Beauty Product Reviews

Drying

I know this is advertised as a gentle shampoo, but I've noticed the same with a lot of shampoos containing Sodium Laureth Sulfate in it. Sodium Laureth Sulfate is better than Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, but for some reason, it's still quite drying for me. The first couple of hours my hair feels really fresh and clean, but the next day my scalp starts to freak out and itch and overproduce a bunch of oil. Not sure I would recommend this if your scalp overproduces oil in response to drying shampoos as mine does.

Perfect blush/bronze

The sunkissed shade is the perfect balance between blush/bronze that looks really pretty on the high points of the face and on the eyes. It's a little monochromatic on its own though, so I like to wear it with the RMS beauty master mixer on the center of the lid and the By Terry CC blush on the apples of the cheeks to add some extra rosiness and glow. It does a really great job of tying everything together, the texture is super duper creamy and the brush that comes with it is surprisingly soft as well! Quite happy with this so far.

Hit and miss

The eyeshadow is absolutely gorgeous and looks like a literal savannah sunset on the eyes. The lipstick is also one of my favorite lipstick shades of all time, it's slightly darker than my natural lip color, which I love, and also adds the perfect amount of warmth to my lips as well. The bullet is quite waxy though so I make sure to prep my lips with a scrub and balm before dabbing it on for a natural, lived-in look. I don't mind the waxy texture of the lipstick because I think it actually helps it last quite long throughout the day.

My problem is with the illuminating powder and the multeyetasker. The illuminating powder is too dark to be a highlighter but too shimmery to be a blush/bronzer for me, so I basically just have a huge pan of eyeshadow. It looks good on the eyes in the center of the lid though so I guess that's one saving grace. The multeyetasker swatches really nicely on the back of the hand, but on the eyes, it doesn't really show up at all.

Amazing value for money

This set is only a little more expensive than JUST the liquid light serum highlighter on it's own, so this is such a great way to try out a range of products from ILIA!

My favorite product from this is the multistick. The ladybird shade is really flattering both on the cheeks and eyes, and the finish is really dewy so you almost don't even need a highlight with this, it already makes you look really glowy and lit from within.

The lip gloss is a close second, it's so hydrating and balmy, yet gives a really nice flush of color to the lips in a "your lips but better" kind of way. I don't usually like to draw attention to my lips, so I really struggle to find the perfect lip color for me sometimes, but this gloss is just perfect!

The mascara is amazing as always and the liquid highlighter gives a really subtle and natural glow. Looks like your skin is glowing and not your highlighter. All in all, I am super happy with this set and highly recommend it.

Unexpected finds!

I originally got this set to test out the lip2cheek and living luminizer. Ended up absolutely loving master mixer on the eyes -- I wear it on top of a cream matte eyeshadow (usually the ilia multistick/matte pigments) and it's so pretty placed in the center of the lid! I just love this combination for an easy everyday minimal makeup look, so convenient and easy.