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The best foundations of all time
Meet the ultimate base products, from familiar liquids to swipe-and-go sticks, and a couple of clever new innovations
Have you found The One yet? You’ll know once you do – your skin will be positively glowing.
When it comes to foundation, finding the formula that will earn a permanent place in your make-up bag can be a lengthy task – but once you find your perfect liquid, cream, powder or stick, you’ll likely never look back (no matter how many bottles have been before).
Which foundation: matte, liquid or powder?
With the category expanding with increasing pace, it can be overwhelming to whittle down exactly what you need. Make-up artist and founder of Vieve, Jamie Genevieve recommends starting by first ascertaining which foundation format will suit your skin and your desired finish. “Skin tints are great for a quick and easy light coverage – they’re great for every day if you want a ‘little something’ but not a full make-up look,” she says. “Liquid foundation tends to lean on a fuller coverage and is something I’d go for if there was an event, night out, wedding etc. Powder foundation is brilliant for those with oilier skin that prefer a matte finish. That being said, makeup formulations have come a long way – you can usually build or sheer out formulas to make them work for you.”
Foundations: the Bazaar top five
- Best for dry skin: Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Foundation, £39
- Best for oily skin: Clinique Even Better Serum Foundation, £39
- Best dewy foundation: Shiseido Revitalessence Skin Glow Foundation, £49
- Best matte foundation: Dior Forever Matte Foundaton, £50
- Best long-wear foundation: Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Makeup, £39
How to apply foundation like a pro
Of course, a great foundation will only look its best on a properly prepped canvas. Genevieve recommends looking at your foundation not as the sole step in your base make-up process, but the middle of a product sandwich. “When applying foundation, prep is everything. Take your time to do your skincare: I swear by both priming beforehand and setting after,” she explains. (In fact, her own line focuses on these two steps: Skin Nova is your glow-enhancing primer, while Invisiveil is a brilliant next-gen setting spray).
If you’re prepped and set correctly, yet are still noticing unsightly caking forming throughout the day, it could simply be that you are applying with too heavy a hand. “Less is more: don’t feel like you need to use a ton of product to get the most flawless result,” says Genevieve. “Sheer layers are the way to go: the less product you use, the less there is for your product to cake or move around.”
And if you’re experiencing the converse issue, with your base disappearing before lunchtime, a finishing powder is going to become your closest ally. “Use it in the areas of the face that move the most,” advises Genevieve – and don’t skip the skincare prep. “I’ve had clients say to me that they feel nervous to use any skincare on their oily skin in case it adds more slip to their skin – this isn’t the case! Oily skin will produce more oil to compensate for being dehydrated, so don’t be scared to use a lightweight moisturiser to give your skin the drink it needs before makeup application."
Whether you’re usually drawn in by the promise of eight-hour wear or beguiled by light, dewy formulas, there are some outstanding new launches to delve into this season. Some tap into the current demand for natural, glowing skin – including a hugely hyped formula from Kosas – while classics from the likes of Clé de Peau and Estée Lauder offer enough coverage (and confidence) for a season of parties and events. There's a stellar stick formula that can slip straight into a jacket pocket, and a conditioning hero that sits at the intersection of skincare and make-up. Crucially, every one comes in a wide range of shades, too. Here, see the very best foundations the Bazaar beauty team has tested.
The best foundation for every skin type
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation
"While other foundations come and go (good, bad and ugly), Luminous Silk is my constant. As a twenty-something budding beauty editor, I loved the way it took the redness out of my temperamental skin and blurred imperfections, all without hiding its youthful glow. Now, at 45, I love the way it evens out my skin tone and texture all day, without the weightiness."
"And it’s not just me, a bottle of this wonderstuff sells every 30 seconds around the world – not just because it comes in 40 shades, but also because it suits Every. Single. Skin Type. ‘What foundation is best?’ is in my top five most asked questions, and I always reply with Luminous Silk – and to date I have never seen a face that doesn’t look great wearing it."
Katy Young, group luxury beauty director
"Dewy foundations are my go-to – if you ask me, the glassier the better – and while I've discovered a lot of brilliant formulas this year, Shiseido's Revitalessence is the best by a long way. While most radiance-focused foundations are dense and creamy to create that mega-hydrated look, this one is light and fine, yet imparts a glassy finish that brightens skin like no other." Roberta Schroeder, senior ecommerce editor.
Dior Forever Matte Foundation
Matte foundations were long associated with a cakey, flat finish that left skin looking a little lifeless – but not any more.
Dior's Forever formula strikes the perfect balance of lasting coverage and a flattering, silk-like texture. A light layer will mollify oil and shine while covering redness and acne scars with ease. A stellar choice for the oily-skinned, and for special events when your base needs to really go the distance.
Creamier and more hydrating than Charlotte's original foundation, this glowy formula is a great foundation for dry skin, delivering mid-to-full coverage without drying or settling into lines. Apply it with a flat-topped brush for best results: the brand makes a brilliant dual-ended option that works for both foundation and concealer application.
Hourglass' Hydrating Skin Tint is transformative for those with dehydrated skin thanks to an impressive skincare roster of hyaluronic acid and plant-based squalane, with the addition of meadowfoam seed oil to nourish the skin barrier. Although characterised as a tint, it delivers buildable coverage with a flawless, healthy-looking finish that rivals a classic foundation.
Formulated with light-reflecting pearl pigments, Kevyn Aucoin's foundation gives the natural illusion of a lit-from-within glow, with a lightweight feel and medium coverage that doesn't reveal the fact you're wearing a foundation at all.
