I’ve written blogs on Il Makiage primer, concealer (F**K I’m Flawless) and foundation (Woke up like this). They go together flawlessly and suit my skin. I have combination skin (oily T zone, dry patches) and their makeup isn’t heavy but is buildable, which I love. I can completely tailor my look depending on whether I need a heavier foundation for more coverage or very light coverage.
I used this Power Match shade matcher on their website to find my perfect foundation shade
Il Makiage discount and promo codes
The only Il Makiage discount promo code I’ve found is ‘welcome10‘ – this gets you 10% off the Il Makiage website. Spend over £40 to get free delivery – otherwise, it’s £3.95.
See above for my personal favourites, but if I had to shout one out, it’d be the foundation brush.
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I’ve never been one for primers – it’s just something else to add on my face. If you’ve read any other of my blogs, you’ll know I try to limit the number as much as possible. I’ve always thought they were a bit of a gimmick, but after reading the reviews I decided to put this to the test and see whether or not it makes my makeup last even longer than normal.
I’ve been super impressed with both the Il Makiage foundation and concealer recently, so I thought I’d give this primer a go!
Our silky, weightless bestselling primer blurs pores, fine lines & wrinkles, instantly smooths skin & maximizes foundation wear time.
The lightweight texture & silky formula creates a soft, long-lasting photoshopped effect. You’re welcome, overflowing social calendar.
Description from Il Makiage
Why should you use primer?
Primer is great for smoothing out your skin as a preparation step before putting on makeup. If you have fine lines, or blackheads (like me) primer will fill them. Foundation then looks so much better because it’s got a smooth surface to go on.
Primer also helps your makeup last longer.
I have oily skin and thought primer would worsen it because it’s like a gel. After using for a while, I’m happy to say it doesn’t make me want to tear off my makeup at the end of the day! It helps my foundation feel so light, it doesn’t feel like I’m wearing any.
When do you apply primer?
Ideally apply after your skincare and at least 10 minutes before applying makeup. This allows it to dry. If you don’t wait, your foundation is likely going to look cakey and ‘on top’ of your skin instead of smoothed in.
Does primer help older skin look better?
Yes absolutely. I’m even more invested in using a primer now than I was in my 20s and early 30s. It helps to smooth holes (blackheads) and fine lines so foundation looks better. What’s not to like?
Skin prep is so important when using foundation. If you have skin that’s not been exfoliated in a while, foundation won’t look good and it’ll probably go patchy. I’ve written some tips in my Il Makiage foundation blog, a little way down the page. It includes things like what I use to exfoliate, dermaplaning, cleansing & tretinoin.
What do I want from a primer?
I want a primer to:
keep my makeup on for longer
make my makeup look better
not bring me out in spots
not make my oily T zone worse
smooth out/fill in pores
As with all primers, it goes on smooth and feels silky. I’m very particular about what I put on my skin, as it’s sensitive in places but mostly oily.
This is what nose holes look like when I haven’t used primer! This is one of the reasons I use a primer – to fill in fine lines, and these blackheads, so when I apply foundation, it goes on as smooth as possible. It needs to dry here but you can see it’s filled in my pores, helping foundation stay on for longer and look smoother.
I didn’t have great light to show you BUT you can see the difference in my pores. The primer fills them and smoothes the skin. Once dry, you can then apply your foundation which looks better and stays on for longer.
I don’t use a primer if I’m not wearing foundation. I tend to wear foundation if I’m going to work, which is a 10hr+ day including several hours in a car. When I get home, the foundation doesn’t have the same coverage as the morning (understandable), but it still gives good coverage.
How does it blend and look throughout the day?
I’ve tested it with concealer (Il Makiage F*k I’m Flawless). Working from home, I just want my bags hidden rather than wearing a full face of make-up. I smoothed in the primer to just one side of my face where I plan to put concealer – around/under my eye bag area.
It blends easily and is like a gel. It doesn’t pull skin and goes on like any moisturiser or cream.
