IT Cosmetics IT-O2 Liquid Oxygen Foundation Review

I’m a huge fan of IT Cosmetics in general, and of the IT Celebration Powder Foundation, so when I saw that IT had a new moisturizing liquid oxygen foundation, I had to try it! The good people at IT kindly sent me a bottle of their new IT-O2 Ultra-Repair Liquid Oxygen Foundation in Light to review.

Until recently, I wouldn’t have been interested in moisturizing foundation since my skin has always been normal to oily. But with age (and winter in New England) comes ever changing skin, so recently it’s been dry.

The foundation comes in an airtight pump bottle and retails for $38 for one ounce and comes in 5 shades. It claims to be a facial in a bottle in a foundation with sheer buildable coverage that leaves skin with a dewey glow. The package says it’s clinically proven to improve barrier repair and increase hydration by over 71% after the 1st use! It also contains vitamins A, C, and E.

IT also sent their Hydra Sponge for “flawless foundation application”. The sponge costs $24.00.

The IT Cosmetics Hydra Sponge

For my first application, I used the Hydra Sponge and applied the foundation according to their directions, which is to dampen the sponge, dispense a dime size amount of foundation on the back of the hand and use the hydra sponge in a rolling, pressing motion to put foundation onto the face.

The consistency of the foundation is a cross between an air-whipped cream and and a thick liquid or gel. It’s lighter than a cream and with the sponge blends like a dream! The coverage was very sheer and I couldn’t get it to build to full even after putting 4 layers on some spots. So, a separate concealer is a must with this foundation. The sponge is huge when fully inflated by water, about 2-3 times the size of my other blending sponges, but it’s so soft, it was a pleasure to use and did a great job putting down a seamless, air-brushed layer.

Close up of 1st application showing pores and dewey finish

The finish is more shiny than dewey, and I thought the shine accentuated my pores. It’s a very natural, youthful looking foundation and after applying mattifying setting powder, bronzer and blush, I thought it looked pretty good!

I wore the foundation on 3 separate days, using a different application method each time to see if I could get more coverage. For the 1st application (with the IT Hydra Sponge) I used Lorac “I’m So Sensitive” primer underneath and IT Cosmetics HD Poreless Powder over it. The 2nd time, I applied it with a stippling brush instead of the sponge and used Smashbox Photofinish Light Primer and no setting powder over, and the 3rd time, I used a different sponge, no primer and Lorac Porefessional Setting Powder. I got the best coverage with the stippling brush, in this still from a video I made that day, you can see how good it looked with fuller coverage.

Ok, so far so good! It’s easy to apply and blend with either method, looks good and was comfortable to wear for the first 4 hours… then the problems started. With a primer, the foundation lasted 8-10 hours, but without primer, it completely wore off after 5-6 hours.

Completely worn off after 6 hours

More problematic than the wear was the lack of promised moisturization. My face started feeling itchy and dry after 4 hours and I had flakes around my lips and spots on my nose where the foundation clung to dry patches.

Chin Flakes

Wierd patchy nose

Sooooo not pretty! And so disappointing for a foundation that promises 71% increased moisturization after the 1st use. I’m so bummed because I love other IT products so much, but this one is just a miss for me. I would imagine this foundation would be great for people with normal to slightly oily skin, but if you have dry skin and are looking for added moisture, this is not the one. My skin felt 71% dryer after the 1st use and each subsequent use as well. Maybe I’ll give it another try in the spring and see if it’s any better then. . .

Click the link below to see my full video review of IT-O2 Ultra Repair Liquid Oxygen Foundation:

Video Review: IT Cosmetics IT-O2 Foundation

Lisa says:

April 18, 2015 at 8:06 am

Smash box primer works wonderfully on skin that is not sensitive but unfortunately that’s not me. The first time it was applied on my skin it felt tingly. The artist explained that it was probably from the antibacterial soap she had just applied. It looked to good that I bought it. I went home and used it for two day when I started getting red patches and bumps around my mouth. I made an appointment to see dermatologist and ended up with some kind of peri dermal oral dermatitis that took months to heel!!
Smash box primer uses a lot of silicone in their product. It seems that I may have had an allergic response to the primer. I’m not kidding you when I say that it looked like I had herpes around my mouth. It was dreadful. I am now very careful to read ingredients and not use things with silicone.
I have been told by others that a lot of people have the same experience with silicone. You were smart to discontinue after redness.

Erin says:

January 12, 2014 at 7:52 pm

I love IT cosmetics, too, but didn’t have good results with their CC cream (The one you rated so highly.) The color was too yellow, and something in the formula stung my skin. It was also very greasy. I returned it, disappointed.

Thanks for doing this blog for ladies our age (I’m 50.)

Jane says:

January 7, 2014 at 12:38 pm

By the way, I saw Smashbox primer in a shop here in South Africa the other day, was amazed cos i didn’t think we’d have it here – thanks to the power of…. not advertising, but lets say an authoritative recommendation – I ended up buying it. Would never have bought it if I hadn’t read your earlier piece where you tested different primers, and liked this one best.

I will give you feedback when I’ve used it a bit more. I have to say that after the first two days of using it, I noticed a slight break-out of red patches, and stopped using it. The break out may have been from other reasons, so I will give it another try. If the primer is the cause, I won’t blame you or Smashbox …! I will just be confirmed in my knowledge that i have a really impossibly sensitive skin. I also bought the concealer – am finding it a bit too yellow … noticed that all their concealers had a yellowish undertone.

Anyhow I appreciate the thorough way you test and comment on products and skin care for older skins … its really a help – I haven’t found any other site like this one.

Jane says:

July 27, 2016 at 2:42 am

Hi Jane from another Jane. I love Smashbox’s green stuff for reduced redness, I bought mine in the US and was very pleased to see it at Gateway in Durban. Together with it I use IT Cosmetics’ Bye Bye Redness, it really works well but I cant seem to find it in SA and it just not worth the risk of having it posted from the US.

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