The best foundation for every skin type, budget and desired finish
If makeup is a form of art, then foundation is your canvas. After all, there's a reason why it's one of the core products of pretty much anyone's beauty routine. Not only does it even out your complexion, but some formulas also have skincare elements featured too, meaning your skin will be well looked after throughout the day. Gone are the days when most foundations on the market would result in that cake-y and grease-y feel. Instead, the more recent and improved formulations will make you forget that you have it on in the first place – regardless of the coverage that you opt for.
But picking the right foundation doesn't come down to the coverage alone. You also need to consider your preferred finish while also keeping in mind your skin type. The best foundation for oily skin? Matte formulas are a safe bet. Best foundations for dry skin? Try out hydrating and moisturising formulas with vitamin C, hyaluronic acid and/or antioxidants. The best foundation for combination skin? Settle for something in between. And it doesn't stop there. There are also options for acne-prone skin that will soothe your breakouts and foundations for mature skin that are infused with high-grade skincare ingredients.
Of course, you should also consider the type of aesthetic that you're going for. For example, full coverage foundation is great for a full glam moment. It's perfect if you're after a snatched look and an even tone all throughout. Then you have the trending “clean girl” aesthetic (AKA “off-duty model” or the “no-makeup makeup” look - whatever you want to call it). If you're into that, we recommend trying out lightweight foundations and tinted moisturisers, as those will help you achieve that “your skin, but better” result.
Best foundations at a glance:
- Best matte foundation: Il Makiage Woke Up Like This, £36, Il Makiage
- Best foundation stick: Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick, £45, Selfridges
- Best foundation for medium coverage: Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte's Beautiful Skin Foundation, £36, Cult Beauty
- Best foundation for every complexion: Huda Beauty #FauxFilter Luminous Matte Liquid Foundation, £36, Cult Beauty
Long story short, the market is swarming with options, and we're here to help you narrow down your top picks. Here at the GLAMOUR office, we're testing out dozens of formulas on a weekly basis, having literally tried every trending foundation (yes, that includes the Jones Road What The Foundation), so it's safe to say that you're in good hands. Below, we've put together a full edit of the very best foundations out there to fit every budget, skin tone, shade range and preference. We've also included an extra bit of info on how to find the right shade and application, so if you're curious – scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page. Otherwise, shop away!
Shop our full edit of the best foundations to consider...
Why we love it: It's hardly an edit of the best foundations without Charlotte Tilbury. Fuelled with hyaluronic acid and a blend of rose-derived ingredients, this best-selling formula is designed to beautify and improve the look of your skin with every use. It plumps, smooths and encourages radiance – being your own makeup artist has never been easier.
GLAMOUR approved: Ever since this foundation made rounds on TikTok earlier this year, I was hooked. And oh, it did not disappoint. It gives the best skin-like finish I could've hoped for - a perfect marriage between a dewy and matte looks.
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Why we love it: Woke Up Like This Foundation is great for smoothing and evening out the skin thanks to its advanced formula that minimizes the appearance of shadows and pores, giving you a natural matte finish. It's also streak-free in application and lightweight in feel and wear.
Why we love it: A good foundation stick is just too convenient to use to pass up. After all, it has the coverage of a concealer, the fluidity of a liquid, and the weightlessness of a powder in a longwearing waterproof formula for undetectable full coverage. This foundation provides maximum coverage, helping conceal all discoloration and imperfections on-the-go.
Why we love it: The Body Shop's Fresh Nude Foundation does exactly what it says on the bottle – it helps create a natural, light coverage with a nude glow finish. It's vegan, cruelty-free, comes in 100% recyclable packaging and has 40 different shades for you to choose from. Plus, it feels just like second skin.
Why we love it: Looking for a foundation with gorgeous, skin-loving ingredients? Say no more. This one from Too Faced features coconut water to help replenish skins moisture levels, while hyaluronic acid provides long-lasting hydration. There's also 35 different shades to choose from, everything from Cocoa to Porcelain, via Caramel, Almond and Sand.
