Stila • Illuminating Liquid Foundation • Liquid

rated 3.6(320 reviews)

Average Rating.3.6
Would buy this product again.58%
Package Quality4.1
Price3.7
Ingredients

rated 3 of 5 kenmei on 1/26/2009 1:53:00 AM more reviews by kenmei

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I've been wearing this in 30 watts for the past 6 months, and honestly, I like it. The coverage is good (medium), lasting power is fine (I wear it for about 10+ hours), and it truly does illuminate. HOWEVER, I have acne-prone skin, and an oily T-zone and wow, I'm pretty oily even after putting a mattifying powder over the foundation in the morning by the time lunch rolls around. If I could, I'd give this a 3.5 because I love how it looks when it's not oily. Unfortunately, that's only 50% of the time. :/ So girls with oily skin, beware!

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rated 2 of 5 ccupcake on 12/22/2008 5:23:00 PM more reviews by ccupcake

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Tan, Cool   Hair: Brown, Medium   Eyes: Green    

I had higher expectations for this foundation. It is definitely VERY sheer. I like how it makes my skin look but don't think I couldnt wear it in the summer or it would slide off my face. I tried this because the powder version is AMAZING. I would recomend this product to girls with dry skin that do not need much coverage.
Update: I have been using it for 2 weeks now and LOVE IT, i changed by rating from a 3 to 5, HG status
UPDATE AGAIN: ok i take back the whole hg thing. it is making my dry skin OILY, i returned it to sephora. Wow cannot believe I paid $48 CDN for that....waste of money, im going back to mac studio fix.

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rated 1 of 5 chia021 on 12/3/2008 10:01:00 AM more reviews by chia021

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

I bought this thinking that it'll create a dewy finish. I heard mixed reviews of this product and thought that it should go well on my skin. Wrong. In the morning, the application is too runny and using the MAC 187 stippling brush created streaks. I smother it out with a foundation sponge (which i never have to do with my other foundations). In about 2 hours, I notice that the so called 'radiance' is actually oil. So i manage this with oil control sheets. But i realise that by dabbing, I'm creating streakiness and blotchiness on my skin. It's so frustrating that whiles walking around I feel this oil sheen suffocating my skin. Also, I noticed that whilst travelling, this bottle is not exactly spill-proof. I wasted a good portion of it while it was jostled in my baggage. So overall, only get it if u have DRY skin, and u don't need to constantly dab away excess oil.

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rated 4 of 5 *TOP REVIEWER* OSusanna on 11/25/2008 10:10:00 PM more reviews by OSusanna

Age: 30-35   Skin: Very Dry, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Green    

Yes Yes I love it! For drier skinned ladies, this is good nourishing stuff. 30 Watts is a nice match, although very yellow for an NC20-25 person. The formula is greasier than what's out there today because there's a good deal of mineral oil in this. It stays on nicely with a primer. Coverage isn't as light as I expected. It's a medium on me. I think the cost is prohibitive but the packaging is nice. I don't see the sparklies, so that's not a problem for me. I really like how finished this makes me look.

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rated 2 of 5 *TOP REVIEWER* redheadjane on 11/24/2008 9:37:00 AM more reviews by redheadjane

Age: 36-43   Skin: Other, Fair, Warm   Hair: Red, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Green    

Very disappointed in this foundation. I like Stila Concealers and lip glosses but this foundation leaves a lot to be desired. It's watery, very thin and it is difficult to spread evenly on my face. I tried using a sponge, a brush, my fingertips, pretty much the same with every method. It has absolutely no coverage. They should call it a tinted moisturizer because that's pretty much what it is. It also made me breakout every single time I used it. It's now in the bottom of my makeup box and there to stay.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

rated 5 of 5 edtennisbabe on 9/30/2008 5:13:00 PM more reviews by edtennisbabe

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Green    

I have very light skin, about MAC NC15 or Bobbi Brown Porcelain and I'm using this foundaiton in 10 Watts. After trying a range (and I mean, quite the range) of foundations, this was my favorite. I guess I was kind of surprised, because I'm usually not a fan of the sparkly look (I guess I've seen one too many people go overboard), but this was PERFECT. Not too dewy and not too matte and the perfect color. The consistency is pretty lightweight, but it manages to cover flaws pretty well. A little seems to go a long way. For those with fair skin, this is a must try product.

