Physicians Formula Youthful Wear Spotless Foundation Review and Swatches

When I saw the new Physicians Formula Spotless Foundation ($15), I was so excited to try it because it's an oil based foundation made without water, just like Armani's Maestro Foundation, which is $62.  In fact, when I compared the main ingredients (the first few that make up the majority of the formula), they were the same, just in a slightly different order. After that, each has it's own different extracts, oils and preservatives.

Here's the comparison- I color-coded the ingredients so you can see where they are in each formula.

Physicians Formula- Isododecane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Dimethicone, Mica, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Acrylates/Polytrimethylsiloxymethacrylate Copolymer, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Cyclopentasiloxane, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Ribes Nigrum (Black Currant) Seed Oil, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Ceramide 3, Olive Glycerides, Sodium Hyaluronate, Nylon-12, Polyamide-5, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Alcohol, Benzyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Hexylene Glycol, Octyldodecanol, Octyldodecyl Oleate, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Polysilicone -11, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Solidago Virgaurea (Goldenrod) Extract, Propylene Carbonate, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Water, Phenoxyethanol. May Contain: Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides

Armani- Cyclohexasiloxane, dimethicone, isododecane, alcohol denat, vinyl dimethicone/methicone silsesquioxane crosspolymer, phenyl trimethicone, acrylates/polytrimethylsiloxymethacrylate copolymer, peg-10 dimethicone, disteardimonium hectorite, fragrance, nelumbium speciosum flower extract, limonene, benzyl salicylate, synthetic fluorphlogopite, linalool, benzyl alcohol, propylene carbonate, caprylic/capric triglyceride, disodium stearoyl glutamate, water, citrus aurantium amara (bitter orange) flower oil, butylphenyl methylpropional, aluminium hydroxide, hexyl cinnamal; may contain: iron oxides, titanium dioxide

Another comparison I can make between the two is that they both come with a dropper. 

While Maestro doesn't claim to reduce age spots and discolorations on the skin, Physicians Formula does! 

Here are the claims on the packaging:

The Spotless foundation comes with a brush and the directions say to apply a few drops directly to the brush and buff into the face.  

The formula is very thin and runny, and it feels just like a face oil, only this has pigment suspended in it.

It just melts into the skin, and I love the texture.  The first time I used this, I used way too much and it looked like a mask.  Then I went back and read the box and it said to just use a few drops.  That worked out so much better, and it gave me a nice light coverage that felt like a second skin.

The only problem is that the light shade is still too dark for me (it comes in light, medium, and medium beige) and it's yellow based, and I have pink-toned skin.

My other gripe with this foundation is the smell- it smells like paint, or something similar to that...it's a very chemical smell that's off-putting and actually gave me a headache after a while.  

I wish I could continue using this to see if it brightens up my sun damage, but I can't take the smell and the color is just wrong on me.  

I prefer L'Oreal's Magic Nude foundation, which is also an Armani Maestro dupe (L'Oreal actually owns Armani!), so I think I'll stick to that for now.

Have you tried this, or Maestro, or L'Oreal's Magic Nude?  What did you think of the oil based formula?