Friday, March 11, 2016

A Fine Romance with ILIA Beauty Multi-Stick*

Even though I'm a big fan of natural skincare, I have to admit that I haven't dwelved too much into green make-up products - the less expensive brands often get lukewarm reviews, and as for the more high-end of the spectrum... Well, there aren't that many reviews in the first place, and then there's the price to consider.
ILIA Beauty, a Canadian brand focused on organic and ethically-sourced ingredients, has always drawn my attention on BeautyHabit with its sleek packaging and luxurious lip products, so I was more than happy to receive their Multi-Purpose Stick in A Fine Romance* ($34 for 0.176 oz/ 5g, available on ILIA's website here, Beautylish & The Detox Market in the US and Net-A-Porter worldwide) to try and review.
ILIA's Multi-Purpose Sticks come in 6 flattering colors, contain nourishing shea butter and Vitamin E, and can be used on cheeks, lips and eyes. I'm forever skeptical when it comes to products meant for both lips & cheeks; most of the ones I've tried in the past have been either too dry to use on the lips, or too emollient to use on the cheeks, or both at the same time. However, I'm happy to report that ILIA's Stick is the first multi-use product I've ever used that actually does what it claims!
The Stick has quite a firm texture in the bullet but applies and blends easily - for my cheeks, I use a small stippling brush, and for my lips, I just apply directly from the bullet. It's not greasy or oily in any shape or form - it has a somewhat translucent, gel/ cream feel, and applies very lightweight on the face. It has a beautiful satin finish that gives a natural glow to my cheeks and a stained look to my lips - no obvious shine, no settling into lines or pores, just a fresh 'my skin but better' appearance. Even as a stand-alone cream blush, this formula rivals my favorite Canmake Cream Cheeks - except it wears nicer and more comfortably on the lips as well. There's a faint natural nutty scent to the product that's only discernible on application, but otherwise the product is completely fragrance-free.

The shade I received, A Fine Romance, is described as a berry on ILIA's website - I'd say it's somewhere between a deep rose or a light wine shade with a cool undertone, a bit more muted than a true berry shade. I often have to be careful with shades like this because they can look too dark on my fair skintone, or make me look somewhat bruised - but A Fine Romance is pure perfection. Sheered out on the cheeks, it gives me a healthy flushed look, built up on the lips, it's an everyday 'bitten' wine - and even when the product wears off (it's not very long-wearing on my lips but stays put on the cheeks all day without sliding off or fading), it leaves a nice pink stain behind.
I'm a little bit in love with ILIA's A Fine Romance - you guys, it's so, so effortlessly pretty. For me, it's the epitome of what most green make-up brands strive for in their products: something quick and easy to use that enhances your features without covering them up, while nourishing your skin at the same time. Even on my parched lips, the Multi-Purpose Stick looks even the entire wear time and actually manages to moisturize and soften dry patches. I can't wait to try more products from ILIA - I'm seriously impressed, and I have been rather critical lately when it comes to roadtesting new products. Have you tried anything from ILIA? What are your favorite green beauty make-up brands?

Disclaimer: The product featured in this post is a press sample I received from the brands' PR for review consideration. All links are non-affiliate. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the products featured were purchased with my own monies or provided free of charge. All links are non-affiliate. Thank you for reading!

9 comments:

  1. That looks great on you. The blush is very natural!

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  2. I've tried a night lip product from them - it's got exfoliating particles in it; can't remember what it's called! This reminds me to dig it out again.

    This product looks so pretty on you!

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  3. Wow, that does look lovely and natural! It's especially pretty as a blush, I think. One problem I've encountered while exploring natural makeup online is a lack of swatches. I'm not going to buy anything if there's no proof that it won't look awful in person!

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  4. i love the shade on you! I have one ilia product and i like it! :)

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  5. You shouldn't be shy of green beauty brands! There are SO many good products out there.

    I absolutely LOVE ILIA Beauty. I've been smitten since I first discovered it a few years ago. I scarcely own any other brand of lip colours, haha!

    It isn't overly berry-hued, is it? I love "At Last", which is more of a plum/mauve and plan on adding it to my collection soon (seriously, though, I think I could take home the entire ILIA line) But, I find all of the ILIA colours very adaptive and they are (mostly) universally flattering. This colour looks gorgeous on you :)

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  6. I have a lip pencil to review, and I am feeling so guilty because everything is taking me FOREVER. But I was pretty impressed, too! And it's great to see a multi-tasked that is actually good at multi-tasking!

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  7. I love the pinky flush on you, Monika! I haven't tried any green beauty makeup brands apart from RMS (even those I buy samples). Thanks for sharing this review.

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  8. This is really stunning. I am a sucker for cheek stains, and this one rings all my bells. Winter is coming and this looks like lovely soft winter-skin glow.

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  9. Thank you for reviewing this color! I am IN LOVE with ilia and the "at last" multistick. I'm ready to invest in another and this shade has won me over, based on your review!

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