Illamasqua Matte Veil Review

So I've taken a bit of time before gathering my thoughts on this one by actually trialling it for a couple of weeks. I'm a big fan of Illamasqua products and when I first tried Hydra Veil I thought it was an amazing, innovative product. It hydrates skin, smooths out texture and gives foundation a great base and last. What I really loved the most about Hydra Veil is that it worked on pretty much all skin types and has since become a staple in my freelance kit.

So when I heard about Matte Veil, I was instantly sold. With my normal to oily skin gradually getting more and more shiny as the weather gets somewhat warmer, I didn't want, I needed this product!

As the title suggests, this primer is designed to mattify skin and reduce shine. The first thing I noticed is that it smells a lot like Palmer's Cocoa Butter! It's texture is less jelly-like than Hydra Veil and more like custard. Unlike Hydra Veil, it doesn't set in the jar either. Instead it keeps like a lotion in the pot.

There are a lot of things I like about Matte Veil; It feels instantly hydrating, it doesn't leave the skin dry or tight like some mattifying primers do, it's easily absorbed, helps foundation glide and blend onto the skin and with it, make up sits better and lasts longer. I also like the fact that it doesn't make skin look lacklustre after applying this product.

Unfortunately I just didn't find that it kept my skin matte for very long. I do have quite an oily T-zone and even when I wear powder based foundations I still seem to have a shine on by midday, and this product didn't do much to improve that. I trialed it for 2 weeks using more of it, then less. I tried applying it with a brush and then another time with my fingers. I even tried it with different foundations including Mac Studio Fix Fluid which is normally very matte but I still didn't feel that it kept my base shine-free for long enough.

It might just be my skin type but I was a little bit disappointed as Hydra Veil worked so well for me. However, as I never write off any product I will still keep it in my kit for it's use as a great pre-foundation prep product.

Have you tried Matte Veil? Did it work for you?

Just love

Rina xoxo