tom ford foundations Archives - Reviews and Other Stuff

tom ford foundations

La Mer The Luminous Lifting Cushion Foundation SPF 20 & The Soft Fluid Long Wear Foundation SPF 20 Review

January 24, 2019 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Hello Friends! Several weeks ago, I stumbled upon a sample of the La Mer Soft Fluid Long Wear Foundation and I was really impressed with it. Before that, I think I may have only tried a few La Mer products, like their famous Creme de la Mer and their Moisturizing Soft Cream (reviewed HERE). But when it comes to La Mer makeup, the last one I’ve tried and reviewed was the limited-edition La Mer The Bronzing Powder (read HERE), after that, I don’t think I’ve talked about La Mer items lately until I tried the amazing Soft Fluid Long Wear Foundation sample which was kind of life-changing for me.

I wasn’t really on the market for new foundations but since trying the La Mer Soft Fluid Foundation, I felt like I’ve got to have more of it. Since then, I also got curious about their Luminous Lifting Cushion Foundation and have read good reviews about it. So, here’s a side by side comparison and contrast of two of La Mer’s bestselling foundations.

The Luminous Lifting Cushion Foundation SPF 20 + Refill in Warm Vanilla ($120) – This cushion in Warm Vanilla is definitely meant for light skin with warm undertone. On my skin, I don’t find it to be very warm or too golden, but more like a subtle one. The cushion itself has the same scent as the Creme de la Mer but perhaps slightly milder. It has a really lightweight feel on the skin, to the point that it almost feels like not having anything on the face. It has has a natural to dewy finish that doesn’t make your face look flat or cakey. Also, there is no need to dip the sponge applicator that hard on the cushion because there is a lot of product in this sleek compact. Since the coverage of this foundation can go from medium to full, you only need to lightly tap the sponge applicator to your face. I really love the no-mess fuss-free application of this, and I find the finish to be very complementing on my skin, it’s kinda like a second skin that lasts the whole day without giving me any breakouts and I get lots of compliment whenever I use this cushion. Most of the feedbacks I typically get are from people saying they like the way my skin looks, or that it looks more even and almost poreless and flawless. Can you imagine? LOL! I also love the fact that it’s so easy to take this cushion to my travels and it’s perfect for a quick foundation application or a retouch. On top of that, it’s great to use as an everyday foundation for that minimal “no makeup” makeup look, and though it’s pricey, I’m glad that there’s a refill and an additional sponge applicator included in its packaging. Overall, this La Mer Luminous Lifting Cushion Foundation is definitely now in my holy grail list, but I feel like I also wanna test the Cle de Peau one which I heard is also good, and I’ll be giving you my two cents of the La Prairie Skin Caviar Essence-In Foundation (seen HERE) when compared to these two high-end cushion compacts. In fact, since I’ve been loving the cushions lately, I’ll be reviewing my favorite cushion foundations both high-end and drugstore pretty soon here on the blog. So stay tuned for that guys.

The Soft Fluid Long Wear Foundation SPF 20 in Shell 11 (1 oz: $120) – The Soft Fluid Long Wear Foundation sample shade that I’ve tried several weeks ago was called Natural 12 which really fits me well, but it did kinda pull a little too warm on me, so I got the regular size in Shell 11 shade which is meant for light skin with cool undertone and this shade seems perfect on me. My skin right now tends to have a neutral to cool undertone although I can still pull a mildly warm undertone like the Warm Vanilla shade of the La Mer cushion above, it just all depends on the product’s pigment, its tendency to oxidize with time, and of course the season. So far, with these two La Mer foundations, I haven’t noticed any extreme oxidation, and if there is, it’s probably very light. So back to this Soft Fluid Foundation, I find this to be very liquidy and very light, which kinda reminds me of the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua (reviewed HERE) or the Dior Forever Perfect Foundation (seen HERE). These are the type of foundations that are weightless, set well, and almost feel like second skin. The La Mer Soft Fluid Long Wear Foundation doesn’t settle into fine lines and doesn’t make you look like you packed on a ton of makeup. It has a soft luminous glow to it, kinda like a lit-from-within finish yet still very natural and the packaging is really luxurious with a heavy weighted glass material. The coverage of this foundation is medium and can be layered. I really don’t need to apply much of this on my face and I only dab a little bit of setting powder on top of it just to set the foundation well. My top favorites for setting powders are HERE. In total, I find this foundation to be very long-wearing and it stays on my face throughout the day without making it look too oily. However, this does have a weird alcohol scent blended along with its typical La Mer cream fragrance which really doesn’t seem to be so enticing to my senses, but apart from that, this foundation gives a nice youthful finish to the skin, giving you that “your skin but better” effect, blurring all the fine lines, blemishes, pores, and some other imperfections.

