The ILIA Skin Tint and Six Lip Tints: How a Vancouver Brand Found Its Glow

The ILIA Skin Tint and Six Lip Tints: How a Vancouver Brand Found Its Glow

The ILIA skin tint is the product I reach for in place of heavy foundation, and the brand began with a small Vancouver idea about tinted lips. Here is the complexion set I build around it, the eye and lip pieces from the same brand, and the other tinted sunscreens that do a similar job.

ILIA was launched in 2011 by Sasha Plavsic, together with her brother Zachary, and the first thing it sold was a collection of six lip tints. It started in Vancouver, Canada, and today the company is headquartered in Laguna Beach, California. I love that origin, because a lip tint is a small idea, a little color that looks like you, and the whole brand still feels built on it. The ILIA skin tint is the same instinct, moved from lips to the entire face.

Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 lists a mineral SPF 40, with niacinamide and hyaluronic acid among its highlighted ingredients, and it is vegan and cruelty-free. In practice it looks less like a foundation and more like skin on a good day, and one thin layer is usually the right amount. I put it on with clean fingers, in the center of the face first, then blend outward and leave the edges bare.

Underneath, The Base Face Milk is a light moisturizer with hyaluronic acid, and it gives the tint something soft to sit on. On top, Skin Blur Serum Concealer is the one for shadows and around the nose, and I use it only where the tint has not covered enough. Skin Rewind is a complexion stick that works as both foundation and concealer, so it is the one I toss in a bag for touch-ups. Sun Serum Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 is the layer for days that will be spent outside, and it is made with oil control in mind.

Use the sunscreen last, and reapply it through the day.

Collage of ILIA skin tint, face milk, complexion stick and concealer, plus tinted moisturizers with SPF, and a mood photo of rows of ILIA Multi-Sticks.
ILIA's skin tint, serum concealer and sun serum, plus tinted SPF from other brands.

ILIA complexion and skin prep

Lashes, liner and a lip for the night

The rest of the ILIA range is quietly good at the small things. Limitless Lash Mascara is a clean lengthening mascara, the sort I wear on days when I do not want to think about it. Fullest Volumizing Mascara is the other way to go, a fuller effect for evenings, and I wear it on the outer lashes only, then finish with a light coat of the lengthening one for definition.

Thru Line Waterproof Eyeliner is a good friend to have in a bag. It is made for long wear, and I run it along the upper lash line as thin as I can, then smudge it slightly with a fingertip. Long dinner and a warm room are the only test I care about.

The lip products are where the brand started, and they still feel like the best of it. Lip Sketch is a lipstick and liner crayon in one, a hydrating formula, and I use the point for the outline and the side for the fill. Overglaze is a lip gloss made for moisture, which I press over Lip Sketch or wear alone when I want a wet finish.

Lip Wrap Overnight Mask is the bedtime step. Put a thin layer on after you brush your teeth, and wear nothing else on your lips until morning. It is a small ritual, but a good one.

More ILIA

Tinted moisturizers with sunscreen built in

ILIA is not the only brand that makes a tinted sunscreen, and I like to keep a few others around to compare. A skin tint is a personal thing, and what looks like your own skin on a friend can look flat on you. The good news is that each of these has a slightly different finish, so it is easy to find your match.

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer is the glow one, a sheer, buildable tint with SPF 30 and a radiant, natural finish. Tower 28 Beauty's SunnyDays Skin Tint uses mineral zinc SPF 30, and it is the one I would pack for a day outside. Fenty Beauty's Hydra Vizor Huez is a mineral SPF 30 tinted moisturizer too, and it has a natural, glowy finish.

For more coverage, Tarte's BB blur is a natural matte tinted moisturizer with SPF 30, the matte option if you like a less glowy finish. IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream is a natural matte foundation with SPF 40, and it is a fuller-coverage pick. Dr. Jart+'s Premium BB is an all-day tinted moisturizer with SPF 30, and it is another easy everyday option.

What I would skip: applying a tinted SPF once and calling it a day of sun protection. A sunscreen only works if you use enough, and a thin layer of tint will not give you the protection on the label. Add a proper sunscreen underneath, and reapply if you are outdoors. Also skip a shade that looks perfect on your cheek but stops at your jaw, because a tint that does not match your neck will always show.

SPF skin tints from other brands

A morning that takes five minutes

On a five-minute morning I do the same few things. Moisturizer first, then one thin layer of tint, then concealer only where I need it, and a swipe of mascara. Lip Sketch or a balm goes on last, in the car if it has to.

If your skin feels dry, use the face milk and let it settle for a minute before you add the tint. If you are outside, use the sunscreen. And if you are switching between tints, check them in daylight by a window, not under the bathroom lights, where every shade looks the same.

The best tint is the one you will wear again tomorrow, and the ILIA skin tint has been that for me. Keep it thin, keep it fast, and let your skin do the rest.