After my lament about the lack of options from green beauty brands for darker skinned beauties, I’ve been exploring what options ARE available. I’ve got a serious Ilia lipstick habit so was excited explore its new complexion offerings. I popped in to green beauty emporium, Content Beauty, in Marylebone, which is the only place I’m aware of in the UK that has the full Ilia range in-store. For those that don’t know Ilia, it is an ecoluxe line of natural beauty products made with up to 85% certified organic ingredients, wrapped up in sleek, chic packaging.
ILIA VIVID CONCEALER
Ilia says: “A botanical-packed gentle formula for sensitive skin, providing light to medium coverage. The healing properties of Aloe and Coconut Oil soothe and hydrate, while Arnica and Green Tea Extract help calm inflammation.”
I think of “vivid” as being bright, bold and colourful, not necessarily things I look for in a concealer. A quick dictionary check informed me “realistic” and “lifelike” are also synonyms so that’s what Ilia is going for. The various colours are named after various root vegetables and spices which, with my produce obsession, I like.
Swatches of Ilia Vivid Concealer
There are six colours in the Vivid Concealer range covering a spectrum of skin tones from the very pale to medium brown. There is nothing for the deepest skin tones but it’s a nice change to see an ecoluxe beauty brand offering shades that go beyond beige. More shades would be ace please Ilia.
I obviously don’t recommend using as much as in the swatches below but it gives you an idea of how opaque the coverage can be and it can be built up from light to medium.
Here’s a closer look at the three darkest shades:
- Ilia Vivid Concealer Ginseng C4 – described as for medium complexions – I would say this is for olive skin and light brown skin such as Beyonce, Rihanna, Halle Berry
- Ilia Vivid Concealer Liquorice C5 – described as for medium/dark complexions – I would say this is for medium brown skin with warm undertones – this is the colour I use for my under eye area but it’s a tad too light for blemishes
- Ilia Vivid Concealer Clove C6 – described as for dark complexions – I would say this is for medium brown skin with neutral cool undertones – this pulls a bit grey on my skin
The texture is creamy and works well in the under eye area as it doesn’t crease or make my dry skin look crepey. Make sure the skin is moisturised first. Once the concealer is on it sets quickly so be aware there isn’t much play time. I used my fingers though the instructions recommend using a brush. It also goes on smoothly over blemishes. The formula contains ingredients designed to heal and soothe inflammation including aloe, arnica and calendula, which is a bonus. From the ingredients list below you can see that the Ilia Vivid concealer doesn’t contain beeswax, worth knowing for those that don’t play well with it.
If you can find a colour match, I’d definitely recommend checking the Ilia Vivid concealer out. I haven’t had much experience of organic concealers due to the lack of options available in my colour, but this is the best I’ve tried so far.
Ilia Vivid Concealer, $30/ £25 www.iliabeauty.com and www.beingcontent.com
| ILIA Vivid Concealer ingredients: Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract**, Glycerin, Water (Aqua), Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil*, Glyceryl Stearate, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil*, Cetyl Alcohol, Behenyl Olivate, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Extract**, Arnica (Arnica Montana) Leaf Extract**, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract**, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract**, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol, Allantoin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenethyl Alcohol. May Contain: Mica, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxide (CI77491, CI77492, CI77499). *Certified Organic Ingredients. |
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