Putting on the foundation after skincare: starting with moisturiser, vitamin C, SPF then primer. Always wait at least 10 mins before putting on makeup. Sometimes I use a damp sponge to put foundation on and sometimes I use a brush! It depends what mood I’m in. I use Il Makiage’s brushes too, they’re lovely and soft. This is me after a 17 hour day – including sweating and walking in the rain!
When I work from home, I don’t tend to wear foundation. I only wear concealer, and to make sure it stays on for as long as possible, I use primer to prep my skin! I only use a tiny amount as you can see, but it helps to keep my undereyes looking as fresh as possible for longer.
I put this much primer on one side – all around my eye area
Putting concealer on after using the primer (& waiting for it to set)
Lunchtime concealer with primer
It’s not a huge difference, but you can see my undereye bag has slightly better coverage at the end of the day when using primer.
In the evening – the eye that has primer has retained more concealer
After trying the foundation and loving it I wanted to try Il Makiage’s other products. Next up is the F*ck I’m Flawless concealer.
Not only does it have great reviews, it’s an average price: £27; in range of other popular concealers:
NARS Cosmetics Radiant Creamy Concealer £24
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Away Liquid Concealer £24
Too Faced Born This Way Super Coverage Concealer £25
Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Ultra-Longwear Concealer £25
it’s a pretty chunky tube, larger than my other concealers but still fine to carry in a small handbag – the weight is average too
Comparing the size with my about-to-be-replaced Estee Lauder concealer
Description from Il Makiage:
F*ck I’m Flawless is a long-wear, lightweight concealer that instantly covers under-eye circles, blemishes, dark spots & hyperpigmentation with an advanced vegan, cruelty-free, oil-free & paraben-free formula. Available in 30 diverse shades for all skin tones.
Il Makiage F*ck Me I’m Flawless is vegan and cruelty-free – hurrah!
Not only is it vegan and cruelty-free, it’s oil and paraben-free. Paraben’s are (in a nutshell) harmful chemicals. It’s also oil-free which great for us already oily folk. Oil clogs pores which can cause no end of issues.
Here’s my Youtube video where I detail how I apply the concealer using a sponge:
Shades available:
over 30 shades to choose from
choose out of 5 skin tones
choose out of 5 undertones
The shades come in a variety of colours depending on if you have pink, orange, neutral or yellow undertones. I went with 2.5 which is classed as a light orange colour.
Benefits of the concealer:
long lasting
light-weight
medium-to-full buildable coverage
hydrating and moisturising
hide spots and brighten the under eye area
screenshot taken from their website – send it back if it’s not for you! (I haven’t tried this but seems legit)
One thing I’m not a fan of
I really don’t like it when companies call their products making reference to rude things. I don’t see the need. I’m not a prude but I probably sound like I am! ‘Better than sex’, ‘f**k’, ‘orgasm’ – why? No need! Rant over.
Comparing my current concealer
I’ve about to run out of my current concealer, Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay In Place, so thought I’d compare it to my new Il Makiage. Estee Lauder isn’t vegan or cruelty-free so I’ve been looking to leave this brand for a while now.
Il Makiage has a softer, peach/warm colour; Estee Lauder is more neutral/yellow tone. Il Makiage 100% fits my skin tone better as you can see from my face pics below.
Estee Lauder is thicker with 1 brush swipe. This has often been a problem for me as too much goes on and I struggle blending it
Il Makiage has a softer/warm colour; Estee Lauder is more neutral/yellow.
Il Makiage sinks in quicker, is easy to blend in and is a better shade for me.
Combination skin – oily T zone
My skin is oily in my T zone, normal on my cheeks, and very dry to the sides of my nose and around the top of my mouth. I’m 34, so I don’t like to add too much concealer; just enough to cover the black in my eye corners and eye bags.
