Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation Swatches, Look and Review

Skin Base 09 shade


Blended into skin


I was able to receive some samples of the new Illamasqua Skin Base foundation to test. Its shade range is nothing short of phenomenal: it has no less than 18 shades! And it has a stark white shade too (Skin Base 01). What other makeup company has a stark white foundation? Maybe one of those pro lines, but I'm glad there is a wide range of colors for almost everyone in this new Illamasqua foundation. Click HERE if you want to see Illamasqua's Comparison Shade Chart, culled from shades of other brands like MAC, Bobbi Brown, NARS or YSL. If you want to compare the Skin Base shades to other Illamasqua foundation shades, CLICK HERE.

The concept is rather simple: Illamasqua wants to create a foundation that will look great in HD, and at the same time, produce flawless, undetectable finish with conditioning formula inspired by the cult Asian market beauty balms. So basically, to my understanding, Illamasqua wants to create a product that is a marriage of HD foundation and BB creams. I will let you know in a moment if Illamasqua achieved this feat.

First, below are the shades I swatched on paper so you can see for yourself the wide range of color. I am an NC30 in MAC, so I am supposed to be SB 09. I used SB 10 though (NC35 equivalent) because I am tan now since it's summer. It's my perfect shade. Nice yellow tones and also worked well on my olive skin.


Illamasqua Skin Base Swatches:












Wearing Skin Base 10 shade

My Take: I think the Illamasqua Skin Base foundation's coverage and texture are closer to High Definition (HD) foundations out in the market today than to BB creams. First of all, the Skin Base has medium to full coverage. BB creams have a slightly thinner consistency (at least those that I've tried) and have light to medium coverage. Skin Base is full coverage for me, and I used two light layers. I used a primer underneath the Skin Base, and it looked great the entire day. It photographs well and makes my skin look good. I've read reviews saying that the Skin Base emphasized dry patches on their skin, but that did not happen to me. It really does help to apply moisturizer before using this, and to apply the Skin Base foundation using a stippling brush to avoid the flaky patches. It looked really nice and stayed on well.

On that note, I really don't see why Illamasqua likened this to BB creams as I see no comparison. However, this is a product I am really liking a lot. It feels lightweight on the skin and does not feel like I have a mask or cakey makeup on.

The big downside for me is the price. It retails for £25 in the U.K. I don't know when it will be coming to the U.S., but I know that this is a much talked about product, so I don't doubt this will be coming to U.S. shores soon.

PROS: Buildable coverage, flawless finish, good staying power

CONS: Price, very fast-drying, may not be for very dry skin

The Shades Of U Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars

What are your thoughts on the new Skin Base foundation?
Note: Media samples were provided by a representative of the company for consideration. All opinions are completely mine.