February 10, 2021

ILIA Beauty | Get To Know

Meet the Makeup Artists Behind Our New Shades

When ILIA founder Sasha Plavsic first set out to develop more shades of Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 and True Skin Serum Concealer, her first step was to put together a team of veteran makeup artists to help thoughtfully identify which shades to add to the lineup. Ahead, get to know the pro makeup artists—Tasha Reiko Brown, Anastasia Durasova, and Jenna Anton—who helped make ILIA’s expanded shade range a reality.

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Tell us about yourself. How did you become a makeup artist?


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Tasha Reiko Brown:

Los Angeles, born and raised. When I realized art was my passion, I headed to New York to create. I started working backstage during Fashion Week, assisting top artists. The lessons on creating flawless skin in a hurry on a variety of skin tones and textures were the foundation of my career. From there, I moved into live music and touring. When living on the road became too exhausting, I made my way home to focus on film, TV, press, and red carpet. Working with celebrities on red carpet events closely mirrored my early runway work, so it was a seamless transition back to my fashion roots.

Anastasia Durasova:

I always wanted to be an artist. I spent five years in art school learning painting, composition, drawing, and art history. Back then in Russia, my home country, the beauty industry didn't exist. So I studied finance and management at university instead and worked at a beauty salon part time. But when I finished my final project—a marketing strategy—I resolved to pursue makeup. My mother was supportive. She helped me get to Moscow, and I started building my career as a makeup artist. I've been learning this craft for more than 20 years.

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Jenna Anton:

I’m a conscious beauty artist, 49 years alive, and I call Topanga Canyon, California home. I’m passionate about creating beauty everywhere I go. Nature is my biggest inspiration and resource, and I incorporate it into everything I do. I’ve been a makeup artist for 25 years, and I pivoted to clean beauty a couple years back to align my work with my core values and to cultivate conscious beauty in the industry.

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You worked closely with Sasha to expand ILIA's shade range. What was that process like?


Tasha Reiko Brown:

We began the process with the simple task of just listening. It seems like an obvious starting point, but it’s so often missed in beauty. Listening played a huge role in the early work.  It ensured all voices were heard, so it was a collaboration between customers, makeup pros, and the brand to form something truly inclusive. The next steps—taking that information and producing shades—were the easy part. Samples went back and forth between the lab, myself, and the team till the shades were exactly right. I personally tested lab offerings in the field before we gave the shade a thumbs-up.

Anastasia Durasova:

Sasha's team and I worked closely together to find the best additional shades. I work with all skin tones on set, and I know where the market still has gaps. For instance, I have to mix yellow or blue color correctors into foundations of a certain range because many brands create them too pink or too orange. So we broke the lineup into categories: very light (pale), light, medium, deep, and dark to find the gaps in each category.

Jenna Anton:

We started with the current shade range, identifying the gaps with a goal of filling in the missing shades to be able to accommodate more skin tones. We broke down the four categories (warm, cool, neutral, and olive) that skin tones fall under, combining skin tones with different undertones to create the additional shades needed.

"It was a collaboration between customers, makeup pros, and the brand to form something truly inclusive."

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Why are undertones so important when shade-matching?


Tasha Reiko Brown:

It isn’t enough to just find your shade in a foundation. The subtleties in skin tones make all the difference between a close match and an exact match. Start with finding your undertone before you attempt a shade match. Warm skin tends to be more golden, olive, and yellow. Cool undertones fall in the pinks, peaches, and reds. Neutral is when you have a touch of both. When you have the perfect combination of the correct undertone and shade, you won’t see foundation going on—you’ll just see flawless coverage emerging.

Anastasia Durasova:

When I look at the beauty industry, I recall an old joke: Nothing to wear, no space in the closet. The beauty market is oversaturated, but I hear from models and clients that they can't find their shade of foundation. Undertone is the most confusing property of your skin color. Technically, there are two undertones: warm and cool. Practically, it's much more complicated. Your forehead might be darker and cooler than the center of your face. Or maybe the pigmentation around your mouth is warmer than the rest of your face.

Jenna Anton:

It’s always best to know your undertone when you’re shade-matching. Skin tones range from very deep to very fair in color; your undertone refers to the shade that is within that color. Your undertone never changes. A common misconception is that fair-skinned people can’t have warm undertones and that dark-skinned people of color can’t have cool tones. 

"When you have the perfect combination of the correct undertone and shade, you won’t see foundation going on—you’ll just see flawless coverage emerging."

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What are some tips for identifying your undertone?


Anastasia Durasova:

I can share an old trick that helps most people figure out their undertone. You will need two lipsticks and two pieces of fabric: one very warm orange and one cool pink. Without makeup on, put the orange fabric on your shoulders, around your neck, and next to your face. Paint your lips with the orange lipstick. Look at yourself in the mirror in daylight. Now try it with the pink fabric and lipstick. How does this feel? One of the colors will look awkward—you’ll notice it right away. If you both colors suit you, you have a neutral undertone.

Jenna Anton:

An easy way of determining your skin undertone is by looking at your veins on the inner wrist or elbow in natural sunlight. If they look bluish, your undertone is cool, and if they look more green or yellow, then your undertone is warm. If they are a mix or you can't really tell, then you likely have a neutral undertone.

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What do you like about Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 and True Skin Serum Concealer?


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Tasha Reiko Brown:

My favorite thing about Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 is that it looks like your skin, only elevated. The pigments blend down into skin seamlessly while providing sun protection. The sun protection is such an important part of skincare and to have SPF 40 with such beautiful pigment payoff is amazing. True Skin Serum Concealer is so featherweight on the delicate under-eye skin that you get all the brightening you need with a light application. 

Anastasia Durasova:

Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 is the best product for everyday use, period. It protects your skin from sun damage and has a really nice moisturizing combo of Hyaluronic Acid and Squalane. It also has Niacinamide, which is one of my favorite active ingredients. It's also so easy to apply—it spreads easily with your fingers, just like a serum. I also really like True Skin Serum Concealer. It looks like skin, doesn't crease, and doesn't dehydrate the skin.

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Jenna Anton:

Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 effectively nourishes and protects the skin, creates a glow, and smooths texture for any type of skin—with plenty of pigment to even out your skin tone. True Skin Serum Concealer is creamy and super pigmented, creating extra coverage where needed. It can be used alone or in conjunction with True Skin Serum Foundation or Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40.

What other ILIA products are in your kit?


Tasha Reiko Brown:

The Multi-Stick (my personal favorite shade is I Put A Spell On You) is a go-to of mine for a quick, easy, bright monochromatic face.  

Anastasia Durasova:

I absolutely love Balmy Gloss Tinted Lip Oil—it’s moisturizing and nourishing and the colors are really pretty! You can use it as a lip balm, too. Linger is my shade. I'm all about multi-use products, so I like Multi-Stick, Liquid Light Serum Highlighter, and Illuminator.

Jenna Anton:

All of them!

12 new shades of Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 and 8 new shades of True Skin Serum Concealer are now available. Need a shade match? We’re here to help find your shade.