Launched through American TV shows by a former Miss USA contestant, IT Cosmetics has been a cult-favourite for more than a decade.
The IT stands for Innovative Technology, which the brand uses in all of its products to create game-changing makeup and skincare essentials, and the brand has gained recognition for its confidence-inducing CC creams and moisturisers.
IT Cosmetics is the latest company to feature in our Brand Spotlight series. Over the past weeks and months, we’ve be shining a light on brands that represent and align with what we stand for at mamabella.
Brands that offer affordable products or more expensive products that are great value for money; brands which take a science-led approach to beauty; brands that champion inclusivity; clean, sustainable and ethical beauty brands, and brands challenging the industry hierarchy.
IT Cosmetics’ founder Jamie Kern Lima founded the company after she struggled to find a full-coverage base for her makeup, without creating a chalky layer, and wanted something that would sensitively neutralise her skin’s redness and puffiness.
Having previously won the title of Miss Washington in 1999, which qualified her for Miss USA in 2000, Jamie had a wealth of experience in the makeup and beauty industry so she left her job as a news anchor to launch IT Cosmetics in 2008. She became famous for removing her makeup on TV to show her rosacea, demonstrating IT Cosmetics’ fantastic.
The brand, which was already in the Top 5 in the selective makeup category in the US in 2016, was acquired by L’Oreal Paris and further boosted its success with the launch of a skincare range featuring its anti-ageing product Confidence in a Cream.
IT Cosmetics creates all its products alongside plastic surgeons so the use of cutting-edge technology cements the brand as a skincare professional. It’s 100 percent cruelty-free – having never tested on animals or used animal hair in its brushes – and the products are full of ingredients that are great for your skin.
Instead of making cosmetics for cosmetics’ sake, IT Cosmetics’ mantra is quality over quantity. The brand might appear to have fewer products in its range than other makeup and skincare brands, yet all of its products are bestsellers. Whether that’s its award-winning CC+ cream or its aptly-named Superhero mascara, the brand doesn’t need three of each type of product. They don’t want to be a Jack of all trades, master of none so focus on doing fewer things fantastically well.
It’s not the cheapest makeup brand we’ve used but the quality of its products, not to mention that many of its products are multi-purpose, you’re saving money in the long run by investing in IT Cosmetics’ range.
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Why we love it: Part CC cream, part foundation, primer, serum, moisturiser and SPF cream, IT Cosmetics’ Your Skin But Better CC+ cream is is the ultimate one-stop coverage your face needs.
The colour correcting element reduces redness and blemishes and delivers a flawless coverage which isn’t heavy on your skin. It’s hydrating, anti-ageing and has SPF50. It’s also enriched with hydrolysed collagen, peptides, niacin, hyaluronic acid, antioxidants and vitamins – all the essentials your skin craves in a single tube.
If you’ve got oily skin, or are looking for a more dewy finish, IT Cosmetics also sells its CC+ cream in oil-free and illuminating versions.
FURTHER READING: How to find your perfect foundation match
Buy now from IT Cosmetics
Why we love it: We take mascara very seriously here at mamabella, mainly because so many brands claim to offer a false-lash effect when the reality is very different. IT Cosmetics breaks the mould. With its Superhero mascara, you don’t have to choose between volume and length. It also comes with so-called elastic stretch technology, designed to stretch the look of your lashes and ensure each one is given oomph.
We love this mascara because it’s really buildable and doesn’t clump, so you can apply as many coats as you like to get your lashes just right. The mascara itself includes lash-lifting polymers, volumising collagen, biotin for strengthening the lashes and various proteins and peptides.
FURTHER READING: Best mascara
Buy now from IT Cosmetics
Why we love it: Yes, we know, £43 is far from affordable but we do highly recommend this night cream. Not only is this rich, yet surprisingly lightweight cream hydrating and suitable for all skin types, it contains so-called Rest and Restore Technology, which give it anti-ageing properties to visibly reduce signs of fine lines, wrinkles and loss of firmness.
We have quite literally woken up to smoother skin as the moisturiser works to improve surface cell renewal through exfoliation overnight when your skin cell turnover is at its most efficient. Elsewhere, it’s enriched with hyaluronic acid, ceramides and adenosine which work together to repair and restore your skin’s natural barrier. It also has Memory Bounce Technology to prevent product transfer as you sleep. Oh and it smells like Parma Violets, which is only a plus in our book!
FURTHER READING: Best overnight face masks
Buy now from IT Cosmetics
Why we love it: There’s a new lipstick in town and its collagen-infused with high pigment. Not only does this lipstick moisturise your lips as you apply, but it contains Tri-Oil Complex (jojoba, peppermint and sesame seed) to minimise the appearance of lines and cracks. These oils act to make your lips appear fuller and plumper.
This lipstick comes in both cream and matte finishes, and your lips are left soft and supple with a smooth application regardless of which style you choose. A rarity for matte lipsticks. The Vision colour may also be our answer to finding a nude as reliable (if not more) as MAC’s Velvet Teddy too…
FURTHER READING: Best lipsticks for all budgets
Buy now from IT Cosmetics
Why we love it: Why is this brush so special? Firstly, it’s two-in-one makeup brush, so an immediate time and money-saver allowing you to apply your liquid and powder products without switching.
The brush hairs are synthetic (IT Cosmetics are cruelty-free, including the hairs on their brushes) and so soft.
We recommend you use the larger, fluffier side for larger areas of the face, and the smaller brush for the nooks and harder-to-reach areas. The brand also prides itself on this brush delivering streak-free coverage.
While it isn’t a cheap tool, it is effectively two brushes in one and if you’re spending a fortune on premium makeup but applying it with cheap, shoddy tools, you’re counteracting the overall effect and finish. Read more in our guide to the best makeup brushes. If this is a little pricey, try the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Complexion brush which is almost identical for £30. The Charlotte Tilbury brush isn’t quite as good for powder products, but it’s £6 cheaper.
FURTHER READING: Natural vs synthetic makeup brushes: Which is better?
Buy now from IT Cosmetics
Amira Arasteh is a freelance journalist and content creator. Find her making sense of beauty trends, tips and topics – when she’s not stuffing her face with the best food in London or travelling the globe
