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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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