Hourglass vs Victoria Beckham Foundation— TikTok’s Verdict Is In
Quick Answer: Outside In, From the Hourglass Founder, or Victoria Beckham Foundation?
| Best for all skin types: | Outside In |
| Best for dry or mature skin: | Both perform well, but Outside feels lighter |
| Best long-wear: | Outside In |
| Best luxury finish: | Victoria Beckham x Bader |
| Most affordable: | Outside In (nearly half the price) |
| TikTok consensus: | Very similar formulas, but Outside In blends faster, wears longer, and works for more skin types. |
Most beauty trends that go viral on TikTok should be treated with a healthy dose of scepticism. Hopefully, you didn’t try the haemorrhoid cream hack for fine lines around the eyes. But this latest #BeautyTok debate? Surprisingly enlightening. Creators are comparing two freshly launched foundations that promise to blur the line between makeup and skincare.
The tea: Hourglass Foundation, or more precisely, the new brand Outside In by Hourglass founder Carisa Janes, landed almost at the same time as Victoria Beckham’s serum foundation, created in partnership with Augustinus Bader. Both are hybrid formulas, part-foundation, part-skincare, but the price gap is dramatic: €121 versus €72. A difference big enough to make TikTok roll up its sleeves and test everything from texture to finish.
Let’s dive into the BeautyTok challenge.
Outside In — The New Chapter From Hourglass’ Founder
Carisa Janes built Hourglass on a luxurious, lit-from-within complexion aesthetic—think the iconic Ambient powders that made the brand a staple for years. With her new venture, Outside In, she isn’t repeating herself. She launched with only three products: Silk Serum Foundation, a matching brush, and a Floral Reserve Face Oil. The entire line feels edited, thoughtful, and deeply sensorial.
The Silk Serum Foundation is closer to a high-end skin tint than a traditional foundation. It melts into the skin to the point of invisibility, delivering hydration while gently evening out tone. The formula blends serum-level actives, such as niacinamide and hyaluronic acid, with soft-focus powders that create that delicate, blurred effect. It comes in 25 sheer shades and carries a noticeable dewy finish.
Even the packaging is a talking point. The bottle looks sculptural and weighty, yet it’s made from rice husk biomaterial and recycled glass, a process Janes claims took longer than developing the formula itself. The final result is a stone-like object you actually want to display.
Silk Serum Foundation Consumer Study
- 100% said it feels weightless
- 97% said it lasted all day
- 97% said it self-sets
- 94% said their skin looked blurred
- 94% said their skin felt smoother and more hydrated
Victoria Beckham Foundation Drops With TFC8
Victoria Beckham’s perfectionism meets Augustinus Bader’s scientific formulas: that’s the essence of the Foundation Drops with TFC8®. It’s a light-coverage serum designed to sit comfortably on the skin while supporting cell renewal through Bader’s famous TFC8 complex.
The texture is balmy, flexible, and buildable, melting into the skin for a natural, radiant finish. It’s available in 19 shades, promises 12-hour luminosity, and positions itself as makeup with long-term skin benefits.
For Beckham, this launch is personal:
“I’ve struggled with my skin my entire life… I know how it feels not to feel confident. I want other women to feel seen and understood.”
Foundation Drops Consumer Study
- 100% showed improved skin elasticity after 6 weeks
- 100% showed improved hydration after 12 hours
- 97% saw improvement in fine lines after 6 weeks
TikTok’s Verdict
Professional makeup artists and influencers tested both foundations, focusing on texture, absorption, glow, and coverage. To everyone’s surprise, the consensus is that the two formulas are strikingly similar.
Both are sheer, buildable, and designed to enhance rather than conceal.
But here’s where opinions shift:
- Victoria Beckham’s formula is richer and more balmy.
- Outside In is lighter, more fluid, and disappears into the skin more readily.
The key takeaway?
VB Drops are not ideal for oily or combination skin, while Outside In works across all skin types.
What creators are saying:
Katie Jane Hughes (1M+ followers):
“Carisa Janes created one of the most incredible sheer liquid foundations I’ve ever tried.”
Ali Andreea (330K followers):
- On Outside In: “Perfect for dry or mature skin. Extremely hydrating and passes the finger test—no streaks, no marks.”
- On VB Drops: “Beautiful, but too rich for oily or combination skin. Powdering it ruins the glass-skin effect.”
ReallyRee:
“Both are very similar, but Outside In feels lighter and more fluid. VB is more balmy.”
Sarahl8r:
“Outside In dries into a fine, soft finish. Feels like wearing nothing.”
Choose Your Glow:
“I think I’ve found the most beautiful foundation of my life.”
One user even confessed that the VB foundation slides off after three to four hours.
Conclusion
Although Victoria Beckham Foundation and Outside In finished the TikTok battle in a near tie, there is a gentle winner.
Outside In by Carisa Janes
- is lighter,
- melts beautifully into the skin,
- hydrates without heaviness,
- works for every skin type,
- and is almost half the price.
The moral? Being the most expensive doesn’t always mean being the best. Carisa Janes’ new brand feels like a love letter to thoughtful formulation and modern luxury.
Outside In is our recommendation for your next glow.
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