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rated 1 of 5 PinkPrincess81 on 9/27/2008 3:44:00 AM more reviews by PinkPrincess81

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Medium, Warm   Hair: Blond, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

I did not like this foundation at all, gah, it was awful, for me anyway. I had high hopes for this foundation, as I heard so many glowing reviews about it, so I thought why not try it? Well, it was not so good for my normal to dry, blemish free skin. It gave absolutely no coverage, none at all, and I am used to wearing sheer foundations, and it just managed to look cakey, and overly shiney, gah, it was a mess. It also kind of pooled into my pores, and made my skin feel icky. I am sorry to bring down the rating, but as we all know, makeup is very personal, and I am glad to hear it worked out for a lot of you. The colour choice is great though, nice yellow toned shades, which is difficult to find. I am NC30-35 and I found 50 watts to be a fairly good match.

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rated 4 of 5 *TOP REVIEWER* Vaniessa on 8/15/2008 9:25:00 AM more reviews by Vaniessa

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Acne-prone, Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

Medium coverage foundation that gives you a natural glow all over. The coverage is just nice even for people that has acne scar like me,i dont need any concealer and the finish is just perfect.little amount goes a long way!!!

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rated 5 of 5 princessjennd26 on 8/11/2008 8:29:00 PM more reviews by princessjennd26

Age: 25-29   Skin: Very Dry   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

I have to say that this is definitely my HG foundation. I first bought this a couple of years back and upon first application thought it made my skin look amazing. This made my skin look gorgeous and radiant, evened out my tone, and gave light to medium coverage to make my skin look natural. I hate that "makeup" look. I do agree that there is a bit of a "shimmer" effect, but I actually don't mind it because it is very subtle. When you set this with a powder you lessen the shimmer effect. I have tried foundations before this, and after, but I keep coming back to Stila. I've tried Laura mercier, Dior, chanel, smashbox, etc. To be fair, I did like chanels foundation but it gave me these little bumps all over my skin, that's never happened before. I also have pretty dry skin, so I can see that if you have combo/oily skin that you wouldn't like this. I will most likely be re-buying yet again.

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rated 1 of 5 vitas on 7/19/2008 3:20:00 PM more reviews by vitas

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Green    

colours are great but as for the product-its just powder mixed with mineral oil-gross!

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rated 5 of 5 YeonCouture on 7/9/2008 7:22:00 PM more reviews by YeonCouture

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I love this foundation so much <3
Absolutely the best foudation that i have tried so far.
I love the small glitter and light pearly look it gives you.
also the coverage is very light and it looks completely natural.
for $38 it's totally worth it.

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rated 3 of 5 supersonicsteph on 6/25/2008 1:14:00 AM more reviews by supersonicsteph

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Green    

I really wanted to like this foundation more than I ended up liking it. The color match was great for me, which I really liked. The foundation also looked great right after I applied it, but as the day wore on it looked bleh. This made my skin very oily (a problem I do not usually have) and felt a bit sticky to me. I would have to use my blotting powder multiple times a day. I liked the "glow" this gave me, but I did not like the heavy feeling. I wish I had the same wonderful results others here have had. : / I would not purchase again and actually returned mine back to Sephora.

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rated 4 of 5 *TOP REVIEWER* libby1 on 6/20/2008 8:12:00 PM more reviews by libby1

Age: 36-43   Skin: Dry, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

Feels good and gives a subtle glow to the complexion while providing medium coverage. I like it but the price of the high end products is what turns me off.

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rated 5 of 5 *TOP REVIEWER* terriv13 on 6/18/2008 7:23:00 PM more reviews by terriv13

Age: 36-43   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Blond, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Green    

I have been looking for an illuminating foundation that didn't feel heavy or 'illuminate' too much, and, (drumroll, please), I have found just that in this Foundation!! I've been using Renova, so I have some issues with redness and flaking, so needed something that didn't emphasize that. I am somewhere in the NC25 range, maybe an NC30 in Summer, and I got the 30 watts, which is just about perfect. It looks way too light in the bottle, and when I got it from Sephora (forget ordering directly from Stila), I thought, It's going to be way too light, and I'll have to send it back, but nope, once it's blended in to my skin, it takes on my skintone, if that's possible? It might be a touch too light for Summer, but I figure I'll just add some bronzer and then I'll be good to go! It works great at providing moisture, but not being greasy, and covers my redness really well, also.

Love the pump bottle, also. It's hygenic, plus, you can see how much you have left. I've been using a mixture of Armani Hydra Glow and LSF in 5.5, but it still wasn't just right, and expensive!! This foundation was $38.00 from Sephora, and while that might seem a little high, considering that I love this as much as I do, and the two Armani ones together were running me $110.00, coupled with the fact that I was only tolerating them to use them up, I feel that this is a HG product for me!!

