Il Makiage Foundation Promises to Match Your Skin Tone Perfectly—So I Put It to the Test

Updated: May 09, 2024

After all its viral videos on social media, I knew I had to try Il Makiage Foundation for myself to see if it lived up to its 400,000 five-star reviews.

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Finding the perfect shade of foundation has always been a struggle for me. I’ve tried so many different foundation brands, but even the best foundations have left me unimpressed. Sometimes they don’t match my skin tone, other times they’re too cakey or leave my skin feeling either too dry or too oily. Instead, I’ve tried to focus on other makeup products, like finding the best lipsticks for my skin tone and trying on magnetic lashes or concealers to cover my dark circles.

After seeing Il Makiage Foundation all over my social media for weeks, I finally caved and tried it out. I was hopeful that—with over 25 million bottles sold and the promise of full coverage, a natural finish and a perfect skin match—this foundation could finally be the solution to my makeup woes.

What is Il Makiage Foundation?  

Foundation On HandStephanie Hope/RD.com

The Il Makiage Foundation formula provides all-day coverage while still being lightweight and smooth on the skin. With its unique blend of ingredients, including hyaluronic acid and vitamin E, it not only provides coverage but also nourishes and hydrates the skin, leaving behind a radiant glow. It’s available in 50 different shades to match any skin tone.

It leaves behind a natural, matte finish while ensuring long-lasting and transfer-resistant results. It’s vegan, cruelty-free, and free of parabens, sulfates and phthalates.

I Tried It

Il Makiage Foundation

If you're looking for a simple, smooth, matte foundation that provides full coverage, Il Makiage Foundation is your product.

Why gid Il Makiage Foundation go viral? 

I saw Il Makiage Foundation all over social media and was immediately intrigued by the promise of matching the foundation to my skin tone perfectly just by using their shade match quiz, which is what made so many of their videos go viral. After seeing the reviews of women applying the foundation and matching their skin tone perfectly, I became convinced to get my hands on it.

How we tested it

4 different steps with using the Il Makiage FoundationStephanie Hope/RD.com

To make sure I tested the product fairly, I wanted to try a few different methods. Personally, I usually only apply a little bit of moisturizer with SPF on my skin before applying my foundation, but sometimes I don’t even do that. However, to really test this foundation, I tried three ways of applying my foundation: once with my bare face, once using just moisturizer and once using a primer.

For the bare face version, it was quite simple: I applied the product to my clean skin. The foundation did a great job at providing full coverage and you can see how well it matched my skin tone. I have very prominent dark circles which are difficult to cover up, but Il Makiage Foundation did a great job.

Next, I applied some moisturizer to give my dry, winter skin a fighting chance. The results were not much different, but the foundation did go on even smoother and my skin underneath felt hydrated and supple.

Finally, I tested it with a primer, which is not a typical part of my routine. Primers create a smooth base for your foundation to sit on, resulting in flawless coverage. As expected, using a primer made the application thicker and provided even fuller coverage than the foundation on its own. This is a great method if you have a makeup order that includes a full face of makeup. However, if you’re like me and prefer a more minimal approach to even your skin tone and cover up spots, using just the foundation is more than enough.

Normally I would continue my routine with bronzer and blush to add color back to my skin, but for the sake of the test, I only tried the foundation.

Pros  

  • Provides great coverage 
  • Lightweight
  • Smooth and easy to apply
  • Never looks cakey
  • Available in 50 shades

Cons  

  • Only available online

What other shoppers had to say  

“Honestly, I was skeptical,” writes verified purchaser Cassandra B. “I have been seeing the ads for over a year now. Frustrated with the finish and/or match of so many promising brands, I decided to try the risk-free product. I assumed I’d be sending it back. But it’s a keeper! The finish is natural. If I had perfect skin it would look like this, not greasy or muted and dry looking.”

Verified purchaser Monica K says, “I’m 62. Fair skin. Lots of freckles and age spots. I was skeptical at first about this foundation but after seeing the reviews I went with it. Love the color match, coverage and feel. Amazing.”

The accuracy of the quiz shocked reviewer Karen S. “How that quiz got my color correct, I’ll never know. My skin looks amazing. Someone said, ‘I don’t know what you are doing, but you look glamorous!’ Doesn’t get any better than that.”

Final verdict

If you’re looking for a simple, smooth, matte foundation that provides full coverage, Il Makiage Foundation is your product. It applies so easily and doesn’t need any additional products to look good on your skin. Additionally, I loved the makeup brush they included with the order. 

I can’t stress enough how important it is to take the shade test to make sure you find the perfect match for your skin tone. I have such a hard time picking a foundation that matches my skin tone, and knowing that now I never have to worry about that again makes Il Makiage worth it.

Where to Buy Il Makiage Foundation  

I Tried It

Il Makiage Foundation

If you're looking for a simple, smooth, matte foundation that provides full coverage, Il Makiage Foundation is your product.

Buy Il Makiage Foundation directly from the brand’s website for $45. Don’t forget to take the shade test to find your perfect match and you’ll never have to worry about returning a foundation again.

Why you should trust us

Stephanie Hope is a former Reader’s Digest shopping editor with several years of experience finding, testing and reporting the best products across subjects like travel, style, and beauty. Stephanie extensively tested the Il Makiage Foundation and documented how the foundation worked with her skin. From there, she considered customer reviews and the best ways to purchase the foundation. When she’s not writing and editing. Stephanie enjoys testing products and discovering new brands to stay updated on exciting products our readers love.

FAQs

Is Il Makiage trustworthy?

Yes, Il Makiage is a trustworthy brand. Their website has over 450,000 five-star reviews, with the majority stating how much shoppers love the products and their results.

Is Il Makiage good for older skin?

Many Il Makiage products are suitable for mature skin. The brand includes ingredients like hyaluronic acid and vitamin E to support skin health. This product helps reduce the most common signs of aging: wrinkles, lines and loss of firmness. 

Do any celebrities use Il Makiage?

While Il Makiage is popular with shoppers of all ages, it also has a celebrity following. Stars like Sydney Sweeney have been spotted applying the brand’s Woke Up Like This Flawless Base Foundation.