ILIA Skin Tint Review: This Is The Glow Up You Need

By Molly Davis

If I didn’t doubt or second-guess my makeup application abilities, this would have been a very different review.

Luckily for me – and for ILIA Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 – I have self awareness in spades thanks to years of therapy, and I’m okay with recognizing my flaws and taking accountability.

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What am I talking about? Here goes: the first time I tried ILIA Skin Tint, I followed the directions, even reading the directions twice, maybe even thrice.

Thinking I’d carefully applied the product to my face, imagine my surprise when my eyes started to burn. I’m not talking about a little irritation, no, no, no. It was a full-on fiery-eyed burn that had me soaking tissues in cold water and holding them against my peepers. There were tears, over-dramatic and irrational thoughts that I’d go blind – the whole shebang.

After about 30 minutes, an entire box of tissues and several facial washes later, the burning subsided. My swollen red eyes glared at the tube of makeup before boxing it up and angrily throwing it in the garbage.

And being an entitled white woman who paid a fair amount for something that caused me a little physical irritation, I Karen’d an email to the company and complained.

Upon seeing it in the trash the next day, I thought about my rushed makeup application skills – maybe in my excitement I’d slathered it on too quickly (I definitely did that), causing it to get into my eyes. The directions clearly state to avoid doing that very thing.

So, I sheepishly recovered the box from the bin with a pretty strong feeling that it was entirely my fault and not ILIA’s.

Guess what? I was right and owe ILIA Beauty a big old apology for my hasty actions.

The Second Try And Real Review

Here is where I went wrong in the application process: the instructions say to use a “quarter-sized” amount and to apply it like a serum.

I got the amount right but rubbed it all over my face like you would a moisturizer, hence the eye irritation. The packaging clearly states to avoid the eye area. Oops, my bad!

Erring on the side of caution and using a dime-sized amount, I carefully smoothed the tint into my skin, this time avoiding my eyes. Using this approach, I can build if I need more coverage.

Did it make a difference? Of course it did! No tears or irritation, and my skin looked fantastic. The tint color matched perfectly and gave my complexion a dewy glow. I absolutely love the product and the results.

What Is ILIA Skin Tint And How Does It Work?

According to ILIA Beauty, it’s “a clean skin tint with light, dewy coverage, mineral SPF, and active levels of skincare ingredients.

“This first-of-its-kind formula fuses skincare, makeup, and sun protection into one easy step: a lightweight skin tint that leaves your skin looking like skin. ILIA Skin Tint features SPF 40 coverage with Non-Nano Zinc Oxide to help shield skin from UVA, UVB, UVC, blue light, and pollution.”

It’s formulated with active levels of hyaluronic acid, plant-based squalane, and niacinamide to visibly improve the user’s skin with every application.

“It also creates a natural barrier for your skincare, sealing in hydration, plumping skin, and boosting any antioxidant effectiveness by 200%. Plus, it’s silicone-free, fragrance-free, chemical screen-free, oil-free, non-comedogenic, and safe for sensitive skin. This is SPF, made super.”

The Verdict

You should go to ILIA and put this amazing skin tint in your cart right now. A word to the wise though – do not get over excited and slap it willy nilly all over your face like I did and totally overreact when it stings your eyeballs.

Of course it was too late to undo the angry email I’d fired off to ILIA Beauty, and it was made worse by their gracious reply.

They told me to donate my product to someone else who could use it and they were sorry I’d had a bad reaction. They credited my form of payment, which made me feel like a real dick. To make up for it, I ordered a lip and eye tint, but I still feel guilty for jumping the gun.

I got the Balmy Tint Hydrating Lip Balm in Warm Red and it is the silkiest, most hydrating tint I’ve ever used, and I have a lot of lip tints. The color is buildable, so it can go from a light kiss of red to a full on vamp red.

The Liquid Powder Chromatic Eye Tint is now my favorite eyeshadow! I chose the Copper Bronze shade and there are two more colors on the way. The color goes on as a cream but dries as a metallic powder, and there is no creasing in sight.

So, if you’re looking for a tint that is lightweight and looks like a second skin and fabulous customer service, I can’t recommend ILIA highly enough.

Once again, my deepest apologies, ILIA Beauty.