| Review | Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Soft Radiance Cushion Compact Foundation
| Review | Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Soft Radiance Cushion Compact Foundation
Cushion foundations have declined rapidly in popularity over the past few years. When they were initially introduced to the U.S. a couple years ago, every brand was jumping to get on the trend but now the dust has settled, and everyone has gone back to making classic foundation formulas. I personally love a good cushion foundation because it is a very unique lightweight formula that blends into the skin almost like water but leaves behind a flawless and natural finish to the skin. The formulas also tend to be very refreshing on the skin.
I feel that Tom Ford has been continuing this cushion trend for the Asia market but also because after releasing the Traceless Cushion (full review here) for only Asia and Europe, there was a huge demand for the U.S. to also receive it. I was surprised to see this cushion come out along with a liquid version of the Shade and Illuminate Foundation (full review here).
PRICE & PACKAGING
The Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Soft Radiance Cushion Compact Foundation retails for $132.00 USD and is available at Nordstrom and other retailers. This cushion is housed in a significantly heavier and more luxurious compact than the previously released. The compact is entirely made of reflective gold plastic and the compact itself is heavily weighted. The front of the compact is a very textured fine cross-hatching design. The only reason I am not a fan of this is that this texture can easily trap dirt and dust. Luckily, it comes with a very nice faux suede bag, which I highly recommend using to store your compact to prevent dust from getting trapped into the compact and to prevent scratches on the delicate plastic.
Like the other cushion foundations, the packaging is a compact with a large hole where the cushion can be easily popped in and out of the compact. Since all the compacts and cushions are the same size, this compact can be used for other Tom Ford cushion foundations. If you own the previous compacts, you can save money by purchasing just the cushion refill.
Let's talk about the price and value of this compact. The Shade and Illuminate Soft Radiance Cushion Compact Refill retails for $88.00 and unlike other cushion foundations on the market, this one does not come with a refill. This makes the compact itself, a value of $44.00. The cushion only contains 0.42 oz of product! That is LESS than half an ounce! The standard for a liquid foundation is 1 oz and typically cushion foundations come with a refill and the total amount of product is about 1 oz. This, unfortunately, is not the case with this foundation. You are receiving SIGNIFICANTLY LESS product than is standard!
SHADES
This foundation currently comes in 13 different shades, which is a much wider shade range than the previous Tom Ford cushion foundations. The Traceless Cushion comes in only 8 shades and the Soleil Glow Cushion only comes in 5 shades. While the Shade and Illuminate Cushion comes in a wider shade range, it is still a terrible shade range compared to the Shade and Illuminate Liquid Foundation, which comes in 40 shades!
I don't understand the purpose of releasing a cushion foundation under a similar formula with the same name immediately after the release of the liquid formula, which has a wide shade range but not apply the same shade range to the cushion. This is typically always the issue with cushion foundations is the lack of shades to suit many skin tones.
I always wear the shade 6.5 Sable in all Tom Ford foundations and this shade is the darkest shade in this range! I have NEVER been the deepest shade in a foundation range before! I am shocked! My skin tone is a medium to tan skin tone and I typically wear a NC30-NC35 in MAC foundations. This is not a very deep skin tone at all. I am very disappointed for all the cushion foundation fans.
The 6.5 Sable in the Shade and Illuminate Cushion Compact is actually lighter in color to the Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Liquid Foundation (full review here) in 6.5 Sable. The Shade and Illuminate Liquid Foundation in 6.5 Sable is actually the deepest version of the 6.5 Sable shade in my collection. The Soleil Glow Foundation (full review here) in 6.5 Sable actually leans much more neutral in tone than all other Sable shades. Finally, the Waterproof Foundation/Concealer in 6.5 Sable is actually more yellow in tone to the other Sable shades. They all seem to vary just subtly, I think the Shade and Illuminate Cushion Compact has the best shade match for my skin tone personally but they all seem pretty close. You can use your usual shade match to match to this foundation. Unfortunately, the shade range in this foundation is extremely limited.
Compared to previous cushions, you can see the Traceless Cushion Compact (full review here) is much more matte in finish and the Soleil Glow Tone Up Cushion Compact (full review here) is somewhere in between with a more natural glow. The Shade and Illuminate Cushion Compact is by the far the glowiest cushion and glowiest foundation in the Tom Ford range.
FORMULA & FINISH
The cushion of this foundation has a different texture from the previous cushions. The cushion in this foundation is significantly more porous than previous cushions. Looking at previous cushions, the sponge inside has very fine pores and the sponge is quite soft. This new cushion has larger pores and it feels a bit firmer but the sponge is still very saturated. It actually feels much more saturated than the previous cushions. I find I only need to press very lightly to get a lot of product.
