I like trying new makeup, but I’m also ridiculously picky. I tend to have a cosmetics bag full of lots of different brands because one makes a good mascara, another makes the perfect smudgy liner. You get it. However Delilah Cosmetics, a new high-end line of luxury cosmetics out of Britain that just hit our own shores, may be the first brand that seems to get everything right. I mean, everything. I can’t believe it myself, but I think I’ve fallen seriously in love with every single sample I tried.
Just ask every female relative, cosmetics junkie, and makeup artist I have talked to about it over the last few months.
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Founded by creative director and makeup artist Robert Kingston, who has lots of impressively famous, I-can’t-tell-you-or-I’d-have-to-kill you clientele over the years, the line is packed with wonderful products. But let’s start with my absolute must-have for the rest of my life — the SPF20 Time Frame Foundation.
I’m not exaggerating when I tell you this offers the most flawless, even coverage I’ve ever experienced. It’s not cakey in the least, and in fact feels like a tinted foundation in terms of lightness and texture, but with the coverage of a foundation. Plus, as someone who has had issues with SPF foundations in the past (as in, I felt like my face was covered in plaster) this one is simply amazing. In fact I instantly dumped the rest of a super expensive foundation I was previously using and I’m never looking back.
(Okay, so there wasn’t a lot left. But Delilah is way better.)
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I would strongly suggest using the foundation with the Delilah Under Wear Primer (underwear, heh) which is a really silky, light serum that makes everything stay on longer and go on just a bit more evenly.
Note: It’s actually amazing that I am suggesting a primer. Understand that I’m a super low-maintenance beauty routine person. I hate when cosmetics artists tell me I need some 30-step beauty routine, because it’s never going to happen for me and my busy mornings. I have 99% full bottles of toner in my medicine cabinet that can speak to that. But in this case, a little pump of the primer and then the foundation and I’m ready to go. Super easy with great results.
Now while I haven’t tried everything in the Delilah Cosmetics line — yet — the other stand-outs in the collection include an exquisitely perfect color corrector stick. There are only two shades right now but wow, the peach is great on me and I wouldn’t have thought so. I’m hoping they bring out some more shades for darker skin because it is an outstanding product.
And while I’m not generally a bronzer fan, I can’t believe how light and natural the Delilah Matt Bronzer goes on, perhaps because the matte finish keeps you from looking like you face-planted in a jar of mica. A little dusting even offers a bit of coverage beyond what say, a blush would give you. It’s a nice touch this time of year when I’m feeling particularly pasty.
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Speaking of cheeks, Delilah Colour Blush in Pink Opera goes on beautifully and is that kind of pink that would look flattering on nearly any skin tone. (It’s actually less bright in person than it seems in the photos.) I really like the Delilah Color Gloss too, which is enriched with vitamin E and emollient oils and feels so luxurious. It’s definitely spendy though. So unless you’re a serious lip gloss junkie and don’t blink at $35 price tags, I would probably point you towards other fantastic options that are more affordable.
(Right now I’m obsessed with Big Bang Theory Illusion Lip Gloss in Creation from Lipstick Queen, so much I just ordered my second; it runs about 1/3 less than the Delilah gloss.)
My last ringing endorsement definitely goes to the Delilah Slim Line Liquid Eyeliner. The liquid pen makes it comparable to the Chanel liquid eyeliner I love, but goes on super thin, as you might have guessed from the name. That means it requires a bit more of a steady hand to apply, but the look is really subtle and pretty and the formula defines your eyes so nicely. I also like that it’s fairly water-resistant, just in time for summer.
So, what’s it all made of? Well, I cross-referenced every ingredient listed on quite a few of the products with the EWG cosmetics safety database and was really impressed. Plus everything is free of Parabens and I like that Delilah has a strong relationship with the World Land trust and a commitment to eco-responsibility.
They’re transparent about all their ingredients, so definitely check the site for anything you might be sensitive to.
But back to that absolutely perfect foundation? Mamas — if you have yet to find the brand you would crawl over glass for, try this one. Yes the tube is $55, but I’ve been using it nearly every day going on five months and I would absolutely pay $10 a month for the rest of my life to keep my skin looking like this.
In fact, I will pay it again soon, since I refuse to let myself run out of it.
Find Delilah Cosmetics in the US through Private Spa Shop, a distributor to high end spas.
Or, grab some on your next trip to Canyon Ranch, should you be planning one.
Thanks to the company for providing samples for review and now getting me ridiculously hooked.