This is not a new product. Not even close! Stila Illuminating Powder Foundation has been around since the 90s at least. But it’s not discontinued and actually pretty darn easy to get your paws on, so why not talk about it?
Stila IPF comes in 8 shades, measured in “watts” which I think is really cute. The higher the # of watts, the darker the shade. As you can imagine, my Casper-white self uses the lightest shade, 10 watts. The shades are pretty forgiving, so unless you’re really quite dark, you can probably find a shade that fits your skin. The undertones in the powder differ between shades, but are overall warm without being obnoxious/unwearable. The foundation is sold in pan form and you must purchase a compact separately, which is both good and bad. I don’t like having to incur an extra cost, but I guess if you want to use it in a free-form palette you can quite easily.
The compact has a convenient little stowaway compartment for your sponge.
With illuminating right there in the name I was concerned about it being too shimmery or even glittery, but not so! It’s just a subtle glow, and light to medium coverage depending on how you apply it. Stila says you can apply it wet or dry, and that applying it wet will amplify the shimmer finish. A sponge is included with the powder that will give you the fullest coverage application, or you can get a lighter application with a brush (which is my preferred method).
And the texture. C’est magnifique! It’s weightless and so smooth. It doesn’t cling, accentuate, or exacerbate the dryness of my skin. It’s finely milled enough to set concealer, which is exactly what I used it for most recently. I used concealer on the horror zone that is my chin right now and set it with a gentle application of this powder, then sprayed it down with Skindinavia setting spray. LOCKED AND LOADED. My concealer didn’t budge. Impressive.
My skin is soooooooo dry right now, but this glowy powder made it so I didn’t look like a dusty old hag. It actually made my skin look healthier than it is right now. (Of course I slathered on some MAJOR moisturizer first) When I go back to wearing my “usual” makeup again I might set it with this powder anyway just because I had forgotten how much I like the glow!
Hit pan! What what?!
Stila Illuminating Powder Foundation is $28. The compact however will set you back another $14, which is totally lame. BUT! For those of you cheapskates out there who don’t want to drop $14 on an empty compact (and who could blame you, I swapped for mine!), the refills also fit in the Shiseido The Makeup Powdery Foundation empty compact, which is only $8. BAM! Saving you money! You’re welcome. Also, since this product has been out for ages and ages, it’s a lot more likely to pop up on discount sites like Beauty Crunch, or 3rd party sellers on ebay, etc. Just make sure you check feedback, caveat emptor etc etc.
I heard so many good thing about this powder… but somehow I forgot to get it during their 50% off sale… ugh!
This product look interesting.
Stila, beautiful, i like it.