Clinique's skin-caring foundation is enriched with salicylic acid and niacinamide to ensure it keeps blemish-prone skin clear as you wear it. Non pore-clogging and brilliantly brightening, this satin-matte formula is the ideal foundation for oily skin types.
Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Makeup
Some of the old classics simply can't be beaten: and when it comes to brilliant base products, Estée Lauder's fan-favourite Double Wear is still a force to be reckoned with. The full-coverage foundation relied upon by millions offers a lightweight satin finish that won't transfer onto your clothing or melt into a mess come lunchtime. It's an icon for very good reason.
Skin tints are taking over this year, reflecting the rise in demand fow low-maintenance, low-coverage products that simply add a subtle enhancement to bare skin. Sephora's best-selling base product in the US, this tint is truly deserving of all its hype: the nourishing, oil-like base hydrates as it covers, bringing skin to life in a few seconds flat.
Jamie Genevieve's first foundation is here, and for those who like their coverage to look and feel invisible, it won't disappoint. The texture is indeed akin to a balm, while the pigment is light yet not too dewy, meaning your skin is left looking like, well, skin.
With a creamier texture than the option above, Hermès' complexion balm is ideal for dry skin that needs a little perking up. Infused with antioxidants and hyaluronic acid alongside SPF30, it's the only thing you need to reach for in the morning.
Givenchy Prisme Libre Skin-Caring Glow Foundation
Foundations have evolved so much over the past few years, with skincare-grade ingredients making their way into the most efficacious new arrivals.
Givenchy's Prisme Libre hydrates as well as it covers, which means you get a dewy, mega-moisturised effect that lasts and lasts. It doesn't have the heftiest staying power, but if you're in the market for something light and luminous, stop the search here.
Chanel Eau De Teint Water-Fresh Tint
It's no secret that Chanel creates best-in-class base products – and while Les Beiges Healthy Glow will always be the ultimate satin-finish foundation, its lightweight little sister is perfect for low-key days.
The brand's Water-Fresh Tint features droplets of pigment suspended in a clear, humectant base: once buffed into the skin (with the accompanying brush) they melt to impact sheeny, translucent colour.
The coverage here is as minimal as it gets, but the radiance is major: expect facialist-fresh skin that gleams for hours.
Kosas' acclaimed make-up line has finally landed in the UK, and this foundation (alongside the matching concealer) is in high demand – thanks in no small part to endorsements by Hailey Bieber and Gwyneth Paltrow.
The brand formulates with genuine consideration for the skin itself, and has loaded this ultra-lightweight foundation with niacinamide, squalane and even peptides to help keep the skin barrier happy for as long as you're wearing it.
Foundations are a real jewel in the Clé de Peau Beauté crown. This one is perfect for anyone who wants a luminous finish without too much of a 'glow': the ideal foundation for mature skin.
Sitting at the intersection of skincare and make-up, it hydrates without clogging pores, meaning you're left with an even, glowing base – and no caking into pores or lines. There's skincare benefits to boot, with anti-inflammatory pearl extract and antioxidant perilla seed featuring in the skin-kind ingredient list.
If you're after something with more of a classically matte finish, the Radiant Fluid Foundation Matte is equally impressive, delivering similar coverage with a more velvety finish.
"Fuller coverage foundation can show up lines I never knew I had, but this is different. The newest foundation by make-up artist Aimee Connolly has it all: a silky-smooth texture, long-lasting performance, and a natural-looking medium-to-full coverage (depending on how you apply it) which imparts a flawless skin finish, without caking or collecting in crevasses.
"It also delivers a healthy radiance that’s neither dewy nor shiny, though it pairs well with glow-boosting creamy formulas (blush, highlighter etc.) on top. It’s my go-to for transforming bad skin days (and being non-comedogenic, it won’t make matters worse on that front) and evenings out when I want to look ‘done’."
Bridget March, digital beauty director
Designed to hydrate first and conceal second, the humectant-packed Glowy Super Skin is a truly radiant formula that covers glowing redness with ease, yet doesn't settle into lines or turn pores into a powdery mess. Shake the bottle (it's essentially pigmented skincare, so you need to mix it) and apply with fingers or the brand's stubby Base Brush.
Make-up artist Gucci Westman is known for her natural, radiant beauty looks, so it should come as little surprise to hear her own foundation is a second-skin triumph.
The swipe-on stick is a cinch to apply, and the formula buttery enough to be melted in with fingers, no faffing required.
Sisley's lightest base product is more of a skin tint than a full foundation. Ideal for anyone who likes their products to feel undetectable, the water-weight liquid blends seamlessly over skin to unify and brighten without settling into lines (even on the driest of skins). But don't only take our word for it, actress Vanessa Kirby explains why it's her favourite foundation in this video delving insider her beauty bag.
Apply it all over, then employ the brand's equally brilliant Phyto-Poudre Compact to set your T-zone.
Guerlain Terracotta Le Teint Foundation
“This recent launch has earned its keep in my beauty bag. Guerlain’s make-up creative director Violette formulated this one for those who tend to steer clear from foundations. This translates into a base that wears like second skin and looks as though you’re having a great skin day: luminous, fresh and plush without any tell-tale signs of foundation.
"It has a real-skin finish that’s neither too matte nor dewy. It builds up and blends out easily too – Violette told me she wanted the customer to feel as though they have a pro make-up artist in a bottle.”
Medina Azaldin, senior beauty assistant
