TLM Colour Changing Foundation Review, a very weird product

The first time I saw this foundation I couldn’t believe it. It was so good to be true. I am talking about a foundation which promises to adapt the shade to any skin tone, leaves a luminous finish, lasts up to 16 hours and, most important thing, at an affordable price. I bought and tested it. It is the TLM Colour Changing Foundation and I am going to review it today.

What does the brand say?

TLM™ Colour Changing Foundation is a revolutionary new liquid foundation that goes on white and instantly self-adjusts to match your EXACT skin tone. Our unique colour-matching formula protects and moisturizes the skin as it works to even out your complexion. This foundation contains SPF 15 sun protection to shield your skin from harmful UVA and UVB rays. It is designed for daily use and will give your skin that illuminating silky finish other foundations just don’t provide.

The exclusive shade-sensing beads are activated by pressure upon application. So, as the makeup is thoroughly blended into the skin, it intuitively transforms to your skin tone for all day, natural-looking colour in your perfect shade.

TLM Website

TLM Colour Changing Foundation Features

Easily Blends into Skin
Lightweight and Blend-able
Waterproof and Fade-Proof
Dermatologist Tested
Hypoallergenic
Suitable for sensitive skin
Available in 1 skin tone-adjusting shade
SPF 15 Broad Spectrum

Ingredients

Titanium Dioxide, Paraffinum Liquididum, Paraffin, Cera, Microcristallina, Glyceryl Stearate, Petrolatum, Silica Silylate, Hydroxycitronellal, Eugenol, Isoeugenol, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Coumarin, Citronellol, Geraniol, D-limonene, Citral, Amyl Cinnamal, Linalool, Parfum, CI77491, CI 77492, CI 77499.

Price and availability

You can buy this product from the brand’s website. However, I don’t advise you to do that if you are based in the UK. The product comes from Chicago, US, and can take quite a long on the way. You can additionally have problems when the product goes through customs.

I bought my foundation from Amazon and I got it within 24 hours. The Amazon price is £7.99.

My thoughts about TLM Colour Changing Foundation

About the packaging

The product comes in a plastic transparent bottle which looks like glass. It is a quite thick bottle. The top of the bottle is surrounded by a plastic silver ring, resembling metal. The bottle has a printout in black with the name of the product and some of the features on the front. At the back, it shows the product’s description and the ingredient list.

This bottle is closed with a white plastic press-on cap. Underneath this cap, there is a pump dispenser. It is in white plastic also and it is screwed on the bottle. Each pump delivered is enough to cover half of your face.

TLM Colour Changing Foundation: the product

The most surprising fact about this product is the colour. This foundation is completely white. It looks like sunscreen rather than foundation. When you see the product for the first time you think that it will never match your skin tone.

The smell is quite strong. It smells like paint, I mean wall paint. This smell reminds me of the Wet’n’Wild Photofocus foundation, it is a very similar smell. However, it doesn’t last too long on the skin and it goes quickly after application of the product.

About the application

The application of this product is quite tricky. When you dispense the product, it is completely white. To apply any foundation, I normally dispense some product on the back of my hand or a palette, I transfer some product to my face and blend it using a makeup brush or sponge, depending on the foundation and the type of finish I want to achieve.

If you apply this product in that way, you will end with your face fully white with some kind of points, small balls or micro-capsules, I don’t know how to define them. These particles will be over your skin and they contain the pigments inside them. You should break these capsules to release the pigments and you will not do that with the brush or sponge.

The best way to break them is by using your hands. If you apply the foundation as you apply your moisturiser or sunscreen, you will break the capsules and the colour will start to appear. At that point, you can blend the product using a makeup brush or sponge.

TLM Colour Changing Foundation Coverage

The coverage of this foundation is buildable. If you apply the product with a sponge, you will get light coverage. You will not cover any imperfections but you will even the skin tone.

Using a brush you get light to medium coverage. Imperfection will still be visible but blurred. You can apply a second layer to increase the coverage a bit, but you will never get high or full coverage.

I love high-coverage foundations. The way I apply this one using a brush and I normally apply at least two layers. I don’t dislike the coverage I achieve.

Other considerations about TLM Colour Changing Foundation

Let’s talk about one of the main claims of this product, the adjusting colour. On my skin (Fitzpatrick IV with a warm undertone) this foundation matches really well my skin tone. My tone is light to medium and I should honestly say that this is one of the foundations on my stash matching better with my skin tone.

I don’t think, however, that this will be the case if you have a very fair or very dark skin tone. Actually, I will be really surprised if this foundation really does match those skin tones. I don’t know either how this foundation will match cool skin undertones.

The finish of this product is something between matte and dewy. My skin doesn’t look oily but looks luminous. That was completely unexpected though. The foundation feels really heavy on the skin, even with only one layer, and in this case, you normally get a matte finish.

The maximum time I’ve worn this product is for 12 hours and it was on my face after this time. The foundation stays on my skin without transfer for an average working day. I couldn’t try how the product behaves under water, so I can’t say anything about if it is really waterproof.

However, I should say that about half an hour after applying this product, it was creasing all over my face. Commonly, foundations crease around the sides of my nose. This one was creasing everywhere on my face, sides of the nose, forehead, smile lines, it was creasing even on the crow’s feet I don’t have……

I tried unsuccessfully to fix the problem using hydrating primers or setting spray, but creases always appear.

About the ingredients

The way this foundation works is by using encapsulated pigments. These pigments are released when you rub the product against your skin and break the capsules. I can imagine that the combination of pigments is what makes the foundation matches your skin tone.

As with any other foundation, you can find pigments within the ingredient list. You can also find quite a lot of perfuming ingredients. That is something I don’t like. I don’t have sensitive skin, but this high amount of fragrances may make the product unsuitable for people with sensitive skin. Anyway, I prefer fragrance-free makeup, as the smell is something very personal.

There is no ingredient in the formula to make the product moisturising or beneficial for your skin from the skincare point of view.

It contains titanium dioxide as the first ingredient. That is expected for a product claiming SPF 15. Even if this product contains SPF, you should always apply sunscreen before applying any makeup. Makeup containing SPF helps to protect against UV radiation, but, however, they don’t protect on their own or in the same way as sunscreens do.

In summary, I have mixed feelings about this product. It does on my skin what it claims. It matches my skin tone leaving a luminous finish during the whole day. However, it creases independently on the skin preparation, even setting with powder after application.

I don’t know how this product will behave for people with different skin tones. I will really appreciate it if you let me know how it works for fair or dark skin tones.