Why we love it: Powered by skincare ingredients that also help defend it against environmental aggressors, this foundation helps blur imperfections such as dark spots, blemishes or redness. It glides across your skin like a dream with a sheer glow and medium coverage that feels as light as air even after a long day of wear.
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Why we love it: This luxurious cream formula melts onto your skin, giving you a seamless, powderless finish that feels incredibly comfortable. It comes in 23 buildable and versatile shades in rose beige, beige and yellow-beige undertones, so you can be confident in finding one that matches your skin perfectly.
Why we love it: Huda Beauty's #FauxFilter Luminous Matte Foundation now comes with a fragrance-free formula, 24-hour wear and a matte finish. It's waterproof, sweat-proof and humidity-proof, and it comes in a spectrum of shades to suit every complexion. What's not to love?
Save up to 40% off with these Cult Beauty discount codes when shopping for the best foundation.
Why we love it: Made with just five mineral ingredients, this lightweight powder foundation smooths over the skin surface to provide buildable coverage. It's formulated with SPF15 to protect skin against the damaging effects of UV rays, can last for up to eight hours and it's also parabens-free and vegan.
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Why we love it: This silky foundation glides onto your skin seamlessly to help sculpt and brighten your complexion. It even works to improve the texture of your skin while blurring out any imperfections such as fine lines or hyperpigmentation. The best part is that it's suitable for all skin types and is incredibly hydrating thanks to its oil-free and glycerin-infused formula.
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Why we love it: The powerful long-wearing foundation offers an impressive 24 hours of coverage, allowing your complexion to last as long as you need it to. It has an innovative oil-control component that reduces the appearance of sweat and excess shine, helping you maintain a photo-ready and radiant finish all day long.
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Why we love it: If you're looking for a lightweight foundation with a natural matte finish, a staying power of up to 16 hours as well as both heat and humidity, then you're in luck. This one from Bobbi Brown has pigments that are true-to-skin and reflect light to enhance your skin's natural undertones. Ideal for oily skin types.
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Why we love it: This ultra-creamy formula melts effortlessly onto skin and delivers long-wearing coverage. It's also very blendable and buildable, and comes enriched with a moisturising complex of hyaluronic acid, glycerin, aloe vera extract, vitamin B2 and provitamin B5. It also comes with an SPF17 rating to help provide protection from the damaging effects of the sun. Suitable for sensitive skin.
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Why we love it: This foundation's formula offers skincare benefits that make it perfect for improving your skin’s appearance, covering imperfections and minimising the appearance of pores. Infused with hyaluronic acid, soothing aloe vera and vitamin E and vitamin B5, this skin-loving product takes care of your skin as you wear it by providing all-day hydration and a natural radiant finish.
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Why we love it: A cult-favourite. Providing buildable medium-to-full coverage, this oil-free and long-lasting foundation promises up to 24 hours of wear, as well as water-resistance, heat-resistance, humidity-resistance and sweat-resistance.
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Why we love it: This matte fluid foundation from Yves Saint Laurent offers up to 24-hour long-wear, thanks to its waterproof and transfer-resistant formula. It also features a helpful skincare complex as well as a SPF20 UV filter that nourishes and protects your skin. There'll be no need to touch up your makeup either, since the oil-free foundation helps minimise the appearance of pores and delivers a long-lasting finish.
Enjoy up to 50% off when you shop for best foundation with these LookFantastic discount codes.
Why we love it: Fenty Beauty has done it again with this soft matte, long wear foundation that features climate-adaptive technology to fight to heat, sweat and shine. This way, you can stay looking fresh in the morning or all night thanks to its buildable, medium to high coverage formula. Thanks, Rihanna!
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Why we love it: A lightweight liquid foundation that naturally blends into your skin and hydrates as it goes? Yes please. Available in 40 shades, this highly blendable formula applies smooth as silk and provides medium-to-full coverage and weightless all-day wear. And all for £9.
