My Top 5 Foundations
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Someone very wise once said that the secret to flawless makeup is flawless skin. Now, we all know that only a small percentage is blessed with naturally flawless skin, and I’m not one of them. So to solve this problem, after skincare, foundation is where I invest most of my money and effort, trying to find the one that will make my skin look as naturally flawless as possible. I’ve tried many foundations, with a few disappointments along the line, but I finally managed to narrow down my Top 5 Foundations. Let’s get to it!
MAC Face and Body Foundation, £26.50 | 120ml
Where to buy in the UK: MAC || Debenhams || John Lewis
Where to buy in the US: MAC || Nordstrom || Macys
MAC Face and Body Foundation
- Natural coverage (buildable to medium)
- Dewy finish
- Water-based and water-resistant
- No SPF (good for photography)
- Can feel slightly sticky if not followed by powder
- I’m shade C4, for reference (yellow undertones)
This foundation evens out your skin tone without loosing the skin’s natural look and texture. It doesn’t cover all blemishes, but a touch of concealer will do the job. The lack of SPF in it means that this foundation photographs beautifully without flashbacks. If you have oily skin, you may find it a little bit too dewy; I have dry skin and sometimes I feel the need to powder my skin after applying this foundation to reduce the ‘sticky’ feeling until it fully sinks into the skin.
Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation, £32 | 30ml
Where to buy in the UK: Boots || Debenhams || House of Fraser
Where to buy in the US: Nordstrom || Macys || Saks Fifth Avenue
Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation
- Natural to medium coverage
- Dewy finish
- Water-based
- SPF 15
- Quickly absorbed by the skin
- I’m shade B40, for reference (pink or yellow undertones)
This foundation feels so light on the skin you don’t even know it’s there most of the time. It’s the perfect foundation to make my skin look healthy and fresh! The very thin consistency of this foundation makes it easy to blend it into the skin. Because it’s water-based it does separate a bit in the bottle, so remember to shake well before application. I find that I need very little concealing after applying this foundation, but beware that the tiny 30ml won’t last you long. It’s great on dry skin and it leaves a lovely fruity scent behind as well.
Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation, £24.50 | 30ml
Where to buy in the UK: Feelunique || House of Fraser || Boots
Where to buy in the US: Sephora || Ulta || Birchbox
Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation
- Medium coverage
- Natural finish
- Light diffusing properties
- SPF 25 (bad for photography)
- Oil free
- I’m shade ‘Toasted Beige’, for reference (yellow undertones)
- REVIEW HERE
This foundation ticks all the boxes for me; medium coverage, natural finish, brightening finish and quick absorption. Best of all, I managed to find my perfect shade with yellow undertones. It’s perfect for day wear because it has a high SPF, but not so good on photos because of the flashback you’ll get from the SPF. I don’t need any powder after applying this foundation and only use concealer under my eyes. The formulation is creamy, but not heavy, and it lasts all day long.
Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation, £8.99 | 30ml
Where to buy in the UK: Boots || Superdrug || Feelunique
Where to buy in the US: Walmart || Asos || Target
Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation
- Medium to full coverage
- Natural finish
- Illuminating radiance pearls
- SPF 15
- Can feel slightly sticky if not followed by powder
- I’m shade 400, for reference (pink undertones)
- REVIEW HERE
This is my favourite high street/ drugstore foundation. It leaves my skin looking flawless, bright and moisturised. A little goes a long way with this foundation, and if you’re not careful it can end up looking a bit cakey on you’re skin. The SPF is the perfect amount to protect your skin and still look good in flash photography. The biggest problem with this foundation is the poor shade selection; I use the darkest shade, which is too dark for me, but the shade lighter is too light. This foundation does contain tiny specks of shimmer, which to me is not a big problem because I think it helps with the whole glowy look, but some people may not like that.
Esteé Lauder Double Wear Stay in Place Foundation, £27.50 | 30ml
Where to buy in the UK: Debenhams || John Lewis || Boots
Where to buy in the US: Sephora || Macys || Nordstrom
Esteé Lauder Double Wear Stay in Place Foundation
- Full coverage
- Semi-Matte and flawless finish
- SPF 10
- Quickly absorbed by the skin
- Oil-free
- I’m shade ‘Softan’, for reference (pink undertones)
This is my favourite full coverage and long-wear foundation for when my skin is looking a bit worse for wear. It covers every single blemish, spot and pigmentation and it’s also great for flash photography because of its low SPF. It’s not the best foundation on my dry skin as it clings on to dry patches and enhances them, but nothing that a bit of moisturiser under the foundation wouldn’t solve. It feels quite heavy on the skin, but to avoid it looking cakey I make sure to blend it really well into my skin with a foundation brush. If you have yellow undertones like me, this foundation will probably not be a perfect colour match on you, as it has pink undertones.
