Hi friends!
If you love a good side-by-side comparison post then you’ll definitely love what I have in store for you today. We’re doing a liquid eyeshadow showdown between two very popular indie brands; on one side we have the brand-new ILIA Liquid Powder Chromatic Eye Tint, and on the opposing side we have the now cult-favorite Kosas 10 Second Eyeshadow. How do these products compare in terms of PACKAGING, TEXTURE, APPLICATION, PIGMENTATION, WEAR, COLOR RANGE and PRICE? I’m going to break it all down for you in this post.
I did an entire review on the Kosas 10 Second Eyeshadow last year that you should totally check out if you want a dedicated deep-dive. Since then the popularity of this product has skyrocketed in the beauty community, even winning an Allure Best in Beauty 2020 Award. I’m majorly into this liquid shadow, so much so that I included it in my Top Ten Beauty Products of 2019. Every time I use it I’m reminded just how well-performing and innovative its formula is. So when my beloved ILIA debuted their Liquid Powder Chromatic Eye Tint range this Fall, I immediately knew that I wanted to compare the two together.
Let’s dive in!
MORE SIDE-BY-SIDE COMPARISON POSTS
L’Oreal Infallible Matte Lip Crayon vs. Maybelline SuperStay Ink Crayon: Which Should You Buy?
Are They Dupes? Neutrogena Radiant Tinted Moisturizer vs. Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue
Maybelline SuperStay Ink Crayon vs. Matte Ink: Which Should You Buy?
Fenty Beauty vs. Physician’s Formula: Bronzer Showdown
ILIA LIQUID POWDER CHROMATIC EYE TINT
What it is: A clean and highly-pigmented liquid eyeshadow that transforms into a weightless, metallic powder.
How it works: Glides like a cream, dries like a powder. This liquid eyeshadow swipes on effortlessly and instantly locks in place without creasing. Sweep the cushiony wand along your eyelid for a bold metallic payoff, or gently blend it out for a more diffused wash.
Crafted with skin-smoothing Horse Chestnut Flower and antioxidant-rich Honokiol (Magnolia Bark Extract) for a 99% natural, water-based formula that doesn’t crease or budge.
KOSAS 10 SECOND EYESHADOW
A clean liquid eyeshadow that goes on like watercolor — soothes skin, won’t crease, dries in seconds.
High performance makeup powered by real skincare ingredients. Galactoarabinan smoothes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, Jojoba Oil soothes skin, and Orange Flower Water helps brighten + tone.
The lightweight liquid formula allows you to play with soft washes of color, or layer for a bolder look. Loose, fun, can’t mess it up.
HOW THEY COMPARE ON PACKAGING
There’s really not much between them in this respect. Both products come in frosted, lightweight plastic tubes with bendy doe-foot applicators. Very common and typical when it comes to liquid eyeshadow. The ILIA tube is just a bit shorter, which makes the wand a bit shorter, but I don’t find that has any influence – good or bad – over the application process.
WANT MORE ILIA?
Introducing ILIA Beauty Color Block Lipstick
Makeup + Skincare + SPF 40 – ILIA Super Serum Skin Tint Review
Comparing doe-foot applicators; (left) Kosas 10 Second Eyeshadow, and (right) ILIA Liquid Powder Chromatic Eye Tint.
HOW THEY COMPARE ON TEXTURE
This is where the differences start to come in. The Kosas has a true liquid texture that you have to shake really well before you apply, otherwise the color pigment and the base will separate in the tube. For that reason, it’s extremely thin and lightweight. The ILIA has more of a cream texture; it’s more viscous and adheres to the doe-foot applicator like a traditional cream would, so you get a lot more product when you first open it; way too much, in fact.
HOW THEY COMPARE ON APPLICATION
I find the Kosas 10 Second Eyeshadow so much easier and quicker to apply than the ILIA Liquid Powder Chromatic Eye Tint. Its thin liquidy texture just glides across the eye, and with the help of a dense fluffy brush, it blends out to perfection in no time at all. You do have to work quickly (i.e. do one eye at a time), but not as quickly as with the ILIA. For reference, I apply a base underneath – my MAC Paint Pot in the discontinued shade Camel Coat – which I don’t find interferes with the pigmentation or in the blending process.
The ILIA liquid-to-powder formula is very inconsistent with it comes to application. Sometimes it applies smoothly and beautifully; other times it clings in patches almost immediately on contact, and will not budge for anything. The dry-down occurs very, very quickly so it’s a bit do-or-die once you get the color on your lid! I absolutely have to apply a base underneath as well; I once tried to apply it to a completely bare lid, but it completely seized up on me. After some trialing, I’ve found the best way is to get it on with a finger, and then just blend the edges very quickly with a dense, fluffy brush. Applying it completely with a brush just doesn’t seem to work for me.
(Top) ILIA Liquid Powder Chromatic Eye Tint in Dim; (bottom) Kosas 10 Second Eyeshadow in Copper Halo
HOW THEY COMPARE ON PIGMENTATION
A+ for both products here. There’s no build-up period necessary; from the moment of contact with the lid, the pigmentation is very strong.
