If you're reading this, I'm willing to bet you've been targeted by ads touting the magic that is Il Makiage's Woke Up Like This Foundation. Once a brand used mostly by makeup artists, Il Makiage has now gone mega-viral among the masses for its full-coverage foundation that, apparently, goes on like butter and leaves your face looking poreless and perfected. But we've all started to wonder: Is Il Makiage *actually* worth it? Are those Il Makiage foundation reviews even real? Cosmo editors (AKA real people with a mix of skin textures, tones, and types) put the buzzy foundation to the test.
Pros
- Full coverage without feeling heavy
- Power Match Quiz helps you find your shade online
- Lasted for 10+ hours through serious heat and humidity
Cons
- Although it doesn't *feel* thick, the consistency is a bit rich, which threw us off
- Was a bit difficult to find the right undertone to match us
About the foundation:
Il Makiage Woke Up Like This foundation has a whopping 634,376 five-star reviews. The liquid formula has a thin consistency that feels lightweight on your face and has a natural, matte finish. The coverage is meant to be buildable, from medium to full coverage depending on how you apply it (see below for our tips). The formula is filled with hyaluronic acid and vitamin E to keep your skin hydrated. Plus, it comes in a pump, which makes it v easy to dispense all the product you need (one to two pumps to cover your entire face). But let's get into the good stuff...
Our reviews:
Beth Gillette, beauty editor
- Skin type: Oily, acne-prone, textured with hyperpigmentation
- Usual foundation woes: I want to look like a glowing goddess angel who just stepped off her private jet from her Fijian holiday, but my oily skin is basically like a human slip and slide for any formula that isn't loaded with mattifiers that make me look dry and cakey.
- How I used the product: I pretty much exclusively blended this on with a dense foundation brush, going back and forth between the Il Makiage Foundation Blending Brush and the Real Techniques Glow Round Base Brush.
Confession: I'd actually tested this foundation years ago and loved it thanks to how smooth and opaque the formula looked on my acne-prone skin. That said, my skin has changed and I have entirely different foundation preferences now. I'm older with fewer active zits on my face but far more leftover acne scars to show for it. I also lean toward more soft, natural finishes and remembered this being slightly heavy (it was the vibe at the time!!).
But! As I brushed this onto my face, I immediately remembered why I love this formula so much: It looks and feels exactly like my natural skin texture, just perfected and smooth and hell. It blends seamlessly onto my face and mimics real skin—so much so that it practically looks like I don't have anything on at all. The finish is soft and cloud-like, but not so matte that it looks heavy or flat. I can easily add cream blush and bronzer to bring dimension and dewiness to my cheeks without disturbing the formula. And it keeps the shine at bay in the areas that I tend to get greasy (ahem, like my nose, cupid's bow, and forehead).
Olivia Truffaut-Wong, editor
- Skin type: Combination, acne-prone
- Usual foundation woes: My combo skin can make it really hard to find a good foundation in the summer because mattifying formulas often cling to my dry spots, but hydrating ones don’t stay on as much as I’d like. I love a full-coverage foundation, but in the summer it’s especially important that it’s not too heavy, because I’m already breaking out from all the heat and sweat.
- How I used the product: I tried the Il Makiage foundation with both a sponge and a brush (the pictures below showcase brush application, FYI). I worried that using a brush would make the foundation stick to my dry spots, but it actually went over smoothly, probably thanks to the Il Makiage primer I put down right before. I finished off the look with some bronzer, blush, a light layer of my Ami Colé powder, and Milani setting spray.
I’ll admit, I was a little skeptical of the color-match quiz, mainly because of the lack of swatch photos and models on the website. When I first tested the foundation on the back of my hand, I thought—for sure—the color wouldn’t be a match, but it actually looked pretty great on my face. My only complaint shade-wise is that it runs a little pink on me, which I think accentuates my redness, but it’s nothing a little extra color corrector can’t fix.
As for the foundation itself, the full-coverage formula is deceptively thick, so it looks like it’s going to be heavier than it actually is. I applied it two ways: once with a sponge and once with a brush, and with both I found that it blended into a light layer that evened out my skin tone without looking cakey. But the brush definitely gave me a bit more coverage (see below for proof).
I wore this foundation on two 90-degree days in NYC, so believe me when I say that I put it to the test. I can comfortably say that this stuff stays ON. I wore it for 12+ hours, no touch-ups, and I still had coverage at the end of the day. I wear glasses to work, so I’m used to my foundation wearing off where the nose pads hit. But this foundation did not move. If any foundation rubbed off on my glasses, I couldn’t see it. I’ll definitely be using this throughout the heat waves ahead, and I can’t wait to see how it holds up when my skin gets drier in the winter.
Jasmine Hyman, assistant shopping editor
- Skin type: Combination with some dry spots
- Usual foundation woes: Pilling or flaking, fully covering my acne without exacerbating it
- How I used the product: I used the foundation with the Il Makiage foundation brush and it blended seamlessly with moisturizer and primer underneath
Okay, I was a little skeptical about Il Makiage before trying it out... I honestly had so many ads in my feed for them and the before-and-afters looked too good to be true. I also prefer light coverage, and this seemed like a heavier formula, but to my surprise, I was actually pleased with the results! While the coverage was def a little heavier than what I'll usually go for, especially in the summertime, it felt light enough on my skin and didn't crack throughout the day (I have normal to dry skin so that was a win).
Do I think this is the best foundation for those who want a hint of coverage? Probably not. Do I think it's great for those who prefer a full glam look and those with mature skin? 100 percent. Overall, I was impressed with the formula. Maybe we can believe some things we see on the internet!
Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers skincare, makeup, hair, nails, and more across digital and print. She can generally be found in bright eyeshadow furiously typing her latest feature or hemming and hawing about a new product you "have to try." Prior to Cosmopolitan, she wrote and edited beauty content as an Editor at The Everygirl for four years. Follow her on Instagram for makeup selfies and a new hair 'do every few months.