Concerns and ‘must-haves’ from a concealer (I’m not asking much)
doesn’t dry too quickly and is easy to blend
stays on as long as possible
when it does fade, it to fade evenly
no flakiness or creasing
colour that matches my skin obvs and doesn’t change throughout the day
I can basically tick all of the above off my list with Il Makiage.
Consistency and texture
Estee Lauder is thicker no doubt about it. I often find blending it difficult as goes on TOO thick, whereas with Il Makiage, I can keep it light and build up which I do when covering my eye bags.
The texture is light and easy to manoeuvre around. It dries quick but not so quick I can’t blend.
Both wands are similar in design, which I like. One side is flat making it easy to smooth on where it needs to go. I only add a few dots under my eye – I’m 34 so I don’t need (or want) much. If I put too much on, it creases. I find a little goes a long way.
Il Makiage didn’t crease at all, at any point throughout the day, even after wearing for 8, 12+ hours. This was a concern of mine because if it’s too thick, it sits in my wrinkles which nobody wants to see.
I only put several dots on as like to keep things light, usually adding more towards the inner eye where I have more dark to cover / no primer used
You can see the clear brighter eye on the left where I’ve added the concealer / no primer used
Does it stay on all day?
It stays on all day but isn’t as obvious at night as in the morning. I’d guess 30% is left on my skin after 12 hours.
I’m not worried about this because for the remaining time of day, I’m at home and not out, so I’m not fussed if I’m wearing makeup or not. Plus I don’t think 30% is too bad at all. By the end of the day, I pretty much expect all of my face makeup to be hanging on my a thread.
It fades evenly too so I don’t get a weird colouring. This is actually really important to me, as previously I’ve had makeup that flakes around weird places, like the sides of my eyes, and on my dry bits like the sides of my nose.
At the end of the day (12 hours later) it’s still on, okay – faded, but it’s faded evenly rather than in patches / no primer used
Further photos in a different light showing some concealer still visible at the end of the day
The inner corners of my eye don’t look as dark as what they do naturally so I can tell some concealer is still on at the end of the day
Does using a primer help?
I’ve used Il Makiage’s primer and have had amazing results. But in the short of it, yes, primer helped my concealer stay on (evenly) for longer.
Final thoughts – would you recommend?
Yes I would. I like the brand plus the products I’ve tried so far are great, including this concealer (see my foundation blog here) and primer. I wanted a vegan and cruelty-free product, and a product that wouldn’t crease and stay on all day (8hours+).
What matters to me in a concealer is a nice texture, fades evenly, still covers darkness, and doesn’t flake.
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?
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.
the same photo but with different lighting – comparing my current foundation (double wear 1W2) which I’ve never thought matched me properly, to my new Il Makiage #35 – a much better match
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.
How does it cope with my combination skin?
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.
What’s the coverage like? How much product do I need?
I like a light coverage. I’m 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.
1 pump in all its glory
1 pump; the redness on the side of my nose has been reduced (but not hidden) and you can still see small pumps on my forehead. It’s a nice light coverage though and the colour matches my skin perfectly
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)
2 pumps – a lot better coverage, still feeling light-weight and not oily which is what I wanted – it blends really well
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.
Post-workout – did the foundation stay 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.
after a sweaty workout – nice dewy skin with foundation still intact!
Does it cover spots and melasma?
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.
the ‘before’ – you can see I have chin spots and melasma on my forehead. Putting on the foundation after skincare: starting with moisturiser, vitamin C, SPF then primer. Always wait at least 10 mins before putting on makeup. Sometimes I use a damp sponge to put foundation on and sometimes I use a brush! It depends what mood I’m in. I use Il Makiage’s brushes too, they’re lovely and soft. The foundation has covered my acne without looking full coverage – it certainly doesn’t feel like it. The foundation always feels light and breathable, even after wearing for hours. You can see my fine lines are covered and blackheads on my nose are filled – this is with the help of primer. This is me after a 17 hour day – including sweating and walking in the rain!
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