Illamasqua Rich Liquid Foundation Review

I've been using foundation since time immemorial but so far have only come across a few really good ones that have stood the test of quality, value for money, performance and time. For me, to get excited about just any foundation is very rare, I REALLY am that fussy about the base products! From drugstore to high end ones, I have never really hesitated to try my luck with them.

Inspite of having good skin I do have a few imperfections here and there which I occassionaly like to cover up, especially at times when I have a few breakouts which make my face look flushed in appearance and hence the need for a good high coverage foundation to cover them all...

For the past few months i've been searching for a base product which can deliver in its promise in terms of providing a flawless coverage and give me a perfect canvas to work upon. It seemed like my journey to the perfect base would never end until I met this jewel from Illamasqua.......
and its....*blows trumphet*...(No prizes for guessing as the title says it all!) the Rich Liquid Foundation from Illamasqua!

This is a no nonsense foundation! A clever little product that WILL cover almost any scar/imperfection! I am really serious when I say this! It provides the HIGHEST coverage I have ever seen for a foundation and this comes from a person who has tried and tested a lot of them in the past! Before buying this foundation, I had come across a few bad reviews on Rich Liquid foundation which made me think low of it but when I had an oppurtunity to try this at the Illamasqua counter, I was surprised to see how flawless it made my skin look!

One more thing that tempted me to buy the Rich liquid foundation was the vast shade selection, available from palest to the darkest of the dark shades! FYI, the SA at Illamasqua counter told me that Ilamasqua has finally tweeked the foundation shades a bit in the Rich Liquid range to bring down the ashy tones in them and make them suitable for yellow based skintones.

During summertime I can take the liberty of going a shade dark or two and I bought the 215 shade for summer and for winter I bought the 210.

Whats really worth mentioning about this wonder of a foundation is the concentrated pigments in them, which is simply amazing as it evens out skintone unike any other foundation in the market! Its a foundation and concealer all in one! This foundation has a creamy gel-like texture, similar to the MAC studio scupt and provides a semi matt to matt finish to the skin. It is a thick foundation but feels and looks light on your skin.

I really like the packaging of this foundation too, it comes in a transparent plastic case with a tiny nozzel to prevent spillage plus its so hygienic to use!

With Illamasqua Rich Liquid foundation, you just need a tiny amount to achieve that flawless Red Carpet look and if you desire for a bit lighter coverage, you could mix it with a blob of moisturizer and apply it using either a duo fibre, flat top or a dense kabuki brush.

In terms of staying power, Illamasqua Rich Liquid foundation keeps me looking flawless upto 4 hours and after which it starts to look a bit cakey and shiny in appearance and needs a bit of dusting with a face powder to reachieve the matt look. By the way, my face produces more oil during summers and this could also add to my one in many reasons for getting a shiny face within a few hours.

The only one thing that I have to keep in mind before using the Rich Liquid foundation is to exfoliate my skin properly and then use a good moisturizer so that it helps the foundation to glide well, without clinging onto the rough patches on my skin.

(A pic of me wearing the Rich Liquid Foundation by Illamasqua)

Overall, I'm utterly chuffed to have found this foundation and would definitely recommend this to people who like a semi matt to matt finish with full coverage (skip this if you are into tinted moisturizers/light foundations). Illamasqua Rich Liquid foundation retails at £21 per 30 ml bottle and I got 25% off on my purchase, courtesy Illamasqua Make Up Amnesty!

By the way, Illamasqua Makeup Amnesty has been extended upto 7th August 2010 due to the popular demand, so take advantage of this offer and grab yourself some Illamasqua goodies!

Updated Review:- A month has passed since I started regularly wearing this foundation & what I have observed is that it dries my skin a lot and feel this foundation is not suited for dry skin. I've a combination skin type whereby my nose, cheek and chin region is more dry than the rest of my face and this foundation makes those regions to appear more dry than usual and accentuates it a lot. After a bit of trial and error I found out that if I mix this with MUFE HD foundation [which also contains silicone] and moisturizer in equal portions and apply it with a foundation brush (not a stippling brush as it could lift up the dry skin), it spreads a lot smoother and looks more natural on my skin! This technique works for me and for others it might or might not but I would suggest you first mix it with a silicone based foundation and moisturizer and see if it works or not for you.

Have you tired the Illamasqua Rich Liquid foundation? Whats your HG foundation for maximum coverage? Please feel free to share about your best and worst foundation purchases with us xoxo