Review: Tom Ford Traceless Foundation Liquid SPF 15

Happy Monday everyone! I can't remember since when Mondays have become exciting in my daily life. As long as Mondays don't seem so terribly long, I'm good. 

**A brief update: Sorry for the low posting frequency lately. I've embarked on a new project that I feel deeply connected with and hopefully many people will find it helpful. Nothing's related to my beauty addiction but it's involved heavy consultation and sharing. Right up my alley. Woot woot! 

Back to Mr Tom the man Ford's Traceless Foundation that is retailed for $78 (1 oz). Ouch! What a price. The largest pro of this foundation, in my opinion, is the buildability. You can layer it to create a sheer to full coverage. However, when 3 layers packed on my skin, it looks rather heavy and less natural. And then it stays on for solid 10 hours, no touch up and minimum shine. The texture is quite smooth and feels luxirious, although not as finely milled as my favorite Clarins Ever Matte or Burberry Sheer Luminous. 

The foundation comes in 12 shades. Mine is No 4 Bisque although No 5 Natural matches my skin quite well too. The girls at Tom Ford counter said that each shade has mixed undertones of different proportions. There's no designation for which shades are yellow-based and which are pink-based. That kind of makes senses since both No 4 and No 5 have yellow undertone only No 4 is a touch lighter and yellower. I've find No 4 a spot-on color match for my skin tone for about 3 hours. After that it turns muddy. 

The major con of Traceless, you guess it, is that it oxidizes like crazy on my skin, turning into 2 shades deeper than my true skin color. A big no no! Another issue I have with Traceless lies in its strong chemical scent. It reminds me how Bobbi Brown Moisture Rich foundation smells and the scent lingers throughout the whole 10-hour wear. Not exactly unpleasant, but not inviting either. 

What I like

1. Long-wearing, solid 10 hours
2. Good color match
3. Light weight but not weightless
4. Natural finish
5. Buildable from sheer to full coverage

What I don't like

1. Oxidize into muddy color after 3 hours
2. Has strong scent throughout 10-hour wear. It reminds me the scent of Bobbi Brown moisturize rich foundation. It bothers me.
3. Doesn't smooth out my skin as much as I expected (hello, traceless embedded in the name)
4. While I can build it up to full coverage, it looks heavy with 3 layers

Bottom line. Good but not excellent. 

Now, Tom Ford is a luxury brand so I would expect the price. But I also expect a lot more from the foundation itself. Based on my preferences and my skin, I'd say it's not worth the investment. I'd rather save for his eyeshadows, blushes, and lipsticks.

Have you tried Traceless foundation liquid or stick version? According to the SA, the stick doesn't oxidize as much as the liquid. It stays true to the color on the stick. I tested it out at the counter but wasn't sure about the result. So yeah, I'll have to go back there...

*****A side note on my skin and foundations*****

I have medium yellow undertone (MAC NC 25-30) with some redness on the cheek and dull skin on the chin. My face skin is nearly one shade deeper than the neck. I look for a foundation that match my neck skin to create a seamless transition from face to neck. I don't classify my skin as good but I don't have break out or major skin problems. Loads of foundations turn orangy or muddy on me within one to three hours of wearing. This is the frustration of finding a good foundation for my makeup.  

Four must-have traits of a good foundation for me

1. doesn't turn orange or muddy throughout the day
2. dries in natural finish
3. evens out the color and smoothes the skin (finely milled texture)
4. covers veins, discoloration, redness and minor dark spots