I've been wearing this today for about 8 hours, so far, and the day was around 80 degrees, and it still looks just as good as when I put it on this morning. Looks dewy, not oily or shiny. Just like I have really good skin. It wears really well without having to touch it up during the day, which is a big plus.

Girls, if you can relate to what I described above, then give this a try. You won't be disappointed!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

rated 5 of 5 susiesephora on 6/5/2008 7:55:00 PM more reviews by susiesephora

Age: 25-29   Skin: Very Dry, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

LOVE!

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rated 4 of 5 CptSkye on 6/4/2008 10:45:00 PM more reviews by CptSkye

Age: 36-43   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium   Hair: Red   Eyes: Green    

I love to use this on my more mature clients. I start with the Illum. Tinted Moisturizer as a primer and then this foundation followed by the perfecting concealer and the Illum Powder and convertible cheek/lip color. Maybe a soft sweep of bronzer... it gives my 50+ clients a dewy but not sparkly finish... today I did a client who was 63 and she looked amazingly fresh. Stila is generally thought of as the product line for younger women, but Helen Mirrin wore Stila when she won the Oscar for "The Queen" and I do recommend it for all ages.

7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

rated 3 of 5 *TOP REVIEWER* tracy1031 on 6/3/2008 3:18:00 AM more reviews by tracy1031

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

today is my first day wearing this, so my review might be changing. so far so good. I wanted something dewy and natural and this is it. it looks really good on, wears well (I didn't set with any powder in my T zone and it was fine), and i looove the color line. Which i believe, looks more olivey/yellow tones in my opinion. I reallly really hope this doesn't break me out.
edit; it makes me so sad that i cannot wear this anymore, everytime i have worn it after the first time i have noticed break outs. too bad because this was perfect in every other way. i changed my rating to 3 because i think anyone who doesnt have acne prone skin who is looking for a 'glowy' /dewy fountation will definitely LOVE this

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rated 2 of 5 39075 on 5/31/2008 10:37:00 AM more reviews by 39075

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Olive   Hair: Black   Eyes: Blue    

This is a really difficult foundation to work with, its soooooo glitter-ful, and i only relised this today because ater i applied it with smashox foundation brush i had to wait a few mins for it to dry, so then when i come to pat it down with a spogne it doesnt just come of the sponge. And the sponge is always covered in glitter. I thought something stila would come up with would be a bit more sophisticated. I then go on to do the usual an apply my bare escentuals foundation on top. Its not the best colour, i mean im quite light toned, just very olive and i still use the darkest color of this foundation. Not this best foundation to buy...for me x

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rated 5 of 5 eoifemacbeth on 5/21/2008 3:44:00 PM more reviews by eoifemacbeth

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Green    

This is my official HG foundation. I almost never wear foundation as my switch to total Lush skincare has completely cleared up my face (pimp pimp pimp), but when I feel blotchy or have a special occasion, I've thrown out all my other foundations and powders and crap and only use this one.


If I just want a sheer wash, I mix a pump's worth with a teeny glob of moisturizer (usually Lush Gorgeous, occasionally Clinique Dramatically Different) and spread all over; a special occasion warrants a full layer, blending with a foundation brush. It blends like a dream and makes me absolutely glow---it's not sparkly or obvious, it just enhances the way light hits my face. Also, 30 Watts is my *perfect* shade and tone---I've never found an exact foundation match before!


It's super-expensive for me, but I've had my bottle for over eight months now and I'm maybe halfway through. It's a ton of product for the price, the pump is perfect packaging, and its results cannot be denied. Long live this foundation!

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rated 5 of 5 bmoviebloodbath on 5/20/2008 8:11:00 PM more reviews by bmoviebloodbath

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Hazel    

So I wanted to find a foundation that would give me a flawless look without the caking. I was using MAC Studio FX for the longest time, and when the bottle ran out I decided to take the plunge and find a new foundation! After some buying and returning of foundations at Sephora, I finally stuck with Stila Illuminating Foundation in 30 Watts. This stuff goes on smoothly, it wears well throughout the day, and makes my skin actually look brighter without making it look shiny. I noticed that with some ''illuminating'' products, they just make your skin look shiny, and I have enough problems with greasy looking skin. This stuff is great, I've got some uneven reddish tones on my face and this stuff smooths out my tone without looking totally fake. The only thing that I'm not too fond of is the scent. It smells like...plastic or something. However, I can only smell it when I'm applying it, once it's dried the smell is gone.

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