After my skin cancer diagnosis, I started my Clean Beauty journey. I initially found it much easier to find clean skincare swaps than I did for makeup. That was until I tried Ilia Beauty. And while I’ve liked *almost* most of the products I’ve tried from Ilia, I’ve not liked everything. So today’s post is dedicated to a full review of the best products from the clean makeup line Ilia Beauty.

Ilia Beauty Review

 

What is Ilia Beauty

There’s a lot to love about Ilia Beauty. The line, founded by Sasha Plavsic is vegan (no animal testing!), cruelty-free, and gluten-free, and makes efforts to package its products in recyclable packaging. It’s a one of the best beauty brands I’ve been introduced to in recent years.

Is Ilia Beauty Clean

I personally love their mission that cleaner, better for you makeup with skincare benefits can bring to life your personal beauty. This clean beauty brand sets out to make products that are formulated with the skin in mind so that with use of their products your skin is constantly looking radiant yet natural.

This is the type of makeup I believe in, too as I don’t wear heavy makeup hardly ever. I’ve become a big fan of their unique formulas and the pretty colors that make clean makeup fun and more approachable.

Who Owns Ilia Beauty

Ilia Beauty was acquired by the Courtin-Clarins family holding company, Famille C in 2022. Prisca Courtin has, since 2018, served as Deputy CEO of Famille C’s ventures overseeing their portfolio of brands.

Where is Ilia Beauty Made

ILIA makeup is made in the United States with the exception of a few of their products which are made in Italy.

Is Ilia Beauty Cruelty Free

Yes! The brand is cruelty free and does no animal testing.

Best Ilia Beauty Products

Ilia Soft Focus Finishing Powder, $34

I was so glad when I discovered this finishing powder because it is as good as the Laura Mercier powder I used to love but discontinued my use of once I learned it had talc in it. I love that it weightlessly blurs, smooths, and cuts shine with a soft-focus finish that doesn’t leave you looking dusty or have any sort of whitecast.

 

This is definitely in my Ilia Top 5 best products as I have combination skin that tends to get oily throughout the day.

The formula has been milled five times—most powders are milled three – so you can get an airy feel that blurs imperfections and cuts down on shine. It also features aloe, rosemary, and oil-balancing bamboo so skin feels more hydrated and softer after application. This powder is so good as a setting powder for your makeup or you can use it for touchups during the day.

Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 Foundation, $46

This clean, tinted mineral SPF 40 serum is so, so unique. It has the texture of a serum but a bit of coverage like a lightweight foundation or tinted moisturizer. I wear it in Shade Balos and love the dewy glow it gives. It was really designed to protect and revive. Protect = the SPF and revive = the sheer, glowy coverage.

If you don’t love makeup, you may very well love this product. It’s great for every day wear and has plant based squalane so its great for drier skin types. It started with 18 shades but now comes in 30 shades which I love.

I shared more about how I use it in this recent post.

This product has been selling out everywhere since it launched and I can understand why. It offers skincare benefits thanks to its formula that includes Plant-Based Squalane (which helps support skin and improves the appearance of elasticity), Hyaluronic Acid (which helps to visibly plump skin and seal in hydration) and Niacinamide (which visibly improves and smooths skin texture.) It’s why skin looks so radiant and skin feels great after application and do note that a little of this stuff goes a long way.

And while I don’t recommend makeup with SPF as your only line of sunscreen (the SPF gets diluted down when put in makeup according to my dermatologist) I do appreciate that this formula features Non-Nano Zinc Oxide which is a clean, mineral sunscreen active.

Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint is made without silicones, fragrance, chemical-screens, or oil. It is clinically tested, noncomedogenic, and safe for sensitive skin!

Ilia The Necessary Eyeshadow Palette, $38

Clean eye shadow you’ll actually want to wear! This palette features six talc-free, buttery, long-wearing eyeshadows that are elevated from your basic neutrals. The shadows offer a variety of finishes from matte, satin to metallic. Made with jojoba seed oil and vitamin E, these velvety, blendable shadows nurture lids while delivering highly pigmented, lasting color without the fallout. They’re the best clean eyeshadows I’ve tried to date.

Ilia Color Haze Multi Use Pigment, $32

This was the first product that made me fall in love with Ilia Beauty. I absolutely love cream blushes (layered with a powder blush for more staying powder), and the Ilia Color Haze Multi Use Pigment also does double duty as it can be used as a lip product as well. This color goes on cheeks so easily and blends out beautifully into a dewy glow. The metal-tip applicator makes it pretty foolproof to apply to cheeks or lips. My favorite shades are Waking Up, Before Today & Temptation.

Ilia Nightlite Bronzer Powder, $34

I hesitated to include this bronzer as it is a bit too pigmented for my fair skin if not applied correctly. However, once I figured out the brushes to use it with (big, fluffy for all over color and a contouring brush for cheekbone application) I decided it is one of the better bronzers out there when it comes to clean brands. I use shade Drawn In and like that this formula is talc-free and blends out easily. And I do, however, prefer the Ere Perez Bronzer I talk about here for more every day use.

Ilia Daylite Highlighter Powder, $34

This is a great every day highlighter. It is also talc-free and gives an instant luminous glow to the skin that isn’t overkill. The powder is really blendable as it is is finely milled for a light-as-air metallic finish that you can build up if you want more luminosity. I like layering it over some of my favorite cream highlighters for more wattage at nighttime.

Ilia True Skin Radiant Priming Serum, $52

Good clean primers can be hard to find as most primers on the market include silicone which isn’t great as far as toxicity goes. The Ilia priming serum manages to be a great primer without silicone (yet still has a silky texture when you apply it) and it absolutely helps makeup go on more seamlessly. Skin will look more plumped (less fine lines!) and it’ll be protected from free-radical damage (something that the more I learn about it the more I’m scared of it!) And because my combination skin gets oily throughout the day I appreciate that this works to mattify skin on the days I wear it before I apply foundation or BB Cream.

