REVIEW: Illamasqua Light Liquid Foundation

I am always looking for the perfect "everyday" foundation, something that is light in texture but still gives good coverage - like a BB cream but with more coverage on those bad skin days where BB cream just won't work!

I decided to try out Illamasqua's Light Liquid Foundation, which I ordered online from their website (Illamasqua.com), and I ended up purchasing shade #135 (for light skin with golden undertones), which is a perfect match for my skintone! (thanks to Temptalia's Foundation Matrix!) 

The foundation is very lightweight and blends seamlessly into the skin, however, corrector/concealer is a MUST if you have any dark circles or blemishes etc. The packaging looks identical to the Skin Base Foundation (read my review HERE), but the consistency is very different; Skin Base is a lot thicker and less runny, plus it has a higher level of coverage.

I tested this foundation several times, with and without primer, and each time the results were fairly similar. It stays pretty much flawless  throughout the whole day; however, I did notice that towards the end of the day, I found the foundation had started to settle into some areas around my nose.

I also found that, like the Skin Base, it has a tendency to find any dry patches on your face and STICK to them like CRAZY! Even if you think you exfoliated really well and don't have any dry areas...this foundation will find them! Therefore, I recommend you exfoliate really well the night before (or in the morning, if you prefer) to fully ensure there are NO dry patches! My favorite exfoliator is the MAC Volcanic Ash Exfoliator.

Top: Blended
Bottom: Unblended

I re-tested the foundation after exfoliating really well, and I found that it stayed perfect the whole day, which I'm surprised about because it's not a medium/full coverage foundation, and I'd expected a lighter foundation to only last a few hours, so this really impressed me! I did set the foundation with powder (I used Clinique Loose Powder) and I didn't get too shiny on my T-zone until about 3/4pm, which is quite good because I work in a place that uses a lot of heating so the atmosphere is "stuffy" and kinda humid while at the same time drying (makes my eyes, throat/mouth, skin quite dry), so I find this makes my skin produce more oil, especially around my nose and chin areas and makes my face a bit shiny (sorry, TMI...!!!)

Left: Skin Base Foundation (shade 06 - too pink-toned for my skin and a bit too dark)
Right: Light Liquid Foundation (Shade LF135 - matches my skin tone)

COMPARISON TO SKIN BASE:

* It's thinner, a bit runny with less coverage.

* Glowy and natural satin finish.

* Needs concealer and corrector to ensure flawless coverage.

* Cheaper in price.

SIMILARITIES WITH SKIN BASE:

* Same bottle - gets annoying to squeeze product out when it's not full.

*Thin, precise nozzle to allow you to control how much you dispense so nothing gets wasted.

* Lasts all day and stays pretty much flawless.

* Sticks to any dry patches on the skin and emphasizes them.

Overall Thoughts:
I think this foundation is good for everyday use, and is especially perfect for those days where you don't have blemishes (a "good face" day!) because you won't need to add concealer or corrector. I loved how easily it melted into my skin and felt so light and refreshing - this would be an ideal summer foundation, too!

Personally, I prefer Skin Base, purely for its coverage, however, I don't think Skin Base is an "everyday" foundation. I don't think I would repurchase this product again because I found that some of my BB creams actually provided a better coverage without clinging to drier areas, but if I didn't have problematic skin, I would definitely repurchase it!

With regards to it sticking to dry patches, I have a feeling that all of Illamasqua's foundations do this - I've tried 2 out of 3 so far, so I will need to test out the Rich Liquid Foundation as well to see if my theory is correct!

The Light Liquid Foundation retails at £23 (Skin Base is £27, Rich Liquid £25).

Illamasqua products are available in the UK and internationally at selected stores, and online (with UK and international shipping).

PS. I also found these Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation Comparison Charts - if you know what shade you are in the SKIN BASE foundation, you can see what shade you would be in their other foundations. It also compares other brands (eg. NARS, YSL, MAC...) and tells you your perfect shade in the SKIN BASE foundation, which you can then translate into the Light Liquid/Rich Liquid shade.