When you are just about to run out of a product and the thought of using anything else is no longer an option, you know it has become a holy grail product, this is my current situation with the Illamasqua Hydra Veil.  I purchased this around June last year and have used it everytime I apply a full face of make up, this is a long overdue review of what has become my favourite perfecting primer.  This in my opinion is even better than my previous favourites Benefit's Porefessional and the Revlon Photoready Primer.

The packing of Hydra Veil is different to all of the others I have tried, the outer tub fits in the palm of my hand and the rounded edges make it slightly luxurious and it's easy to hold but it is slightly large making it more difficult to fit into a smaller make up bag for travelling.  The gel formula inside, is concealed very well with the inner lid, complete with spatula for hygienic application, this is a design feature I love because having traveled with this a lot it has never leaked.  I think overall the product packaging is great I just wish they did a smaller size of this for travelling.

The magical gel formula is amazing, when mixed with the spatula it looks like mashed up jelly but after being left to settle, goes back to the calm water like appearance, this is what initially caught my interest before trying it on my skin, it seems the simple things in life entertain me.  I tried this on my hand before purchasing and as soon as it settled into my skin the results were instant, there was no doubt that I needed this in my make up collection.

I only use the amount of one scoop from the spatula for each application and warm up between my fingertips, before lightly sweeping over my face.  Warming the product up between my fingers turns the rehydrating gel formula into a  more liquid like texture.    I always leave this for a couple of moments to settle into the skin before applying the rest of my make up, in these couple of moments you can clearly see that pores are blurred, the redness around my nose and cheeks is reduced and my skin looks healthier.  I have normal/dehydrated skin but suffer with an oily t-zone, Hydra Veil manages to hydrate my skin, correct the oiliness in my t-zone and give me healthy glowing skin all at the same time, it is truly amazing.  The thing that really blew me away when using this was how soothing it was when using around the eyes, because of the liquid like texture it is so light and hydrating, especially great for tired eyes .

When I bought this it was retailing for about £27 if I remember correctly, it has gone up slightly in price to £30 but now that I have used this I cannot live without it so will definitely be repurchasing.  As this has lasted me in excess of nine months the price is justified every single time I use it.  I urge anyone who has not yet used this to give it a go, Illamasqua Hyda Veil creates the perfect base for flawless make up, helping it to last all day with a natural, hydrating finish.

This year will see a brand new launch from Illamasqua in the form of Matte Veil, I am super excited about trying this after seeing a really detailed review from Andrew on his blog Beauty and the Boy.  I can imagine it being just as great as Hydra Veil but with obvious differences.

What is your Holy Grail make up primer?