Ilia – Organic Beauty

This week was another busy one and it culminated in a visit to a make up masterclass focussing on the luxury organic beauty brand Ilia. Ilia is a multi-award winning brand founded in Canada by Sasha Plavsic. This prestige line of natural and organic products provides great colour pay off together with nourishing organics.

Ilia products are gluten free and up to 85% organic and they’re available at a number of retail outlets including Fenwicks and Fortnum & Mason as well as on line.

Recently I was invited to see the products up close and to try them out while we learned from beauty expert Nikki Taylor about the efficacy of the products and watched make-up artist Emma McRae  demonstrate how to apply them.

We were encouraged to identify the shades that suited us best and to use the face charts to record our favourites. I think I was too interested in what everyone else was doing – or maybe I was busy chatting (my usual downfall) –  as I came home with a blank sheet! Anyway, as my Dad used to say don’t do as I do – do as I say! A completed face chart will save you lots of time when you’re at the make-up counter and ready to buy!

We watched Emma apply a full face of products to the model. When she was done the model was glowing with a gorgeous Ilia make-up look . The products used were:

• Radiant beauty balm SPF20 -with moisturising properties of aloe vera and coconut
• Vivid tinted moisturiser – aloe vera, white tea, and rosemary extracts
• Bronze Illuminator – with healing properties of rosehip oil, 100% natural dye, 72% organic
• Multi Stick in Put a Spell On You – with healing properties of vitamin E and shea butter
• Illuminator in Polka Dots & Moonbeams (pictured on the left in the top photo)
• Silken shadow stick – with soothing coconut and olive oils
• Mascara – naturally preserved, phenoxyethanol free
• Lipstick crayon – with healing coconut, sesame and cranberry oil

I found this really interesting. In general, I choose the make up I buy based on how it’s presented, whether it works for me (that I like the colours and that it stays on) and whether it contains ingredients that do my skin good and if I can afford it. I’m not someone who has to have green beauty but if it’s available and meets most of my criteria then it’ll be in the mix of options for me. Of course the other thing that influences me is when people that I trust recommend it.

So by the end of the session I was pretty taken with the products. I liked how they look and feel in their understated metal casing. The colours were great too. I was surprised how good the shades looked once they were applied to my skin and I was very much looking forward to testing them out at home and seeing how they last on me over a day at work for example.

I brought home four gorgeous products pictured above L to R:

• Illuminator in Polkadots and Moonbeams
• Multi-stick in Tenderly
• Lipstick – In My Room
• Tinted Lip Conditioner – in Shell Shock

All so beautiful! You’ll be seeing these in future posts I’m sure.

Do you love to buy organic and green beauty products? Have you tried Ilia? Do tell me what you think in the comments box below.

Hazel

This post contains PR/Brand samples