Ilia True Skin Serum Concealer,$30

If you like creamy concealers, you’ll love this one. This concealer blends seamlessly both under eyes and over spots— something I’ve found not all concealers can achieve. I love how it brightens instantly so when I use it under my eyes I instantly look more awake. You’ll also find it works well hiding any blemishes or redness and I love that it never cakes or settles into fine lines. I use shade Chicory.

Ilia Essential Brow Natural Volumizing Brow Gel, $26

If you watch any of my IGTV tutorials you’ve heard me rave about this brow gel. It is amazing. For someone who doesn’t care that much about her brows this product made me a believer in how much a good brow gel can do for your overall face.

This tinted brow gel both fluffs and fills your brows for a fuller-looking finish in just a few swipes. I don’t have very full brows and this makes it seem like that’s not the case! And I use shade Blonde but could also probably use shade Medium Brown. I use this brow gel pretty much every day when doing my usual everyday makeup.

If you buy one product from Ilia – you may want it to be this.

Ilia True Skin Serum Foundation, $54

This is the best clean foundation I’ve found that’s a good of a dupe for the Armani Luminous Silk Foundation I love so much. Unlike the Ilia Skin Tint, this foundation offers medium coverage but still has a lightweight feel. I find it blends really easily and is great on days when I’m experiencing more redness that I am trying to cover up. Skin is smoother and more radiant after application. I use the shade Formentera.

Ilia Liquid Light Serum Highlighter, $42

This gel-based, anti-pollution serum-highlighter gives major glow and can either be mixed with your moisturizer or your foundation for a natural, dewy finish or you can apply it directly to your skin for more wattage. I like to layer it under my foundation personally on the bridge of my nose and on my cheekbones. I use shade Nova.

Ilia Clean Line Liquid Eyeliner, $28

A super black clean liquid liner with a fine felt tip that allows you control for a tight line or a bolder cat eye. This liquid eyeliner dries quickly which I always appreciate and it doesn’t smudge or crease like so many other clean liquid liners I’ve tested.

Ilia Clean Line Gel Eyeliner, $26

I love this gel eyeliner for lazy days. I personally think I look much more awake and together when I have eyeliner on and most days I’m too lazy to use a liquid eyeliner so I love that this one works like a pencil to apply super easily and quickly but has the longwear of a gel. You can also smudge it out if you like that look. I still love my Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner the most but this one is a great stand in when I want to apply eyeliner quickly.

Ilia Limitless Lash Mascara, $28

I get so many messages about how much you guys love this mascara, too! I have tried over half a dozen clean mascaras from a variety of brands and this is a good clean mascara. It’s great even if you have sensitive eyes and I personally love that it is flake-free and the brush really separates and volumizes lashes noticeably. There’s also a Limitless Lash mini if you want to test it out before committing to a full tube.

Since they launched the Fullest Volumizing Mascara I prefer that one, though.

Ilia Color Block High Impact Lipstick,$28

A clean lipstick with good color payoff that doesn’t dry lips?! THANK GOODNESS! This lipstick reminds me of the Laura Mercier cream ones I used to love. The Ilia Color Block High Impact Lipsticks come in a great variety of colors. And really hydrate lips for long, daily wear. The formula features Apricot Seed Oil to lock in moisture, Castor Seed Oil to soften and soothe lips (my lips personally always need softening and soothing!) and Mango Seed Butter to boost elasticity. Favorite shades of mine include Rosette and Amberlight.

Ilia Liquid Powder Eye Tint

One of Ilia’s newer launches is a good one. This eye tint makes eyeshadow so, so easy. It is a clean, cream-to-powder eyeshadow that dries down to a smudge-resistant finish. You can choose from 16 matte and chromatic shades.

The liquid powder chromatic eye shadows are award winning and for good reason. Want a neutral every day shadow? Go with one of the matte shadows. Want megawatt going out vibes? Try one of the powder chromatic eye tints.

I think this product looks intimidating but is actually so effortless to use.

Ilia Balmy Tint Lip Balm

This is a good everyday, throw one in all of your purses kind of lip balms. It’s super hydrating and the ones with a tint of color provide a pretty, sheer wash of color for your lips.

Ilia Lip Wrap Overnight Treatment

Great to use if you get chapped lips and handy to have when traveling or to apply before bed every night – this potent, dual-action formula was designed to work like a facial for your lips. Over night it sweeps away dry, flaky skin while drawing in moisture to visibly renew and revitalize.

. . .

There you have it! My favorite Ilia Beauty Products – all tried and tested over weeks to ensure quality of wear. I didn’t include the Multi-Stick as it’s not my personal favorite – I much prefer the aforementioned Multi Use Pigment. 

Is Ilia Worth It

The brand does several products really, really well. Especially those that focus on skincare benefits. I like their shade extensions and the fact that they make an entry into clean beauty relatively easy and un-intimidating. I think their prices are spot on and I am excited to see what new launches they release in the future.

Ilia Beauty Discount Code

The brand does an annual Friends & Family sale with a discount code to try the products at a slight promotional price. The brand is almost always included in the bi-annual Sephora Sales and the annual Credo Beauty sale.

If you want to try out a few selects from the brand before you commit, this Hello, Clean Makeup kit has a few of my favorites to introduce you to the brand. And check out this video to see me using a lot of my favorites in a full face tutorial. Ilia is also a female founded, small business, too which I love.

Ilia Beauty Products:

 

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