HOW THEY COMPARE ON WEAR
Again, they both perform extremely well in this category. They don’t budge, fade or flake away all day long; I’m talking 10+ hours of full-pigment wear! I do think anyone could wear these and get decent longevity, oily or dry. Just make sure you apply a primer first, especially if you have oily eyelids.
WANT MORE KOSAS?
Kosas Lipfuel Hyaluronic Lip Balm – Snatch or Skip?
-
- Wearing the ILIA Liquid Powder Chromatic Eye Tint in Dim on my lids.
-
- The liquid texture dries down to a powdery finish.
-
- Wearing the Kosas 10 Second Eyeshadow in Copper Halo on my lids.
-
- The liquid texture sets quickly but is easy to blend out with a dense brush.
HOW THEY COMPARE ON COLOR RANGE
Both ranges come in a total of 8 shades. If you really love your everyday, slightly-muted neutrals then you’ll definitely prefer the ILIA here. If you want bold pop’s of color, the Kosas will scratch that itch for you.
I have the shade Dim from the ILIA range, which is a dusty grey-lavender with a pink and purple pearl. It’s so lovely, I was immediately attracted to it on the website.
I have three colors in total from the Kosas range, but pictured throughout this post is the shade Copper Halo. A bright orangey-copper, it has silver flecks of shimmer running through it.
HOW THEY COMPARE ON PRICE
It’s a dead-heat in this category. Both the ILIA and the Kosas retail for $28.00. However there is quite a difference in the amount of product you get; in fact, the Kosas contains almost TWICE the amount of product than the ILIA. The 10 Second Eyeshadow has 0.20 fl. oz. of product, while the Liquid Powder Chromatic Eye Tint has just 0.12 fl. oz. I can only assume this is because A) the Kosas tube is physically bigger, and B) its liquid texture allows more room for product.
WHICH SHOULD YOU BUY?
Personally I’d go with the Kosas 10 Second Eyeshadow if you’re deciding between the two. The texture is super unique, the colors are brilliant and the application process is so much easier. If you’re a real eyeshadow lover, I think you should definitely have one of these in your collection!
I don’t think the ILIA is a bad product, but it takes a certain amount of finessing to get it to work properly. So if you have patience and don’t mind taking the extra time to blend it, you’ll probably like it. But if you have a drugstore liquid eyeshadow that works wonders for you, then skip this altogether.
What is your favorite liquid eyeshadow? Have you tried either the Kosas or the ILIA? I’d love to know!
xo, and be well, Erica
PIN IT!
Kosas is a win in my eyes as well. Although I’ve never personally tried it, I see the texture differences and I love how much more opaque Kosas is! Great review and photos as always 🙂
Thanks so much! Yea, I totally agree; Kosas is the better-performing in a lot of ways!
I’m glad you like the Kosas one better because I’ve just found out that they are available here on Cult Beauty and I love the shade (tbh I love the Ilia one too but I can’t get it so let’s pretend is my choice XD)
Ha! Oh, you should totally check these out then; I bet you’d love them!
Love the comparison ! The colours are very beautiful but I feel that liquid eyeshadow is so tricky to use, I’ll just stick to powder 🤷
Thanks so much! Liquids can be tricky to work with, you’re right, especially ones like the ILIA that tend to get patchy very quickly. It’s a question of finding the right formula, and I think I’ve found it with the Kosas!
I like the Ilia color better but I’m not sure if like wearing it.
The lavender is beautiful and so neutral, but the formula is just a bit of a bitch! 😄
Love the comparison here. I am liking the look of both of them and they swatch beautifully, but I think based on everything you mentioned, the Kosas one wins it for me. Also, that copper shade you got, is stunning!! I would totally wear that and I do NOT** ever wear cream/liquid eyeshadow xD you’re influencing me LOL
Copper Halo in the Kosas formula is so gorgeous, oh my goodness, I could see you rocking that too! I bet if you got this, you’d be amazed at the texture and staying power 😉.
I’m going with Ilia because I find the colors to be warmer when i compared them side by side at Sephora. Since they’re even more pigmented, maybe the smaller size makes it a wash as you may use less product than Kosas? Or else I’m just trying to justify paying $30 foe e/s which I’d normally not do lol, but waterproof AND ewg approved!? That’s a big win for me.
Whatever works for you! ILIA is a wonderful brand, and I’ve loved 98% of what I’ve tried from them. Love the color of these liquid shadows, it was just a formula issue for me. Dries too quickly and feels dry on my already dry skin. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
You are so right! I actually put them on my eyelids yesterday and I didn’t like how they felt at all! I suffer from dry eyes and now my lids were so dry all day. What do you think of RMS liquid waterproof eyeshadows? So Kosas is definitely not drying? Wish they had colors right for me. So glad I didn’t buy just based off of how they looked on my wrist!