Spoiler: I love them. After maybe 18 months of not really wanting to buy or test any new makeup, Ilia really caught my attention with some of their newer formulas. The Balmy Gloss Lip oil has me swooning. It’s so easy to apply and comfortable to wear day after day. And the Liquid Powder Chromatic Eye Tints are truly unique in the green beauty space! Lastly, Ilia launched their latest mascara product: the Fullest Volumizing Mascara, which is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
Also, if you’re looking for a video demo, check out my Instagram Reel for some swatches and real-time applications.
It was love at first swipe with this mascara. I prefer a volumizing formula since my lashes are a decent length already. What I loved about Ilia’s latest mascara is that it was volumizing from the first use. Normally, I have to give mascaras a few days to ‘thicken’ after the formula is exposed to air for the first time. Not only did the Fullest Volumizing mascara make a big impact on its first use, but it also wasn’t watery or flakey either.
The shape of the wand is exactly what I like too: thick on both ends and short in the middle. This helps lift the lashes up a little more towards the outer edge of the eye, giving a more cat-eye appearance. In fact, this was what I had loved about the Bite Beauty Upswing mascara. I’m glad to see that Ilia has a clean, vegan now too!
As soon as I tried these tinted lip oils, I knew I’d found a keeper. I’m a bit obsessed with lip products and they easily make up the largest part of my clean beauty collection. While I love the look of a gloss, I really hate that sticky texture they typically have. Ilia’s Balmy Gloss Tinted Lip Oil has a dreamy texture more like, well a balmy-glossy oil! It’s lightweight, has a semi-opaque colour payoff and feels hydrating on the lips.
Since I first purchased the shade Saint, I’ve been wearing these lip oils almost daily. During the Sephora sale, I knew I’d need a second Balmy Gloss and went for the shade Tahiti. Tahiti is a warm peachy-pink with nude-orange undertones. And Saint is a warm cinnamon-red with deep-peach undertones. (Warm colours suit my complexion best. But I was tempted to try some of the cooler shades too.) Both shades have a great colour payoff, can be layered for a more opaque look, have a beautiful gel-gloss appearance, and wear off well throughout the day. They aren’t tacky at all and my hair gets stuck in this far less than my other glosses. The formula really feels like a hydrating lip mask or thick lip balm, which I love.
I’m not huge into eyeshadows. They always seem to disappoint me or are too difficult to work with. Also, my eyelids tend to get oily which makes most eyeshadows crease. I purchased Gleam on a whim and was pleasantly surprised! The Liquid Powder Chromatic Eye Tint can produce a saturated, bold colour if swiped on and left to dry. Or you can easily diffuse and blend the product using your finger pad. I was surprised how quickly the formula changed from a creamy liquid to a fixed-in-place powder. Much like the other new formulas, I knew I’d found a winner.
During the Sephora VIB Rouge sale, I snapped up Fresco which pairs perfectly with Gleam. Using the applicator, I’ll dab a tiny bit of Fresco into my eyelid crease and then use my finger to tap the product across my eyelids and then about halfway up to my brow bone. This is pretty on its own! But to create a gilded, captivating gold eye, I’ll add a swipe of Gleam close to my eyelash line. Next, I’ll carefully tap the gold colour up towards my crease using my finger pad. Be sure to work quickly though! As I mentioned before, this formula dries fast and doesn’t budge much once it’s set. With a typical eyeshadow, I’ll deposit colour on both eyes and then buff and blend the colour. However, with the Liquid Powder Chromatic Eye Tints, I work on one eye at a time to avoid the product setting before I’ve blended it out.
Shop everything that I used to create this makeup look below. On my lips, I’m wearing the Balmy Gloss Tinted Lip Oil in Tahiti. And on my eyes, I’m wearing the Liquid to Powder Chromatic Eye Tint in Fresco and Gleam. Plus two coats of the Fullest Volumizing Mascara. I’m also wearing an eye primer from Kypris, a few makeup products from 100% Pure, and a beautiful rosehip oil by Odacite.
See a quick video demo of all of these products in my Instagram Reel.
In this video, I swatch the Balmy Gloss Tinted Lip Oil in Saint and Tahiti. Notice that the first layer is semi-transparent and the second layer adds a richer, more opaque coverage. Next, swatches of the Chromatic Eye Tints in Fresco and Gleam in my Instagram Reel. I like to blend these two together for an antique gold finish. And towards the end, my first application of the Fullest Volumizing mascara. Yes, this is how well this mascara performs on its first use!