a spring makeup look with aillea. article by this organic girl

A Spring Makeup Look with Aillea Beauty

a spring makeup look with aillea. article by this organic girl

Okay so there are a few things I am obsessed with that I’m showing off in this look. First of all, I’ve been using the new ILIA Foundation Serum for a couple of months now and it’s gotten to the point where I can’t keep it a secret anymore. It’s official; I love it. As my skin ages, fine lines get more prominent and I find that a matte finish really works against me. The same applies to blush too. Cheers to 40. Who’s with me?!

 

ILIA FOUNDATION SERUM

Well, because ILIA’s new foundation is a mix in consistency of a foundation and a serum, it pretty much won me over on day one. It goes on smooth and even, finishing with a look of…well, skin. It’s definitely not a matte finish but I wouldn’t call it dewy either…it’s more like your skin but better. I think the best way to classify it is it looks “alive”.

So I got a sample from Aillea Beauty in the shade 5 – but after exploring more shades, I’m actually a 6. Like, a PERFECT 6.  (For reference, here are some of the other color matches: RMS UN Coverup 33 and Vapour Foundation Stick 123, W3LL PEOPLE Narccist Stick 5, Kjaer Weis Feathery.)

I would call the ILIA Foundation Serum light to medium coverage. It will even you out but if you have some redness that you really want to coverup, it may require going in first with a concealer. I like RMS UN Coverup applied thinly with a brush and layered for more coverage if needed.

Also, I just want to mention, because my forehead is a few shades darker than the rest of my face, I rarely apply foundation there and the same applies here to this look. I did however go in with some UN POWDER, a translucent finishing powder to soften this look and tie it all together.

After combing through the ILIA Foundation Serum ingredients, there was one ingredient that I wanted to circle back and ask ILIA about: Dimethicone. Dimethicone is not new to the green beauty scene and you will see it often in some higher performing foundations – it makes a product really silky and spreadable and it’s a champ at filling in small lines. The downside here is it’s definitely a lab-made synthetic – and it’s definitely sitting on top your skin – potentially interfering with natural skin function in a way that organic/natural oils wouldn’t.

The concern here is less about toxicity and more about function. Here’s a little bit more on dimethicone. It rates a 3 on EWG. It’s listed as “very low toxicity” in Ruth Winter’s book, A Consumer’s Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) panel assessed it as safe to use in personal care products. And for the record, ILIA formulates their Foundation Serum with 3% dimethicone.

After using it for over a month now I can say it definitely has not broken me out or anything. And in fact, I’ll go a step further and add without a doubt this is by far one of the best performing foundations I’ve tried. I mean look at the coverage here, it’s so beautiful.

 

RMS LIVING LUMINIZER 

Another product I’m totally obsessed with is RMS’s Living Luminizer. This product is a real OG in green beauty dating back to the dawn but it stands the test of time again and again. You would never know it but I have in on here:

  • Dabbed right in the center of my eyelids over my shadow
  • In the corner of my eyes
  • On my Cupid’s Bow
  • Dabbed over my lipstick
  • On my upper brow

This is a super elegant, super clean highlighter who’s versatility is through the roof. It’s understated in the most beautiful way where it would look amazing on a 50-year-old and also chic on a 20-something. I recently attended a RMS training at Aillea and learned some new application tricks like layering it over just the center of your eye shadow or dabbing it over lipstick. I left totally mind blown and with a whole new respect for an already fave: Living Luminizer.

You can pick it up in a solo pot $38 but what I really recommend is their RMS Signature Set MOD Collection. You get Living Luminizer, Master Mixer (which is a golden version of Living Luminizer), then two lip2cheeks that can be used (you guessed it; on the cheeks and/or lips) in Spell and Smile, PLUS it comes with their simply cocoa lip (and skin) balm all for just a few bucks more! $44 #worthit!

 

LILY LOLO EYELID PRIMER

This is a dual color primer. Dab a little on your finger and apply evenly and thinly over top lid. I love the more yellowy one which eliminates redness and brings lids back to neutral. Essentially “priming” lids to allow shadow to pop and wear true to color. $15

 

LILY LOLO LAID BARE EYE PALETTE

Using Au Naturel as an all-over wash and Birthday Suite in the crease and below the lash line. This is a fantastic palette with 8 neutral shadows. Super wearable and easy to build day or night looks. And best part is at $34 it doesn’t break the bank!

 

LILY LOLO MASCARA

Two coats on my top lashes and one coat on the bottom. If you are still using that pink mascara with the green top from CVS – consider switching to Lily Lolo! It adds volume and length and at $20 it’s more accessible than most high preforming green beauty mascaras.

 

VAPOUR AURA MULTI USE STICK IN SPARK

Vapour Multi Use sticks come in several colors and they are one of my faves. A cream blush that can also be used on lips or eyes – but I mostly use it on my cheeks. Dab a bit then blend with fingers for a beautiful flush of color. Spark is a sheer peachy pink that is just perfect for spring. $36

 

MAYA CHIA HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY IN AFTER HOURS

First of all, the smell alone of this product will take you there. But then the performance will sweep you off your feet. An oil-based highlighter that enhances any look. Subtle, buildable, beautiful, glowing. $42

 

RMS VINTAGE CAKE LINER

You will need an angled brush to apply with precision. I prefer wetting my brush then going in and loading it with product so it’s wet. This gives it a nice dense concentration of color upon transfer – then I either leave it as is or go back in with a smudger to soften the look like I did here. This shadow effect creates the illusion of fuller lashes. $24

 

KJAER WEIS LIPSTICK IN HONOR

The Kjaer Weis packaging is by far my favorite lipstick packaging. This metal tube sits heavy in the hand and is like a piece of jewelry for my hand bag/counter top/hand. This is a super dry/matte formula so I like to prime lips with a balm first. However if you want this to wear more true to color be sure to prime your lips with a thin layer of foundation or concealer – the ILIA Foundation Serum does the trick! $56

 

RMS "UN" POWDER

This powder is the only powder you will ever need. It’s white/translucent so it won’t add coverage but it will decrease excess shine and soften the skin – it’s super pretty! I use it for so many things: over eyelid primer before shadows, on forehead, in between layering consealear or foundation, or to polish off any look. $34

 

RMS "UN" COVER-UP

Love this as a concealer or a foundation. UN Coverup is coconut oil based so it just melts into skin and gives you that barely-there foundation look while eliminating redness. It’s so beautiful. You can apply with your fingers but I absolutely love using this brush that’s designed to replicate a finger but has more access to the small spots around your nose and face. In this look, I used UN COVERUP around my nose before applying the ILIA Foundation Serum. $36

 

Aillea Beauty is Atlanta’s newest green beauty destination. And they are totally blowing up with two shops in Colorado and new stores opening in Charleston, SC and Raleigh, NC. They stock and curate so many of my faves it’s so easy to shop there and find most everything I need/want. They have a ton of high-end and affordable clean beauty brands and continue to add more. Keep Aillea on your radar!

 

Are you loving this look as much as I am!?

 

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