Final words, I love both of these foundations, but I think I may be slightly biased towards the Luminous Lifting Cushion because it’s easy for traveling and it’s perfect for a mess-free foundation application. As for the Soft Fluid, I adore its skin-perfecting effect, but the smell can be too much at times and it’s not ideal for traveling because of its heavy glass packaging. Both foundations are expensive but they’re totally worth it for their natural luminous skin effect or that effortless lit-from-within glow that lasts the whole day. They don’t slide off the face and they are definitely long-wearing. Because of these reasons, I think these foundations might be the best I’ve tried so far.

Have you tried these already? What do you think of the La Mer Makeup line in general?

The La Mer Luminous Lifting Cushion Foundation SPF 20 and The Soft Fluid Long Wear Foundation are currently available at Sephora, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys New York, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, Harrods, Selfridges, and Net-A-Porter

Pink Jade Roller is from Amazon
Fenty Beauty Foundation Brush 110 is available HERE, reviewed HERE
An Inspired Life Book Journal is from Anthropologie
My Favorite Essie Gel Couture Nail Colors are swatched HERE

Tom Ford Lip Lacquer Review + Swatches

April 25, 2018 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

The Tom Ford Lip Lacquers ($54) are the newest line of liquid lip products from Tom Ford Beauty. They come in three different finishes; Matte, Metallic, and Patent or High Shine. Some of these lipsticks are liquid versions of some of Tom Ford’s famous lip colors.

I am so excited that finally, Tom Ford released some liquid lipsticks this time because I’m really curious how they would fare compared to some other popular liquid lipsticks that have been hitting the market. For starters, I picked one shade that I like from each finish and tested them. The Mattes are really good formula-wise. They are so lightweight and they’re quite similar to the NARS Powermatte Lip Pigments in texture and overall consistency, which is more of a liquid feel as opposed to being creamy. It sets on the lips after a few seconds and it won’t smudge or crease. It’s pretty much waterproof and you can eat or drink with it and the color will still stay put on the lips. There is a slight vanilla scent on all three finishes, and even though the Mattes set on the lips well, they’re not as drying compared to most matte lipsticks. For the Metallic Finish, I think these lipsticks have such smooth metallic glassy particles that really creates a holographic definition on the lips. I find the shimmers to be fine and very beautiful that they’re so wearable as opposed to just looking like you smacked glitter on your lips, like most metallic liquid lipsticks. They are also creamy and non-sticky. The colors can last for several hours even after eating and drinking. The Patent Finish is wonderful as well even though like most high shine lipsticks – you have to be careful because anything can stick to them, like your hair, but I still love how moisturizing the Tom Ford Liquid Patent formula feels. They’re just light, creamy, comforting, and the colors are staining, vivid, and vibrant. Such intense shades with intense shine.

Pussycat – a muted rose color which is also a popular shade of the Tom Ford Lip Color Matte (reviewed HERE). However, I find this color to look quite muted in its Liquid Matte Finish compared to its solid matte lipstick form. I also think that this is such a beautiful color, and probably the best and most wearable shade of all the TF Liquid Mattes.

