Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation - FOTD & Review

I recently previewed Illamasqua's much awaited BB cream inspired 'Skin Base Foundation' at their Flagship store in London.

Just to remind you how they are different from the BB creams in the Asian market,

- Illamasqua has 18 shades to suit Olive/Deeper skin tones as well
- No SPF to avoid the whitening element

Besides that, their formula remains pretty much the same as Blemish Balms or Beauty Balms.

I love the fact that they have made the numbering of shades a hell lot easier by categorising them numerically, starting from the palest shade to the darkest. 

The palest shade i.e. number one is literally white, hence I am guessing it can be used as a shade adjuster instead of a foundation, as I doubt anyone is that pale. 

Plus, they tell you what underdone e.g. Neutral, Olive, Pink, Yellow or Red the foundation is catered for, taking away all that NC-NW confusion out there. 

I tried on a number of shades and was finally matched to a SB 10 - a shade that has pure yellow undertones and is a medium NC35-like shade. The shades run a bit lighter than what they look like in the swatches on their website, therefore I recommend you try out the shades in store before making a purchase. 

I like how the shade adjusted to my skin tone and its quite warm if you know what I mean. It made my MAC Face & Body in C3 look so ashy and pale! 

The consistency of the foundation is ingenious as expected. It gives full coverage from the very first application and delivers a pixel perfect, undetectable finish. It mimics the HD element that foundations boast of these days, however still manages to look like skin. 

It feels extremely light on the skin leading me to believe that it's unlikely to clog pores and cause a breakout. Also, I adore it for its versatility in the sense that one can get away simply with one layer of it during the day and then build it on in the evening for a flawless finish. 

I know, you can actually touch-up this foundation after a few hours without it looking cakey! It also lasted on my face, untouched, for almost half a day as well. 

I avoided using a concealer with this one as it works pretty well at concealing too. My only gripe is the £25 price tag for 30ml of this heavenly potion. 

The consistency of this is like MAC's Studio Sculpt foundation and it's finish is quite similar to Face Atelier's Ultra foundation in case you're wondering.  

I am currently using up a sample size of this to test it out but I am pretty sure I will be taking the plunge and buying a full size of this when it's released. I shall keep you posted!