In our series Trial Run, TZR editors and writers put the buzziest new beauty products to the test and share their honest reviews. This week, deputy beauty editor Erin Lukas is testing the buzzy Victoria Beckham Beauty By Augustinus Bader The Foundation Drops.
Hands down, “no-makeup makeup” is the biggest beauty scam. Speaking from personal experience, achieving a radiant, clear complexion with softly flushed cheeks, fluttery lashes, and slightly shiny rosy lips requires approximately eight products and roughly 10 to 15 minutes in front of your bathroom mirror. So, yes, the cliché “it takes a lot of effort to look effortless” is absolutely true. However, certain brands make nailing the whole “minimalist makeup” look a lot easier. One such example is Victoria Beckham Beauty. Rooted in the style icon’s personal understated approach to makeup, the line consists of consciously-formulated elevated essentials that range from sheer water color blushes to curated eyeshadow palettes for a wash of color or sleek smoky eyes. The missing piece? Foundation — until now. Beckham has just dropped The Foundation Drops, a lightweight, radiant finish formula that looks (and feels) like second skin.
The launch is the latest product created in collaboration with celebrity- and beauty editor-favorite skin care brand Augustinus Bader (there’s also a priming moisturizer and concealer pen). As a staunch fan of both lines, I’ve been waiting for this product to come into fruition, and immediately put it to the test.
Ahead, my honest review of Victoria Beckham Beauty’s first-ever foundation.
Fast Facts
- Price: $110
- Size: 1 fl oz/30 mL
- Clean/Cruelty Free: Yes
- Best For: Everyone
- Ingredient Highlights: TFC8, echinacea purpurea extract, spilanthes acmella flower extract, olive leaf extract, jojoba oil, glycerin and pentylene glycol, natural mineral mica
- What We Like: Easy to apply, feels weightless on the skin, stays blended throughout the day
- What We Don’t Like: Nothing so far!
- Rating: 5/5
How TZR Keeps Score: 1/5: Making a return; 2/5: Keeping as a backup; 3/5: Finishing to the last drop; 4/5: Recommending to my group texts; 5/5: Already on auto-replenish
The Formula
The secret sauce of Augustinus Bader’s cult-favorite skin care products is the brand’s proprietary TFC8 complex, a blend of amino acids, high-grade vitamins, and synthesized vitamins that work to repair and rejuvenate skin cells for a more youthful appearance. So of course, it’s the backbone of this foundation created with Victoria Beckham. In addition, there’s echinacea purpurea extract to plump and firm, spilanthes acmella flower extract to smooth uneven texture, olive leaf extract to minimize wrinkles and strengthen the skin barrier, jojoba oil to nourish and reduce redness and irritation, glycerin and pentylene glycol to hydrate, and natural mineral mica to help reflect light to diffuse imperfections.
Given all of the skin care ingredients, the texture is light and serum-like so it feels weightless on your face. The radiant finish formula comes in 19 shades, and offers light to medium coverage that’s buildable. Just don’t forget to give it a good shake before you use it.
My Typical Makeup Routine
I’ll always choose hitting snooze over getting up on time to do an intensive makeup routine. So my daily look falls under the “your skin but better” category. I’ll apply a lightweight tint as my base, and add a touch of Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Concealer to areas that need a little extra coverage, such as my under eyes and around my nose. As of late, I’ve been reaching for M.ph Beauty’s Underpainting Face Palette for a subtle bronzer and highlight, then adding Pat McGrath Labs’ Divine Cream Blush: Legendary Glow Color Balm in Divine Rose Glow to the apples of my cheeks. For brows, I simply fill in any sparse spots with Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz pencil in Dark Brown. My finishing touches are a few swipes of Kosas Soulgazer Lengthening Mascara on my lashes and YSL Beauty Loveshine Lip Oil Stick in Nude Lavalliere.
My Experience & Results
This product is truly as effortless as it gets in terms of applying foundation. I dispensed four drops of shade 3 to the back of my hand, then used my fingertips to dot it on my face and blend it out. It instantly melted into my skin like my favorite hydrating serum, and made my complexion appear more even-toned and radiant. I did follow up with a bit of concealer on my dark circles and a zit on my chin that needed more coverage, but it’s absolutely buildable if you want to go that route instead.
What’s more, this foundation holds its own on a jam-packed Saturday in New York City day. After a full day of running errands, strolling through the Frick Collection, and an outdoor dinner with a few steamy subway rides in between, my base was still perfectly blended when I went to remove my makeup late that night.
Is Victoria Beckham’s The Foundation Drops Worth It?
With the busy fall season approaching, I expect The Foundation Drops are going to become a mainstay in my makeup bag as I try to simplify and streamline my routine as much as possible. So whether your iCal for September and October is also currently sending chills down your spine, or your complexion could always use an extra hydration boost as the temps get cooler, I’d say this bottle is a worthy investment. However, if you swear by a full beat all 365 days of the year, you might find these drops don’t give you the level of coverage you’re after.