Pink Sabre – a metallic rose that is so pretty but you won’t even know how pretty it is until you actually wear it. Its combination of rosy and metallic finish make this shade wearable, and I love the smooth soft flecks of rosy pink shimmers which give you an edgy feminine look. Oh, and it’s a pretty hydrating shade too, not to mention that it gives an extra pout. I also think that this particular lipstick is a great topper for the Pussycat Liquid Matte Finish above.

Ravageur – a bright red high-shine vinyl. It’s glossy, it’s intense, it’s beautiful, and it’s sexy. This is a hard-not-to-notice type of liquid lipstick, and you can tell by just looking at its swatch below. The Ravageur shade already existed in the Tom Ford Patent Finish Lip Color line, and it’s almost always out of stock or truly sold-out. Such a love for this beautiful intense bright red shade.

I love these Tom Ford Lip Lacquers a lot, not only for its beautiful shades but also for its neat and pretty packaging. I love the well-made brush applicator and it applies precisely on the lips. To sum it all up, I think the Liquid Mattes are very well-done especially when it comes to their waterproof formulation that lasts a long time. They are certainly one of the top liquid matte lipsticks that I’ve tried and I highly recommend them. For the Metallics, I think they’re great to wear alone or as toppers for the Matte Finishes, and as for the Patent ones, almost all the shades in this lineup are so pretty. Lasting power for the Metallic and Patent Finishes is about 4-6 hours on me. The color may fade at the middle portion of the lips after eating and drinking but most of it stays put. Speaking of colors, I only wish that there should have been more versions of different nude colors in each finish as opposed to having different hues of the red ones. In other words, there should have been more shade options for these fab Lip Lacquers, after all, these liquid lipsticks are worth the splurge.

The Tom Ford Lip Lacquers are currently available at Sephora, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Orchard Mile and Bergdorf Goodman.

Sephora Spring 2018 Beauty Insider Event Wishlist and Recommendations, Part Two.

April 19, 2018 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

The Sephora Spring 2018 Beauty Insider Event is back again for its second round tomorrow April 20th Friday until April 23rd Monday. If you missed out on some of the beauty products you wanted to buy or had simply been eyeing a particular item for some time, tomorrow is your chance to get them at:

15% Off Everything In-store or Online for Rouge Members. Use Code: YAYROUGE.

15% Off Everything In-Store or Online for VIB Members. Use Code: YAYVIB

10% Off Everything In-Store or Online for BI Members. Used Code: YAYINSIDER

If you’re not sure what to buy and are looking for some guides and recommendations on what products to try, check out the first part of this article-My Wishlist for the Sephora Beauty Insider Event Spring 2018 HERE.

I had a lot of fun shopping last week’s Sephora sale. The store was packed and even though some of the stuff I wanted were sold out by the time I reached my local Sephora store, I was still able to find the stuff I missed out on by ordering them online. The shipping was pretty fast too. I’ll be posting some of my Sephora loot on my Insta (@reviewsandotherstuff) very soon, so stay tuned for that. I still have some stuff I wanted to buy at Sephora and I can’t wait for tomorrow’s event to start. So here’s the second part of my Wishlist for the Sephora Spring Bonus 2018 Beauty Insider Event. I also included a list of some of my recommended products so you guys can check them out once you shop online or in-store.

Lancome Monsieur Big Waterproof Mascara (0.33 oz: $25) – I’m a big fan of the original Monsieur Big Mascara because it gives me that big fat lashes that I can only dream of. So, you can imagine my excitement when they finally released the Waterproof version of it. I bet it’s going to be even better, hopefully.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter in Dreamsicle (0.25 oz: $38) – This is Becca’s newest addition to their famous lineup of pressed highlighters. On the website, this is described as a soft tangerine vanilla gold pearl and it looks really pretty. I have to see and try this in real life.