The applicator sponge is identical to previously released cushions but I have never been a fan of using these applicators with any of my cushions. I prefer and recommend using a dense brush to stipple and press the product onto the skin instead. I find this an easier means to apply the foundation and it is the best means to achieve a flawless finish.
The coverage of this foundation starts off lighter than the liquid foundation but it can build up to a pretty full coverage finish. This makes sense because cushion foundations tend to lean on the lighter side in both coverage and texture. That being said, a little bit of this foundation still goes a very long way and I find I only need the tiniest bit of foundation to get full even coverage. The foundation is very light and blends seamlessly into the skin with a water-like texture. If you prefer a lighter finish foundation, this is a beautiful foundation. The foundation layers very well and it never looks heavy on the skin, even when built up. Again, this foundation takes a bit more building than the liquid version, which immediately delivers coverage, however, this is the beauty of a cushion foundation.
This cushion foundation also has a much more luminous and glossier finish on the skin than the liquid foundation. I really love the extra radiant, dewy, and glass-like finish of this cushion foundation. The look of this foundation may be too dewy for some people, in that case, I would recommend lightly powdering the skin. I do find that it can make your nose look a little greasy, so this is where I tend to powder but other than that, I love the ultra glossy glow that this foundation offers. This kind of finish is definitely something best suited to drier and more mature skin types and may be too dewy for an oily skin type. If you lean on the normal to oily spectrum, you may want to consider the liquid version, which leaves a much more natural glow to the skin.
This foundation doesn't set and you will definitely notice product lifting off the skin if you press your fingers against it. If you're looking for longevity, you may want to consider the liquid version of this foundation, which has heavier wear than this light cushion. I still find that this foundation lasts very well on the skin. Like I said, I'm not a huge fan of powdering the skin except for my nose and this foundation still lasts about 8 hours on me, sometimes longer depending on the weather. If it is hot, this isn't going to be a sweat-resistant foundation, however, even when I dab off the sweat, only very little product transfers.
THE LOOK
Here is what the foundation looks like on the face. I used no primer underneath, I didn't powder, I used a matte bronzer and no highlighter. You can see on its own, the foundation offers a very dewy glow and you really don't need any highlighter.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This may be obvious but if you love cushion foundations, you're really going to love this one! It definitely has a truly luxurious feel with the heavy compact and the exceptional formula. If we're talking about value, this is not worth the price! It is an extremely high price for very little product! While you don't need a lot of product for each application, you're still not getting your money's worth. The value aside, I really do enjoy this foundation very much. This cushion version of the Shade and Illuminate Foundation is much more my makeup style than the liquid version. I love the extra glowing and glossy finish compared to the more natural glow of the liquid foundation. I love the light texture and fresh-faced finish that this cushion offers. I love as much glow as possible and if you also enjoy looking like a glazed donut every day of your life, then you need this foundation!
Shop Tom Ford Beauty:
The Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Soft Radiance Cushion Compact Foundation retails for $132.00 USD and is available at Nordstrom and other retailers. This cushion is housed in a significantly heavier and more luxurious compact than the previously released. The compact is entirely made of reflective gold plastic and the compact itself is heavily weighted. The front of the compact is a very textured fine cross-hatching design. The only reason I am not a fan of this is that this texture can easily trap dirt and dust. Luckily, it comes with a very nice faux suede bag, which I highly recommend using to store your compact to prevent dust from getting trapped into the compact and to prevent scratches on the delicate plastic.
Like the other cushion foundations, the packaging is a compact with a large hole where the cushion can be easily popped in and out of the compact. Since all the compacts and cushions are the same size, this compact can be used for other Tom Ford cushion foundations. If you own the previous compacts, you can save money by purchasing just the cushion refill.
Let's talk about the price and value of this compact. The Shade and Illuminate Soft Radiance Cushion Compact Refill retails for $88.00 and unlike other cushion foundations on the market, this one does not come with a refill. This makes the compact itself, a value of $44.00. The cushion only contains 0.42 oz of product! That is LESS than half an ounce! The standard for a liquid foundation is 1 oz and typically cushion foundations come with a refill and the total amount of product is about 1 oz. This, unfortunately, is not the case with this foundation. You are receiving SIGNIFICANTLY LESS product than is standard!
SHADES
This foundation currently comes in 13 different shades, which is a much wider shade range than the previous Tom Ford cushion foundations. The Traceless Cushion comes in only 8 shades and the Soleil Glow Cushion only comes in 5 shades. While the Shade and Illuminate Cushion comes in a wider shade range, it is still a terrible shade range compared to the Shade and Illuminate Liquid Foundation, which comes in 40 shades!
