Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation Review

Saturday 9 July 2011

Hey Ladies,

I'm sure you'll have all heard about the new Skin Base Foundation released from Illamasqua last month which is supposed to create the perfect complexion for all skin types, well I was very excited about the release as I love foundations & always in search of 'The One' so without hearing any reviews I did an online order as I was too impatient to wait to get to a counter. So having tried it out a few times I have concluded my thoughts and so am sharing them with you ... I'm good like that.


'Inspired by the beauty balm creams from Asia the Skin Base Foundation smoothes, softens and conditions your skin whilst providing natural, buildable coverage and undetectable in a professional HD environment'

First of all to enter the BB cream genre it gives the impression of a certain type of product, ie light weight, light coverage, smoothing, effortless to blend & in general the shit!

So having heard this was Illamasqua's take on a BB cream I was intrigued, the main disappointment in BB Cream terms is their lack of shade range (one shade definitely doesn't fit all & I can't believe Mac has released a BB Cream & not brought it out in their usual shade range something that they are the most known for, it seems lazy & to just jump on the bandwagon ... anyway more of that at a later date) so Illamasqua I knew wouldn't disappoint & would have every shade from early Michael  Jackson to Michael Jackson circa 25th June 2009 or even the 26th (which is correct as they have a totally white one)

I didn't help myself by buying the wrong shade but it is passable, I apparently have a tan who knew? For reference I bought shade 6 which is supposed to be like NC25, I'd say it was more NC23 personally (if Mac made that) it hasn't stopped me giving it a good test as I can just correct it with a bit of bronzer!

My Thoughts

Texture - Not at all what I was expecting, it is quite thick in terms of texture and quite dry feeling in terms of formulation. When I apply it to my face I don't feel it glides on particularly well to say it's supposed to be a primer and foundation in one or blends in the skin as well as others I have

Coverage - Again not what I was expecting, to me this is a medium to full coverage foundation, it really feels heavy & mask like on my skin, obviously to some people this will be what they are searching for in a foundation, me? ... not so much if I need a fuller coverage I go for my Double Wear as it's staying power is unbeatable and when used properly doesn't feel so heavy.

Price - £25.00 for 30mls Pretty standard I'd say these days for a high end foundation I don't mind paying that ... obviously & I have paid more for a good foundation

Lasting Power - It did well whenever I've used it, 8 hours in a hot pub & it didn't budge which is good, it doesn't claim to have any oil fighting properties so some oil did come through but nothing a bit of powder wouldn't have sorted if I was bothered enough!

Overall Thoughts - I think this foundation will be good for the oily skinned to normal skinned ladies who love a high coverage foundation, which on all counts isn't me, on me it highlighted dry patches and made me look a little dead due to the high coverage. One point I have to say is that it DOES photograph beautifully I will do a FOTD with it this week so you can see it in action, so if I have an occasion where where my picture will be taken I will wear this, for every day use give me the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua any day over it.

Another point I will make is that the Skin Base is nothing like a BB Cream, the skin care benefits are fairy low, there's no SPF & in terms of primer I definitely need one under it, in fact I apply a face serum (Balance Wrinkle Filler) under & over it to lessen the intensity of it & unhighlight the dry patches.

Overall I am really disappointed with this foundation, the thing is it's not a bad product at all, for some of you i'm sure it could potentially be a favourite, the reason I'm disappointed is because they've associated the Skin Base with BB Creams which gave me expectations which it just hasn't lived up to; minimal skin care benefits (which are mainly mineral oil anyway & you know how I feel about that) no SPF & lacks in the primer stakes.

I hope this was useful to some people thinking of purchasing it, if you like heavy coverage & have oily skin I say give it a try, if you've got dry skin or like light foundations then run away from the counter & go & see Chanel, they'll sort you out.

9 comments

  1. I definitely wanted to try this out, but now maybe I'll just get a little sample of it. I'm not so keen on heavy full coverage foundations. I as well have estee double wear foundation but I always end up mixing it with either a lighter foundation or a tinted moisturizer. But hey maybe this one would be good mixed as well. Thanks for the review girly!

    simplyyoursamb.blogspot.com

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  2. Fab and I shant be trying it! I dont like heavy foundations and I now have combo skin so dont think I need any dry bits highlighted! I'll stick with me Chanel Vita Aqua!

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  3. Oh bummer, i hate foundations that make skin look dry(er). Didn't actually expect this to be heavy coverage at all so thanks for the review - is not going onto my list of foundations-to-try (it's long enough anyway so you've done me a favour!). xx

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  4. I was seriously thinking about getting this, because all I've heard up to now is people saying it's totally amazing. My skin is like yours - quite dry, and not massively keen on super heavy bases. I'm not sure I'm so interested in it any more having read your review. The Chanel one, on the other hand...

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  5. Thanks for the review! It's been really helpful as Ive been wanting to try this. Think i might get a sample first! xx

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  6. Thanks for a great review! Was hoping someone would do one, looked at getting this but having second thoughts now! Think I'll stick to good old Nars Sheer Glow!

    www.jessicabeautician.com

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  7. I was intrigued by this but won't be purchasing now based on your review. Not at all what I was after!

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  8. i love the sound of this foundation. do u think they have a shade dark enough for a dark black girl lol a macNW55? not many high end brands do sadly!
    BreezeyBree Blog

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  9. I've heard a few reviews about this and wanted to look into it, I'm glad I looked at your review before making a purchase like it's already been mentioned in a comment might try a sample of it first.

    x

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