Fenty Body Lava Body Luminizer in Who Needs Clothes?! (3 oz: $59) – I tried this at my local Sephora and I was really blown away by how blinding and glittery this was. I only had to put a little drop on the back of my hand and it’s so shimmery and so pretty. I wanted to buy it right then and there, but I had to stop myself especially after reading some reviews talking about how sticky this could get, and besides, I have to wait for the sale tomorrow anyway. So I want to try this again and see whether I really want this or not. But it’s so beautiful though…LOL

Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair! Super Moisture Shampoo (16 oz: $36) – This has been on my wishlist for some time. I love Briogeo products because they’re not harsh on the hair, and their stuff always smells amazing. I bet this shampoo is gonna be awesome too, and with the good reviews online, I’m sure my hair is waiting for this.

Coola Full Spectrum 360° Sun Silk Drops SPF 30 (1 oz: $46) – Another product I’m dying to try from a brand that is quite underrated yet is actually delivering quality products – Coola. I love everything that Coola makes, especially their sunscreen, and I’m telling you, they have the best scented and lightweight sunscreens in the world. I’m excited to try this newest Sun Silk Drops from them, I bet it’s gonna be good.

Tom Ford Traceless Foundation Stick in 4.7 Cool Beige (0.5 oz: $85) – As I mentioned in my previous Tom Ford Foundations Review (HERE), I need to get my hands on this TF Foundation Stick. I have read good reviews about this particular foundation, and besides, I need a new non-liquid travel foundation in my stash. So this fits the bill.

OleHenriksen C-Rush Brightening Gel Crème (1.7 oz: $44) – Oh I have to have this one. This is a newly-released moisturizer from Olehenriksen and an exciting addition to his “Truth” line of skincare. There’s already a lot of buzz about this which I am not really surprised because don’t we all love everything that smells delish like OleHenriksen’s Vitamin C and orange-infused gels and creams?

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad in O4 Honeymoon (0.35 oz: $85) – I keep seeing this in-store and every time I see this eyeshadow quad, I feel like I would have a heart attack. It’s so beautiful, especially the Honeymoon compact. It’s one of those eyeshadow colors that you can’t help but stare in awe and excitement. So, this only goes one way. In my shopping cart, lol.

Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat Le Teint Radiance Awakening Foundation SPF 22 (1 oz: $58) – I’m so curious about this particular YSL foundation. This has been on my wishlist for a long time and I don’t know exactly what made kind of ignore it. I think because there have been some mixed reviews about this before, but lately, it seems like there’s a new liking to this foundation. Also, I’ve tried the YSL Touche Eclat All-In-One Glow Foundation recently and I really love it, so my curiosity for this one is growing. I just don’t know what shade I need to get yet, so I have to try this in-store.

Huda Beauty Obsessions Eyeshadow Palette in Warm Brown (0.05 oz: $27) – This is another one of those eyeshadow colors that you can’t help but stare. Then you stare at it again and again, and you swatch it on your arms, then you stare at it again. Yeah, that’s how beautiful and mesmerizing this eyeshadow palette is. Also, each shade of the compact seems to be well-curated, so I bet this eyeshadow palette won’t disappoint.

Korres Greek Yoghurt Foaming Cream Cleanser (2.54 oz: $14, 5.07 oz: $26) – I recently a got a sample of this Greek cleanser and I was really impressed. I’ve been a long time fan of some of Korres’ skincare products and this foaming cleanser is definitely worth having in its regular size. It lathers very well on the face and it makes the face feel thoroughly cleaned. Also, this smells fabulous.

Dior Addict Lip Glow Color Reviver Balm (0.12 oz: $34) – The Dior Lip Glows are the best-tinted lip balms I’ve ever tried and they should be everyone’s must-have lip products. Try the HOLO Pink, HOLO Purple, Raspberry, Matte Raspberry and the Ultra Pink shades which are so beautiful and so pigmented. Their stain lasts a long time and they’re very comforting on the lips. See the swatches HERE.