I don't understand the purpose of releasing a cushion foundation under a similar formula with the same name immediately after the release of the liquid formula, which has a wide shade range but not apply the same shade range to the cushion. This is typically always the issue with cushion foundations is the lack of shades to suit many skin tones.
Shade and Illuminate Cushion Compact in 6.5 Sable Swatched
COMPARISON SWATCHES
The 6.5 Sable in the Shade and Illuminate Cushion Compact is actually lighter in color to the Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Liquid Foundation (full review here) in 6.5 Sable. The Shade and Illuminate Liquid Foundation in 6.5 Sable is actually the deepest version of the 6.5 Sable shade in my collection. The Soleil Glow Foundation (full review here) in 6.5 Sable actually leans much more neutral in tone than all other Sable shades. Finally, the Waterproof Foundation/Concealer in 6.5 Sable is actually more yellow in tone to the other Sable shades. They all seem to vary just subtly, I think the Shade and Illuminate Cushion Compact has the best shade match for my skin tone personally but they all seem pretty close. You can use your usual shade match to match to this foundation. Unfortunately, the shade range in this foundation is extremely limited.
Swatches from left to right: Shade and Illuminate Cushion, Shade and Illuminate Liquid Foundation, Soleil Flawless Glow Foundation, Waterproof Foundation/Concealer
Swatches from left to right: Shade and Illuminate Cushion, Shade and Illuminate Liquid Foundation, Soleil Flawless Glow Foundation, Waterproof Foundation/Concealer
Compared to previous cushions, you can see the Traceless Cushion Compact (full review here) is much more matte in finish and the Soleil Glow Tone Up Cushion Compact (full review here) is somewhere in between with a more natural glow. The Shade and Illuminate Cushion Compact is by the far the glowiest cushion and glowiest foundation in the Tom Ford range.
Swatches from left to right: Soleil Glow Cushion, Traceless Cushion, Shade and Illuminate Cushion, Shade and Illuminate Liquid Foundation, Soleil Flawless Glow Foundation, Waterproof Foundation/Concealer
Swatches from left to right: Soleil Glow Cushion, Traceless Cushion, Shade and Illuminate Cushion
The cushion of this foundation has a different texture from the previous cushions. The cushion in this foundation is significantly more porous than previous cushions. Looking at previous cushions, the sponge inside has very fine pores and the sponge is quite soft. This new cushion has larger pores and it feels a bit firmer but the sponge is still very saturated. It actually feels much more saturated than the previous cushions. I find I only need to press very lightly to get a lot of product.
The applicator sponge is identical to previously released cushions but I have never been a fan of using these applicators with any of my cushions. I prefer and recommend using a dense brush to stipple and press the product onto the skin instead. I find this an easier means to apply the foundation and it is the best means to achieve a flawless finish.
The coverage of this foundation starts off lighter than the liquid foundation but it can build up to a pretty full coverage finish. This makes sense because cushion foundations tend to lean on the lighter side in both coverage and texture. That being said, a little bit of this foundation still goes a very long way and I find I only need the tiniest bit of foundation to get full even coverage. The foundation is very light and blends seamlessly into the skin with a water-like texture. If you prefer a lighter finish foundation, this is a beautiful foundation. The foundation layers very well and it never looks heavy on the skin, even when built up. Again, this foundation takes a bit more building than the liquid version, which immediately delivers coverage, however, this is the beauty of a cushion foundation.
This foundation doesn't set and you will definitely notice product lifting off the skin if you press your fingers against it. If you're looking for longevity, you may want to consider the liquid version of this foundation, which has heavier wear than this light cushion. I still find that this foundation lasts very well on the skin. Like I said, I'm not a huge fan of powdering the skin except for my nose and this foundation still lasts about 8 hours on me, sometimes longer depending on the weather. If it is hot, this isn't going to be a sweat-resistant foundation, however, even when I dab off the sweat, only very little product transfers.
THE LOOK
Here is what the foundation looks like on the face. I used no primer underneath, I didn't powder, I used a matte bronzer and no highlighter. You can see on its own, the foundation offers a very dewy glow and you really don't need any highlighter.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This may be obvious but if you love cushion foundations, you're really going to love this one! It definitely has a truly luxurious feel with the heavy compact and the exceptional formula. If we're talking about value, this is not worth the price! It is an extremely high price for very little product! While you don't need a lot of product for each application, you're still not getting your money's worth. The value aside, I really do enjoy this foundation very much. This cushion version of the Shade and Illuminate Foundation is much more my makeup style than the liquid version. I love the extra glowing and glossy finish compared to the more natural glow of the liquid foundation. I love the light texture and fresh-faced finish that this cushion offers. I love as much glow as possible and if you also enjoy looking like a glazed donut every day of your life, then you need this foundation!
Shop Tom Ford Beauty:
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