Disclaimer: This is a gifted press review, not a paid advertisement. This article contains affiliate links.
Why Trust This Review? My 28 Year Beauty Industry Expertise
The Beauty Ed®’s Note: Having been in the industry for almost 3 decades, and having tested hundreds if not thousands of makeup bases during that time, it takes a lot to impress me. Plus I am not a snooty beauty purchaser. I don’t buy just because a product is endorsed by a celebrity, or comes with a designer label. As much as I love Victoria, that’s not the reason I wanted to try these drops.
I wanted to review them because I know many of you feel the same way I do: we aren’t necessarily looking to “fix” every sign of aging. We can live with a few fine lines, and while the jowls are slowly creeping in, we’re doing our best to embrace them. And this foundation tint promises just that: it’s not there to offer heavy coverage to disguise every flaw, it is formulated with premium skincare to help us make the most of the skin we are in.
Ultimately, when I look in the mirror each morning, I just want my skin to glow. I want it to look healthy, rested, and radiant. I don’t mind looking 49 (or 50 in a month - eek!), but I want my skin to look the absolute best it can for its age.
The Price Tag: Worth the Hype?
Okay, let’s first address the elephant in the room: $110/£104 is a LOT to spend on a palm-sized bottle of liquid foundation. I mean, even when my local supermarket is selling eggs for $14 for a dozen (crazy), it is still hard to justify this spend. This puts it squarely in the luxury category, but, as someone who has tested high-end formulas for decades, I can say it’s still competitive; for context, Chanel’s premium Sublimage L’Essence de Teint, which is meant to be its nearest competitor, is priced around $180/143.
The Victoria Beckham x Augustinus Bader Partnership
But the price of this foundation has nothing to do with inflation. No, it’s because this isn’t just any foundation! It’s a Victoria Beckham foundation. And love her or loathe her (I am firmly in the love her category which I hope will not skew this review) everything she works on is driven by a quest for perfection.
The Victoria Beckham Beauty Foundation Drops with TFC8® are a natural follow-up to The Concealer Pen that the brand launched last year which I haven’t tried but I know that they both use the premium skincare technology created by Augustinus Bader. Who, for those of you who don’t know, is a skincare scientist and developer of the brands’ signature TFC8 technology. This is the reason these aren’t just any old foundation drops!
From a marketing stand point, this partnership explains the high price point. A pot of Augustinus Badar The Rich Cream is $315/£250 for 50ml so the foundation had to compete with that. Plus Victoria Beckham is a premium brand name. Even her new Gap collaboration is elevated when it comes to price - albeit in a high street way. Plain white T shirts are $38 while you can pick up a basic one for around $20. So a mark up is expected.
Decoding TFC8®: Skincare as a GPS for Your Cells
TFC8 stands for Trigger Factor Complex 8 which is a high-tech blend of natural amino acids, which are basically the building blocks of the skin, high-grade vitamins, and molecules that effectively act like a car GPS for your skin. They guide key nutrients directly to the skin’s cells to create the best, most optimised environment for your skin to renew itself and heal.
So basically, this foundation is designed to give your skin a flawless look as soon as you apply it, while working hard behind-the-scenes to treat and heal it deep down. So in effect the more you wear it, the less you need it.
Application and Results: A Second-Skin Finish
So the first thing, I noticed was the packaging. So chic! Of course. The lacquered shiny black bottle with the pop of royal blue on the lid makes any tatty makeup bag look elevated.
I was kindly gifted this particular bottle so I was unsure of my shade when the PR offered to send it. But once I clicked onto the Victoria Beckham Beauty website, I found that the shade selection was impressive and fairly easy to navigate. There are not too many so you don’t get overwhelmed, but just enough to find your match. I decided on Shade 5 Light. It’s helpful that when you hover over each shade you are shown a different model that matches that skin tone.
The texture is just as I expected, lightweight and easily blendable. I applied about three drops with my fingertips using lightweight strokes, and as you can see from the video below, they melted into my skin so beautifully. The texture doesn’t feel like makeup, and so I was wondering as I was applying them, if they would actually make a huge difference to how my skin looked.
But that’s the point.
This foundation is not meant to fully cover. It is meant to enhance what you already have. And that’s why I love it. It feels like a second skin and looks like your skin but better. It lets your pores show through but minimizes any redness. It melts away and unevenness but still lets your natural texture shine. Even though my skin is in pretty good condition considering I live in sun-drenched Florida, I was worried it would not cover up any pigmentation I have or redness around my nose. But it did. The coverage lasted all day too.
But what I loved the most is how the drops made my skin feel. They are so lightweight that you don’t feel like you’re wearing anything. As someone who doesn’t wear a lot of makeup and as I age, I actually wear less, so this is important. It really does feel like skincare.
The Verdict: Is It Worth The $110 Investment?
Verdict: Yes, if you view it as an elevated skincare investment that happens to be a foundation.
The only slight drawback for me is the lack of SPF. Living in Florida, sun protection is non-negotiable, but I suspect this was a conscious formulation decision on VB’s part - maybe to maintain the integrity of the TFC8 technology?
Look, I know it’s expensive and we are in the midst of a cost of living crisis, but here’s my personal take: I don’t spend my money on botox or other injectables, so if I’m going to invest in my skin, especially if it’s something I am going to be applying most days, I want it to be something premium. Something that makes me feel good and look great!
Lady V is a great role model for how to approach 50 with elegance, class and grace and I think she radiates it from the inside out. She has just turned 51, and I think she looks amazing. She’s always been open about her skin struggles in the past, which makes her current glow even more achievable for the rest of us. Yes, she has a glam squad around her 24/7, but if I can capture a fraction of her effortless glow, I’m in!
You are GLOWING!! :-)
Love!!!