IL MAKIAGE Foundation Review: I Don’t Love It

The IL Makiage foundation has 775k+ reviews… But why?

If you’re on any form of social media, I’m sure you’ve been served an IL MAKIAGE Foundation ad, boasting how great Woke Up Like This is. Truly, it’s the foundation that broke the Internet. It has big claims, a great shade range, and the reviews to back it up. But is it really all what it’s cracked up to be? Here’s my honest IL MAKIAGE Foundation review.

Quick Rating Rundown Chart

This Product

(3.8)

:IL MAKIAGE Woke Up Like This Foundation

Price: $45.00

1.0 oz

Value

(4.3)

Application

(3.9)

Coverage (full)

(3.5)

Finish (matte)

(2.9)

Longevity

(3)

Shade Range

(5)

Extra Benefits

(3.7)

Industry Standarad

(4.6)

:Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation

Price: $48.00

1.0 oz

Value

(4.1)

Application

(4.8)

Coverage (full)

(5)

Finish (natural)

(4)

Longevity

(4.8)

Shade Range

(5)

Extra Benefits

(3.5)

MILABU PICKS

(4.5+)

:Best Foundations Of All Time

Price: $20 – $96

various

Value

(4.5+)

Application

(4.5+)

Coverage

(4.5+)

Finish

(4.5+)

Longevity

(4.5+)

Shade Range

(4.5+)

Extra Benefits

(4.5+)

^{Our Rating Criteria}

Promises vs. Performance: Woke Up Like This Foundation sounds better than it is.

Woke Up Like This Foundation from IL MAKIAGE claims an advanced, innovative formula with buildable medium to high coverage. It promises to smooth, blur, and even out skin, minimizing the appearance of shadows, fine lines, redness, pores, and blemishes. This is done with optically corrective powders while light-diffusing spheres draw attention away from imperfections. Woke Up Like This has a natural matte finish and lightweight texture. The formula also has vitamin E for anti-aging benefits, plus hyaluronic acid to hydrate, protect, and fill in wrinkles.

My honest thoughts.

I’m going to be honest… I’m not blown away by the viral IL MAKIAGE Foundation. Between the bold claims and rave reviews, I expected a much better performance. The formula is very liquidy and blends well with a brush. But, you have to work fast with this formula. It sets incredibly fast and becomes impossible to blend – even with a damp sponge! The coverage isn’t as promised either. In my opinion, it is more of a light to medium coverage rather than the medium to full promised. To even get a medium coverage, I had to use 3 full pumps of foundation.

From far away, Woke Up Like This Foundation looks great. But, as I really looked up close, I noticed immediate cracking and creasing in areas that don’t usually have this problem. It accentuates any bit of texture from dryness to spots, and does settle into fine lines. The formula never really becomes one with the skin, but instead just sits on top. I will say, it did surprise me by how lightweight this foundation feels and how it is relatively transfer resistant before it begins wearing off. It becomes more cracky and creasy, exaggerating any bit of texture or imperfection on my skin and looks patchy after 8 hours of wear.

Something else to note is the shade range. While it is an impressive 50 shades, the aren’t color true online to in person. The shade finder did not help me find a great match, but chose shades too light for my skin tone. I’d recommend pick based on the color you think would match best rather than the shade finder.

How It Compares: There are way better foundations out there.

I expected so much more from the viral Woke Up Like This IL MAKIAGE Foundation. It promises medium to full coverage with a flawless, natural matte finish, but doesn’t deliver. It’s not the easiest formula to work with as it dries incredibly fast, nor does it provide an immediate medium coverage. Despite its liquidy texture, it cracks and creases almost immediately, which results in only about 3 hours of okay wear. After that, it’s nothing but an extremely patchy wear with a dry, sandy look.

My holy grail full coverage, long wear foundation remains Estee Lauder Double Wear. If you’ve researched makeup any bit, I’m sure you’ve come across it is. I, and many others, dub it the industry standard for its performance. No matter what primer, what complexion enhancers, and what setters I pair with it, it withstands the test of time. The coverage, finish, and longevity are unmatched.

Comparison to Top Performers

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Performance Rating Chart

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