December 23, 2013

It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation Illumination Review & Swatches

This was provided to me by a brand for review but all opinions expressed are my own

It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation Illumination1

Heads up it Cosmetics Celebration Foundation as a brand new formulation of this beloved powder foundation is a coming! Introducing new It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation Illumination!

This new full coverage anti-aging powder foundation contains peptides, antioxidants, and drops of light technology along with hyaluronic acid to give your complexion a healthy, lit from within glow.

Take a peek!

It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation Illumination launches December 28th in the brand new It Cosmetics New Year New You Collection. This isn’t yet available on its own but at some point I’m sure It has plans to make it available as an individual purchase.

It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation Illumination10

Available in five shades It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation Illumination is a matte full coverage powder which is supposed to illuminate skin. It comes housed in a chic white compact which contains a brush in a secondary compartment located above the foundation as well as a generously sized mirror. It Cosmetics actually pairs it with their popular Heavenly Luxe Airbrush Foundation Brush for application which has super soft synthetic bristles and a flat top for buffing product into skin.

It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation Illumination2

It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation Illumination

It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation Illumination5

Heavenly Luxe Airbrush Foundation Brush

Heavenly Luxe Airbrush Foundation Brush 1

It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation Illumination13

This formula is loaded up with peptides, antioxidants, niacin, hyaluronic acid, rose, silk, and aloe for a truly luxurious, anti-aging experience.

Unfortunately my drier skin HATES it. If you like matte, full coverage powders you’ll adore this. In particular if your skin is super oily you’ll love it. However, those of us with drier skin likely won’t get on very well with it. I find the finish unforgivable even when paired up with the brand new It Cosmetics Feel the Moment Serum which is super hydrating and sets the scene for powder application.

It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation Illumination Light

Light

It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation Illumination Medium

Medium

It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation Illumination Swatches

Light and Medium

The texture is a drier powdery consistency which buffs on easily but feels a bit scratchy on my skin. It accentuates my drier, patchy areas badly and makes them more visible and obvious. The powder is very heavy on my face so I feel like I’m wearing a bit of a mask. There’s not denying it is very pigmented so if you need extra coverage this will handle the task easily. Personally I desire a more hydrating BB Cream with lighter coverage to perfect but not necessarily conceal since my skin is already fairly perfect and just needs a bit of brightening and evening out.

Confusing to me would be the fact that I expected this to have some sort of shimmer, sparkle, or glow but in fact it seems exactly like the regular It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation. There’s not really an illuminating glow finish here just a matte powder.

If you like the original Celebration Powder you’re bound to enjoy this as they are equally the same formula. This is more of a pick up for those with oily skin that enjoy using powder foundations or minerals.

Unfortunately, as much as I love It, this is NOT on my hit list. It clings to every single flake and dry spot on my face and makes my skin look dull and tired! Props for the pigmentation and excellent coverage but a sad sign for the dryness and lack of illumination! The wear time varies but I can get a solid four to five hours out if without a touch up.

Celebration Foundation Illumination might be a great pick up if you have oily skin as this is bound to suck up excess oil and saving the day! However, those with drier skin should be a bit wary of it!

Tried it?

Do share your thoughts!

It’s available no at QVC.com.

This was provided to me by a brand for review but all opinions expressed are my own

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  • Nicole

    I also was not pleased with the foundation and I have oily skin, it settled right into my pores even with primer. This whole kit was a huge disappointment as I generally like IT Cosmetics.

    • Isabella Muse

      aw sorry Nicole! I’m cool with the primer/etc but the powder was a no go 🙁

  • Shari

    Muse, I ordered this early through QVC and got it about two weeks ago. When I tried it with the brush, I hated it! Showed every line and pore…just awful. I didn’t want to return the entire kit, so I found a way to make it work for me. I apply the powder using a dry Beauty Blender. I roll the powder onto my face. It really works for my combination skin by applying it that way. I especially like to apply it this way over my Asian BB creams.

    • Isabella Muse

      Shari I’ll give this a try thanks for the tip! it def looks really heavy using the brush! I tried a bushier brush and just to set with it but it still clings horribly 🙁 I’ll try my beauty blender 🙂 Thanks chica!

  • Bree

    When I saw this I was ready to jump up and buy it! Illuminating sounds so awesome to dry skin. Sad that this was a disappointment. Why would you make an illuminating foundation so matte and dry? I thought the regular formula felt chalky when I swatched it too. I’ll stick with my BM ready foundation.

  • JeriS

    I’m a big fan of IT Cosmetics and have a ton of their products but I never could get any coverage with the original Celebration foundation. I don’t know why. I have used powder and mineral foundations in the past and I even tried several different types of brushes and sponges but it just didn’t cover anything. I do plan on getting this kit, however, because I am hoping that the serum will make the powder go on more smoothly and improve the coverage. Meanwhile I am using the CC cream which I love, except that the color is not quite right. Light is much too dark and orange and Fair is just a tad too pale.

    • Isabella Muse

      wow no kidding and I think it is TOO pigmented!!!!!!!! The serum is amazing imho 🙂 really liked it!!!!!!!!! I enjoy the CC Cream as well, excellent coverage on that one :)( Good Luck with the kit Jeri update me on your thoughts when it arrives!

  • JeriS

    Well, after further review…..I said yesterday I was going to get the kit but the reviews are pretty bad. I think I will stick to my CC cream and spend my money on something else.

  • diane

    i have combo skin and have been enjoying this but i can see those with really dry skin not loving it as much. i usually don’t wear powder foundation alone- i like to dust a bit over my liquid foundation as my setting powder. can you use it that way maybe and it won’t be as bad for ya?