Why we love it: Maybelline New York Fit Me Matte & Poreless Foundation is ultra-lightweight and contains micro-powders that absorb oil for a matte and poreless-looking finish. Its formula goes is suitable for all skin tones and is also able to seamlessly match the texture of normal to oily skin for the ultimate natural fit.
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Why we love it: Pat McGrath has done it again. This serum foundation has a silky formula that blends and builds seamlessly to give you a perfect medium coverage that wears comfortably for up to 12 hours. Featuring a soft focus satin finish, its light-as-air texture is infused with ingredients renowned for their hydrating and smoothing skincare-like properties. Now, excuse us while we add it to our shopping cart.
Why we love it: Dior's radiant fluid foundation is made with a base that enables it to intensely hydrate the skin, to let it breathe and to visibly improve the complexion by giving it a glowy, radiant finish. It even has ingredients like extracts of iris, wild pansy, hibiscus and nasturtium – it's practically a skincare product.
Let’s see what the F all the fuss is about?
How to colour match your foundation
Before picking the shade, make sure to figure out your undertone first: is it pink (cool), yellow (warm) or neutral? Don't disregard this step, because getting it wrong will result in a situation where the skin looks completely different from the rest of your body. There are a few ways that can help you determine your undertone: some say that if you think you look better in silver - you're team pink, if it's gold - yellow, and if it's both - neutral. Another one is to take a look at your veins that are visible through the skin on your wrist: do they look blue? Then you're likely team pink; Are they more on the green side? Then you're probably team pink. Both? Neutral.
Now that you got your undertone right, it's time to pick the right depth of the shade. For that, we recommend first narrowing down three options that you feel like could be the closest match. In order to avoid getting a foundation that might be too dark or too pale for you, ideally, you'd have the opportunity to try the product in-person. Ask the in-store MUA (or ask if you can try it yourself) to apply a small amount of each shade onto your cheek area that's closer to your jawline. If it blends seamlessly, then it's a win. Alternatively, many brands also have their own virtual shade-matching quizzes that are surprisingly accurate (Il Makiage, anyone?)
Lastly, it's also good to keep in mind that our complexion changes with the seasons. During the summer, most of us tend to get more tanned up than usual, while the colder months can leave us more on the pale side. So to think ahead, it might be worth getting two shades, especially if you're someone who loves a good self-tanner sesh.
Should you use a foundation brush or sponge?
When it comes to makeup application, there's only one rule: there are none. It really all comes down to your own preferences. A beauty blender or a makeup sponge will leave an air-brushed finish, but it will also likely soak up some products in the process, so if you're into a full coverage look, this might not be the right fit for you. You also have your foundation brushes, which are great for more liquid-y formulas, but do keep in mind that some might leave streaks. OR you can also settle for the best of both worlds and try both: spread the product with a brush, then dabb the excess and blend the rest with a makeup sponge. Lastly, you have your trusty fingers, which has been one of the most reliable methods for years and is perfect if you're after a natural finish.
Foundation and SPF
A common misconception is that if you see that a foundation already features SPF protection then you don't need to apply sun creams or sunscreens to protect your skin from UV rays. Don't let it fool you, as there's a good chance that the advertised amount of SPF isn't nearly enough to do the job (that's right, even if it claims to be a CC+ cream with SPF 30 or SPF 50). So generally, it's always worth applying a broad-spectrum face SPF before slathering on your foundation – yes, that means during the autumn & winter too.
Foundation and Primer
Have you ever spotted your foundation sliding off your face throughout the day, leaving your face looking patchy and uneven? Chances are, your face primer and foundation might not be from the same family, meaning that the key ingredients may not be compatible. For example, a water-based primer will work best with water-based foundation but not with an oil-based foundation, as that will cause it to separate. Silicon primers and pore-refining ones are great if you want to minimise the appearance of your skin's texture and are after a matte finish. And water-based are perfect for hydration.
For more shoppable beauty content from Glamour UK Commerce Writer Denise Primbet, follow her on Twitter @deniseprimbet and Instagram @deniseprimbet.
