Review & Swatches: Illamasqua Gleam “Aurora”

Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter it doesn’t matter. To me dewy, glowy, gorgeous looking skin is a must all year long. By now there are a billion ways of getting that perfect looking glow and Illamasqua came with a product called Gleam. A solid, cream compact containing lustrous pearlescent pigments. After a year of lemming this beauty, I finally decided to purchase it and put it to the test…


As always packaging wise Illamasqua keeps it sleek and sexy. Their twist on a simple square packaging makes it unique and different. I have noticed with some Illamasqua blushes I have, that the lid tends to break and you’re left with a loose top. I don’t know if that’s a common thing, but I did want to point that out! Other than that, I think Illamasqua’s packaging is beautifully sexy.

Aurora is best described as a shimmering, light-reflective Pale Champagne color with a warm Pinky undertone. Illamasqua’s Gleam products are a true cream, meaning they don’t dry or set over time. The Gleams stay “wet”. As a professional makeup artist this sounds like heaven to my ears. Many times when I try to achieve a dewy, glowy look, I gravitate towards more “wet” products, because that looks most natural on camera. Whereas powders, on camera, can look as if they’re laying “on top of” the skin.

So, as makeup artist working with photography a lot, that’s a huge plus to me. However, for day to day wear, I’m not sure if people will be huge fans of this. The product stays sticky/wet and will stay so, unless you powder it. And when you powder it, the powder takes a lot of the dewy effect away from it.

Below are some shots of a campaign I recently worked on for Berry Rutjes Hat Design. I applied Aurora to my model’s highest points of her cheekbones, nose, chin, and cupid’s bow.

As you can see it gives a stunning, glowy effect without being too much in your face. I did notice that in some light, it could look quite strong, so I simply powdered that a little.

So, What’s the verdict?
I think Illamasqua’s Gleam in Aurora is beautiful. It can make anyone with a Fair to Medium skin tone look healthy, glowy and radiant. I love the formula on this product as it’s creamy, easy to blend and a pleasure to work with. I’m not sure if it’s the best for people who plan on wearing this in their daily routine. Sure, you could powder it a little, but I feel like that will take the effect and purpose away. You’d be better off dusting a little bit of M.A.C Pigment in Vanilla on. Other than that, if you’re a creamy highlighter lover, this is a must to try out.

Illamasqua’s Gleam in Aurora retails for €21,47 EUR /$29.21 USD and is available at Illamasqua.com