Tom Ford Nail Lacquer (0.41 oz: $36) – One of my favorite nail polishes are made by Tom Ford, simply because their colors are so vivid and their shades are pretty and unique, not to mention the fact that their names are very catchy. Also, I find that their nail colors tend to last a long time, almost about two weeks or more without chipping. So I recommend the shades in Bitter Bitch, Plum Noir, and Mink Brule. A review of the TF Nail Colors will be out very soon.

Josie Maran Whipped Argan Oil Body Butter (8 oz: $35) – Need a lotion that smells so good and so hydrating? I definitely recommend that you try this Argan Body Butter by Josie Maran. This body butter is great for dry skin, and it comes in different scents. I especially love the sweet citrus and it’s one of my staple body moisturizers of all time. P.S. I will also be reviewing some of my favorite body lotions and body butters soon, so stay tuned for that.

Urban Decay All Nighter Pollution Protection Makeup Setting Spray Environmental Defense (4 oz: $34) – This is my newest favorite Urban Decay Makeup Setting Spray. I like how fine the mist is and it doesn’t have a strong scent. This sets your makeup and makes it last a long time, and it’s also a great facial hydrator any time of the day. I also love the fact that this is a great mist to use in areas where you know you’ll be exposed to some environmental pollutions.

OleHenriksen The Clean Truth Foaming Cleanser (1.7 oz: $10, 7 oz: $30) – This cleanser is both on my wishlist and on my list of recommended products. That’s because this face cleanser is so good in every way. This literally comes out as a foam and is ready to use on the face. One pump or two is enough for a good thorough cleanse. The formula lathers well, takes off excess oil, and it makes the face feel very clean. I also dig the juicy energizing orange scent too.

Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Glow Stick ($55) – If you want that easy breezy beach vibe glow, then get this TF highlighter and blush stick. It’s practically easy to use and it’s so blendable. Its finish and effect on the face will simply set you on a vacation-mode. See the swatches and review HERE.

Huda Beauty Desert Dusk Eyeshadow Palette (0.89 oz: $65) – If there’s one eyeshadow palette that I love looking at and love using for its beautiful range of unique colors (not to mention the fact that the palette itself already has a lot of shades to choose from) it’s gotta be the Huda Beauty Desert Dusk Eye Palette. This palette is simply gorgeous through and through, and you can get a lot of looks just by using this. Reviewed HERE.

Dior Diorskin Forever Perfect Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 35 (1 oz: $52) – This is my most favorite Dior liquid foundation so far. Even better than the Dior Forever Undercover Foundation which has been released recently. I like this one better because this sets fast but it gives you enough time to blend it on the skin, and it’s also nonsticky, and lightweight.

Tom Ford Illuminating Primer (1 oz: $75) – Reviewed HERE. This is my go-to primer when I need my makeup to last longer and to be perfect. It does have a funny smell, but it feels really good on the skin, and it works with any TF Foundations or better yet any foundations out there as well. The effect is dewy and gorgeous.

Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm (1 oz: $9.50, 3.8 oz: $29.50) – A classic and still one of my favorite makeup removers out there. This will remove all kinds of makeup and this always works no matter what. A lot of us adore this makeup melter, so if you need to replenish your stash, tomorrow’s the time, until Monday.

Alterna Haircare Caviar Anti-Aging Anti-Frizz Shampoo & Conditioner (8.5 oz: $34) – I am currently using these newest additions to the Alterna Caviar line of haircare products. This is currently their “Anti-Frizz” hair product that caters to taming frizzy strands and making the hair silky and moisturized. So far, I’m really liking these shampoo and conditioner. These feel more like the thicker version of the original Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Replenishing Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner, which are both already good to start with, but these Anti-Frizz Shampoo and Conditioner seem to have much better scents.

So, that comprises the second part of my Sephora Spring 2018 Bonus Event Wishlist as well as my recommendations on what products to look out for when you hit the stores tomorrow or if you shop Sephora online. Remember, the Sephora Sale continues throughout the weekend and ends Monday.

Have A Happy Shopping Folks! Stay Safe