    • Isabella Muse

      mmm tried that, still bad for me, clings to all my patchy areas like a b! :-/

  • Rose

    I ordered this after your first post about it. I was disappointed with the foundation. I have normal/dry skin and while it felt nice and hydrating on my skin, it just looked awful! I have tiny pores, but it made them look large and the color was much too orange and dirty-looking. I did think that it had nice illuminating properties though – I’m so sad it didn’t work out. But I loved the sample of the CC cream so much that I ordered that!

    • Isabella Muse

      hey rose! same issues here…thank god not orange but it did dull my skin and clung to may drier areas badly 🙁 sigh! I’m hoping when Summer comes I’ll have better success with it. The CC is great, reviewed it a while back ago def do love it 🙂 Sorry about the foundation 🙁 you’re not alone there!

  • Leah

    I love this foundation. I tried it with and without the CC cream underneath and it was the CC cream that made the difference for my dry skin. I only use a little bit between the serum and the new powder foundation, but this layering technique gives me 12+ hours of perfect wear with no touch ups required.

  • Jenny McCambridge

    Do you ever sell your swatched makeup? If so, I would love to purchase this in Light from you. thanks! 🙂

  • AG

    Interesting, I had nearly the opposite experience. I HATED the serum because of the lavender in it made my face burn. I had no idea it had lavender oil, much less so high in the ingredients list, when it was on pre-order. However the foundation left a lovely finish on my uber dry skin. I used it “wrong” though. I tried it with IT foundation brush and hated it. Then I tried it just the way I use my Celebration Foundation – miracle Skin Transformer as primer/very light coverage, then dusted a teeny bit of the foundation over top very very lightly with a fluffy powder brush. Normally I use the Celebration foundation and the Illuminating powder both dabbed lightly on my brush, tapped off, then dusted lightly on my face. With the illumination version of the foundation I skipped the illuminating loose powder and got the same effect. Slight glowy finish but still didn’t look like I had makeup on.

    Interesting how different our skin can be even when it’s the same type. 🙂

  • AG

    Ps, I had to return the whole kit because of the serum. I do hope they release the foundation separately someday.

  • Kim Washington

    I just got yesterday wish I had seen this before..well same here. It settled into my fine lines. Love the concealer ,but the rest of the kit not so much. I am going to play around with it a bit but right now disappointed.

  • Melissa

    I just ordered this – either I didn’t remember your review or I may not have read it, because I love your reviews and find they often mirror my experiences. However, I’m glad I didn’t read this one because I *love* this foundation. I am hooked. I have worn it three times and each time not only have I gotten compliments on my skin, but I find I catch myself looking at my (not normally great) skin in the mirror. Paired with a smokey eye, this turns out to be a super sultry foundation/skin look for me. And I don’t have to go the extra highlighting step! I do however, serum/moisturize/primer in advance so that may be helping me as well …

    • Isabella Muse

      I am so glad you like it melissa! 🙂 I have drier skin and def doesn’t quite work on me but glad you enjoyed it ;D

  • Michelle

    So I spent my hard earn money on the Celebraiton foundation after I saw it advertised on QVC and watched some YouTube videos. I have pale skin, but not pale enough for their lightest color. So I went for the next one up. It made me look orange, and with a stroke of the brush, if I only smoothed over my skin gently, it made some of my skin look dark and other parts of it light. I look horrible. It clings to my dry patches on my face too. So disappointed.

  • Erica

    I actually LOVE this foundation! I can’t tell you how many i’ve tried for my oily skin. The formula has even helped clear up my acne-prone skin. I will never wear another foundation again! I guess you really have to have a certain kind of skin to wear this foundation. So, if you have oily skin give it a try! Just my two cents! 😉

  • Sheila

    I have 60 year old combination skin and really like this foundation. I do have some dry patches along with a a nose that gets shiny quickly. I have worn this on its own as a light to medium foundation and also as a light setting over my Estée Lauder DW light. For me it does what no thee powde foundation has done – it keeps the shiny nose at bay, and doesn’t accentuate any dry spots nor does it dry out my skin. I also find that surprisingly it does give a semi matte but not flat finish for me. So far I’ve tried many powder foundations including Lancome dual finish, Chanel, Chanctielle, Tarte clay full coverage powder, La Prairie and then the It Celebration powder foundations. I truly find these Celebration powders the best for me. The others all had a more flat finish which is definitely not what I want for my mature skin. The Lancome had a decent finish but my husband complained about the smell. The smell is pretty strong on that powder and doesn’t really dissipate so that one was a no-go.

    So my question is – really what is the difference between the regular Celebration and the Illumination one?

    • Leah

      The Illumination one gives more of a glowy finish and to me feels a bit lighter on the skin. I have very dry skin and prefer the illumination over the regular Celebration powder. Also, the colors are a bit off, in my opinion, and I find that the illumination colors are just a tiny hint darker compared to the identical shade in the original formula. Other than that, they are pretty much the same. They both wear very well and neither one is drying, which is amazing in any powder foundation.

  • Cristine

    So i just saw the illumination celebration foundation on QVC and I would love to try it. I have very oily skin in the t zone area and combo everywhere else on my face. Need some advice. I wear bare minerals now and have for years bc my skin is sensitive. Can someone please tell me what u think. After reading the reviews im not sure bc i dont want harsh chemicals on my face.

    • Ash

      If your skin is more oily combo I think you will love it. I think this is not as good for people with overly dry skin.

  • Cady Lynn

    I have dry skin as well. Are there any powders that you do recommend ?
    Thank you for your reviews!