SPF20.  That seemed to do the trick.   It was less crepey looking under my eyes and I looked pretty darn flawless, if I may say so myself.  It was also perfect for my oily/combination skin, because I still had perfect coverage after eight straight sweaty hours at work. 
 
Now, from this experience, I’d gander that this foundation is not good for those with dry skin or deep wrinkles, especially without some moisture underneath the foundation.  When I tried this foundation with a different primer made for oily/combination skin, the result was also less appealling.  Moisturization or a moisturizing primer is essential to making this foundation work.
 
For you DIY brides out there, this is definitely worth your time and a look.  This foundation lasts, and lasts, and you will look picture perfect on your special day (especially for your photos)!  Check out Illamasqua products at Sephora, where these babies are available for $30, in nine shades. 

Have you used any Illamasqua products?