Finding a foundation that works for combination and oily skin can be a full time job. If you have oily or combination skin, you know the struggle—finding a foundation that lasts all day without making your skin look greasy or cakey.
After being bombarded with Insta & Facebook ads for months, I finally decided to try Il Makiage’s ‘Woke Up Like This’ foundation to see if it could solve my problems.
For years, I had been using Estée Lauder Double Wear, but it was becoming uncomfortable, especially on my oily forehead. Plus, I wanted a cruelty-free alternative. Would Il Makiage be a better fit for my skin needs?
Article contents:
- Skin prep for the best results with foundation
- Does primer make a difference?
- How do you get the right shade?
- Woke up like this foundation shade 35
- How does it cope with my combination skin?
- What's the coverage like? How much product do I need?
- Post-workout – did the foundation stay on?
- Does it cover spots and melasma?
- How much is the foundation and where can I buy?
My past foundation struggles
I have combination skin – an oily forehead and nose, sensitive dry patches around my mouth, and normal areas elsewhere. My previous foundation, Estée Lauder Double Wear, provided amazing coverage, but by the end of the day, my forehead looked like a frying pan, and my dry areas felt flaky.
I’ve been using Estee Lauder for a very long time, but now I’m in my late 30s, I felt like it wasn’t working as well.
I needed something lightweight, buildable, and long-lasting without making my skin issues worse. I need a foundation that:
- doesn’t make my oily/dry skin worse
- I could wear all day (10hr+)
- stays on after a workout or if I get sweaty/rained on
- doesn’t break me out in spots
Before I get into the actual foundation, I want to talk about skincare and prep.
Skin prep for the best results with foundation
Before we get into how this foundation holds up, let’s talk about skin prep because it makes all the difference. If you suffer with acne, I’ve written about that too which some of the below points go into, 10 steps to help your acne.
- cleanse properly – If your skin is oily, a gentle foaming cleanser helps remove excess oil without stripping your skin.
- exfoliate often – exfoliating gets rid of the dead skin that can’t drop off your face because the oil won’t let it! I use The Ordinary AHA BHA and The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Exfoliating Toner. I dermaplane often, which gets hair and dead skin cells off, too, for even smoother skin.
- use a hydrating (not heavy) moisturiser – Even oily skin needs moisture to prevent overproduction of sebum. I use Malezia.
- other skincare – I’ve found no matter how much foundation I use, my skin will still look and feel sad and grey. Skincare is key. I use Dermatica for most of my skincare: tretinoin (similar to retinol for skin turnover), vitamin C, SPF (see my Dermatica review here).
- apply a mattifying primer – A good primer helps control shine and gives the foundation a smooth base to grip onto. I use Il Makiage primer and wouldn’t be without it. See my Il Makiage primer review here.
- wait before applying foundation – Let your skincare sink in before applying makeup for better longevity. Leave for at least 10 minutes.
Does primer make a difference?
I tested this foundation with and without primer, and the difference was clear.
- with primer – The foundation stayed on longer, looked smoother, and controlled oil better.
- without primer – Still good, but the longevity wasn’t quite as impressive.
If you have oily skin, I’d recommend using a primer to help lock everything in. I tested the Il Makiage primer with it, and you can read my full review here: See my Il Makiage primer review here or on Ilmakiage.com.
Now, let’s get into the foundation itself.
Is Il Makiage cruelty-free and vegan? Yes! Il Makiage does not test on animals and many of their products, including this foundation, are vegan.
How do you get the right shade?
Il Makiage uses a shade-matching quiz called POWERMATCH to find your ideal shade without needing to swatch in person. By answering a few questions about your skin type, undertone, and concerns, you get a personalised recommendation.
The one they recommended for me was perfect, but they have a good returns policy if it’s not for you on first try. I took the quiz which didn’t take long, and it suggested shade 35. I also reached out to their customer service, who also recommended shade 35.
My YouTube video shows how I apply the foundation with a sponge: (just had covid so yes, I look rough, which is actually really handy to show you just how much this makeup makes me look less dull!) I bought a pack of 4 sponges from Amazon for £5 – here’s the link. Don’t forget to dampen the sponge first for the best coverage. I have sensitive eyes; my forehead & sides of my nose are oily; around my mouth is sensitive & dry; the rest is normal. My face has different concerns – I have sensitive eyes; my forehead & sides of my nose are oily; around my mouth is sensitive & dry; the rest is normal. My current Double Wear foundation makes my forehead very oily by the end of the day – so much so when I get in from work (after 10 hours) I’m dying to get it off. It also flakes on my dry patches. I can’t deny it though, Double Wear gives amazing coverage. If you have normal skin, I can imagine it stays on all day and looks amazing, but it’s not cruelty-free, so a re-purchase for me is off the cards. The foundation stays on all day, doesn’t make my forehead oily and doesn’t cake in my dry parts. Using with a primer is game changer. I use the Il Makiage primer, which helps the foundation look better for longer. It also helps to fill in those fine lines and pores, which help make the foundation go on and stay on smoother. I’ll talk more about the primer below. See my Il Makiage primer review here or on Ilmakiage.com. I like a light coverage. I’m One pump gives a lovely finish – not everything is covered as you can see, but on the most part, it’s given my skin a glow and evened it out a lot. The redness either side of my nose and forehead melasma has been reduced. It’s covered small acne scars and uneven skin colouring on my cheeks and forehead. It goes on very light and melts into my skin. It feels lovely. It isn’t thick, so I can move it easily around my skin without any pulling. I buffer it in using circles with a brush, to make sure I get an even coverage. (UPDATE: I now use sponges for foundation (thanks tiktok) £5 for 4 here from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3K4mdai) I have 2 pumps on here – plus added blusher. The redness around my nose has 95% been hidden. My skin looks even but it doesn’t look like I’ve got a lot of makeup on. I worked out and got sweaty – I don’t know about you but my skin actually looks better. Dewy but not greasy. The foundation also stayed on; it didn’t go clumpy, melt or anything else. I don’t like heavy foundation. I always manage to cover problem areas without the need to use a lot. I don’t tend to use more than 2 pumps, unless there’s more to cover up like the below. It’s £36. Delivery is free over a certain amount. Buy from their website: ilmakiage.com/uk/212-66050-woke-up-like-this Use the discount code welcome10 for 10% off from their website, Il Makiage. Final tip (and most important)… don’t drop the bottle on a hard floor or this will happen. *cries* So far I’ve tried this foundation, F*ck I’m Flawless concealer and No Filter Poreless Base primer. I’m very impressed with all 3 products and would recommend them. • • • Thanks for reading :) This article is tagged with: 
How does it cope with my combination skin?
What’s the coverage like? How much product do I need?
33 37 so I feel too much makeup looks worse due to the texture/fine lines that are appearing. ‘Woke up like this’ is buildable so you’ll be able to use as much as you want.
Post-workout – did the foundation stay on?
Does it cover spots and melasma?
How much is the foundation and where can I buy?
Other Il Makiage products worth mentioning
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