Review: Tom Ford Traceless Foundation Stick Review

I decided to try out this foundation after Mario Dedivanovic's recommendation of it during his Masterclass. I've always been curious about this foundation stick, as I remember Wayne Goss rave about it a few years ago. I was always hesitant to try it mainly because it is a cream formulation, and while cream formulations are fantastic, they tend to be a little high maintenance for people with oily skin. But with all the raves I've heard about it, and add the fact that I love Tom Ford's beauty line so much, I finally decided to take a leap and just get the Traceless Foundation Stick. 

This foundation retails for $82 and comes with 0.5 oz of product and comes in 11 shades. It claims to be hydrating, has a natural flawless finish, and has a buildable coverage (sheer to full). This foundation can also be used as a concealer. I am normally in NC42-44 in MAC foundations and the color that matched me was 08 Caramel. Before I begin my review, I do want to note that I didn't have high expectations for this product on my skin, mostly because I already knew that its formulation was not really geared towards my skin type. Nevertheless, I was still interested in knowing how well it'll fare on my oily skin. 

First Impressions

When I got matched for this foundation, the SA at the Tom Ford counter used a fluffy brush to grab the product and buff it onto my skin. I found that this method made the foundation look very natural on me and it yielded a sheer to medium finish. When I tried doing my foundation on my own, I decided to swipe the product on certain areas of my skin (forehead, nose, cheeks an chin) and then buffed them away. That method had yielded a medium to full coverage. I loved the fact that it was so easy to blend out and looked very smooth on my skin. I definitely felt the creaminess of this foundation as I was blending it and it also felt very moisturizing.  It definitely imparted a healthy glow, without looking too dewy. I made sure to lightly set this foundation with MAC Studio Fix Powder in C5 on my t-zone because I had a feeling that it wasn't going to keep me from getting oily if I did not do that. 

Wear Test

How the foundation looked around hour 4 of wearing it. No filter. 

This foundation definitely looked great and fresh after 2 hours of wear. I didn't get oily yet, which was pretty good, because I didn't have high expectations for this foundation when it came to keeping my oiliness away. I really liked the finish that it gave my skin; it was just smooth and had a lit from within glow. Everyone kept mentioning how my skin was glowing!

The oil started to break through around hour 4 of wearing the foundation, which was later than I expected. My nose area was very oily and my the rest of my t-zone definitely needed some blotting. Around hour 6, I definitely needed to touch up with my MAC Studio Fix Powder. A silver lining to this is that it did not break up from all the oiliness, nor did it  get blotchy once I touched it up. There was a bit more product transfer when I blotted with oil-blotting sheets, which once again, is to be expected because of the cream formulation. 

The next time I wore this foundation, I decided to use the SA's method of application and lightly set it again with MAC Studio Fix all over the skin. I remember liking the natural look it gave my skin when I got matched and wanted to replicate that. I also wanted to see if wearing less of the product affects its staying-power or not. Now, this method proved to be the best thing for my skin type! I was able to wear the foundation throughout the day with minimal touch ups and I didn't get as oily as I did from last time. The best part? Nobody could tell that I was wearing foundation at all! 

The Verdict

I really love the finish of this foundation! 

I really liked this foundation for a very natural everyday look! I did not like it as much for medium to full coverage wear, however wearing it sheer proved to be the best way I can wear this foundation with my skin type. This foundation is definitely more suited for people with normal to dry skin, as opposed to oily skin.  I can understand why many artists recommend it, especially because of the very natural glow it gives the skin. The formulation was also very easy to work with! Now, while I did like this foundation, I do think that the biggest holdback for this product is its price. To me, it is quite expensive for everyday wear and I can't really justify the price. I will definitely continue wearing it until I run out, however, I don't think I'll be repurchasing it for myself.

Would I consider this for my kit?  While this foundation did not work as well for my skin type, I actually am toying with the idea! I think this would work really well for my clients who have more of a dry skin type. I also think that this foundation would look really good for mature skin that needs a bit more coverage but would not look good with a heavy coverage. I'm planning on picking up a shade or two for my kit in the future, although I don't feel the need to rush and get it!