Beauty Review: Illamasqua Matte Veil

I was part of the crowd that read the hundreds of reviews surrounding Hydra Veil when it was released in 2013; I was sucked in by the unique formula and packaging, I was desperate to get my hands on a little black pot, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.  Surely anything with 'Hydra' in the name wasn't going to be a good match for an oily skin? My prayers were answered when earlier this year Illamasqua released their Matte Veil base - I was sold.  Then I read Sarah's review (here); 30 seconds later I had made my order.

This primer is packaged in a pretty unique way - the product is housed in a matte black pot with a little spatula inside to scoop product out.  This minimises the spread of bacteria as you aren't sticking your fingers into the pot over and over again.  On first impression, the formula seams creamy and heavy, but as soon as you apply it to your skin it's clear that this is such a lightweight, fluid product which is almost undetectable on the skin.  I absolutely adore the smell - it's kind of a vanilla/strawberry scent which disappears almost immediately after application.  Once applied it sinks in quickly and leaves your skin feeling fresh and matte.

You probably have an idea by now - my skin is oily with a capital O, I've never found anything that keeps my face shine free all day long, but this was pretty impressive.  I still set my make up in the morning and I needed a quick powder top-up at around 2 in my 9-5 day which is pretty impressive.  This primer does an amazing job at stopping my make up transferring anywhere or slipping off my face throughout the day.  The only down point - the price.  It's £30, which isn't exactly cheap, but for me it's been worth every penny.