Il Makiage Primer Review: Is It Worth the Hype?
Everyone on Instagram was hyped about the Il Makiage primer, so I had to give it a try! Even though I knew it was likely just a marketing strategy, I couldn’t help but hope it would live up to the excitement.
To be honest, I don’t have much to say about this product.
With the Il Makiage Primer, all I needed was one pump. I tried two pumps once, but that made my skin more oily than velvety. It did make my skin smooth, yes, but also gave it that dry-but-oily feel. Even after applying a thick, sticky-textured moisturizer, my skin still felt dry, though not actually dry—just oily and tight.
Here’s what the Il Makiage website says about the product:
- Soft, smoothing texture
- Minimizes the appearance of pores
- Fills fine lines and wrinkles
- Gives makeup some serious staying power
- Controls shine without ever drying out the skin
- Velvety finish
- Cruelty Free
- 25 ML/ 0.84 FL OZ
I agree with some of these claims. It does create a soft, smoothing texture, though almost too smooth, to the point where it feels oily. It slightly minimizes the appearance of pores, but nothing too dramatic. If you have acne-scarred or slightly bumpy skin, it might help a little with covering pore texture.
However, I noticed it actually emphasized the color of my pores. I’m not sure why, but it did. To cover that, I found myself needing more foundation, which isn’t ideal, especially in warmer weather when I want to wear minimal makeup. So if you prefer a light makeup look, you may end up using more concealer than usual.
That said, it does have serious staying power. I applied it in the morning, and my makeup lasted all day without needing much touch-up. I didn’t sweat, so my makeup didn’t cake or break apart.
As for controlling shine without drying out the skin, I think this is where the problem lies. While it controls shine, my skin felt oily instead of velvety.
One more thing—when I tried checking other reviews to see if anyone had the same issues, the website glitched and wouldn’t let me see more than five 5-star reviews.
The mystery gift I received was a scrunchie, which may be because I didn’t sign up for a subscription.
To summarize my review:
- It does what it claims to do, but it’s not ideal for those who prefer light makeup, as it can emphasize discoloration of the skin.
- It might help for acne-scarred, bumpy skin to smooth out slightly, but the effect is minimal.
- In my opinion, it’s not worth the price.
- If you’ve ever tried DHC Velvet Skin Coat, the texture is similar. Personally, I prefer DHC because it’s more affordable and works better for my skin, which may be because I have Asian skin—I’m not sure. DHC is cheaper than Il Makiage, so if you want an alternative, I recommend giving that a try. Even if you don’t love it, you won’t have spent $57.
I’ll leave an Amazon affiliate link to the DHC Velvet Skin Coat in case you want to try it.
Please note: By clicking the link and purchasing the item, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions in this post are my own.
Leave a Reply