There you have it, boys and girls! To be honest, it was quite easy to narrow it down because the 5 ones I chose ticked most of the boxes. Now it’s your turn to tell me which are your favourite foundations? Which foundations do you recommend I try?
59 Comments
Bettina@beautyswot.com
I love EL DoubleWear and was very impressed with Hello Flawless. I haven’t tried the others
Le Beauty Girl
Double wear is definitely the best full coverage foundation out there, and Hello Flawless is a great colour match on my skin :) x
Bettina@beautyswot.com
I love EL DoubleWear and was very impressed with Hello Flawless. I haven’t tried the others
Le Beauty Girl
Double wear is definitely the best full coverage foundation out there, and Hello Flawless is a great colour match on my skin :) x
Andrew James
I like Face and Body its great for bodies when on shoots :D its awesome because it has a moisturising agent in it so it moisturises as you use it but the more you work it the more coverage you get
you can easily get full coverage from that but just buffing more
Le Beauty Girl
Great tips, thanks! :) x
Andrew James
youre welcome! :D its amazing on dry skin :D xx
MrAJBx3
I like Face and Body its great for bodies when on shoots :D its awesome because it has a moisturising agent in it so it moisturises as you use it but the more you work it the more coverage you get
you can easily get full coverage from that but just buffing more
Le Beauty Girl
Great tips, thanks! :) x
Michelle
Great post! I love how you ordered the foundations from least coverage to most coverage. :P I really want to try MAC Face + Body but I think I need to finish a few first before I go out and purchase it. I’ve fallen back into like with my Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation xx
Le Beauty Girl
Thanks, Michele :) Healthy Mix is a great foundation, it was definitely a firm favourite of mine last year :) x
Michelle
Great post! I love how you ordered the foundations from least coverage to most coverage. :P I really want to try MAC Face + Body but I think I need to finish a few first before I go out and purchase it. I’ve fallen back into like with my Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation xx
MrAJBx3
youre welcome! :D its amazing on dry skin :D xx
Sherrie
I really enjoyed this post :) I had a sample
Of the Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation from a magazine and loved it, but my oily skin isn’t too
Sure. I really want to try the Double Wear and also I’ve heard good things about Lancôme Teint Idole. x
Le Beauty Girl
Thank you :) I haven’t heard about the Lancome one, but will start googling it now! x
Sherrie
I really enjoyed this post :) I had a sample
Of the Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation from a magazine and loved it, but my oily skin isn’t too
Sure. I really want to try the Double Wear and also I’ve heard good things about Lancôme Teint Idole. x
Le Beauty Girl
Thank you :) I haven’t heard about the Lancome one, but will start googling it now! x
Le Beauty Girl
Thanks, Michele :) Healthy Mix is a great foundation, it was definitely a firm favourite of mine last year :) x
Steph
I’m a powder foundation girl myself and I LOVE MAC Studio Fix. It’s brilliant and their choice of shades is fantastic. However, I am on the lookout for a cheaper alternative, as an incoming baby means I’ll have less money for luxuries…!
Le Beauty Girl
Oh, an incoming baby. How exciting! A boy or a girl? :) I haven’t tried Studio Fix; will have to check that out! xx
Steph
A boy! Which is why I think I’m getting seriously back into makeup- my house is going to be full of males, so a bit of girly-ness won’t go amiss ;) I love Studio Fix, but I think it’s a foundation people love or hate- if you have a MAC store nearby, I’d try it there first!
Steph
I’m a powder foundation girl myself and I LOVE MAC Studio Fix. It’s brilliant and their choice of shades is fantastic. However, I am on the lookout for a cheaper alternative, as an incoming baby means I’ll have less money for luxuries…!
Tiff
I haven’t tried the others but I look the face and body xx
Le Beauty Girl
Face and Body is great because it’s sheer coverage, but it still evens out the skin! xx
Tiff
I haven’t tried the others but I look the face and body xx
TattooedTeaLady
Out of all of these I only have the Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation, but I love it. It’s such a great foundation! xo
Le Beauty Girl
I love Wake Me Up! The glow it gives to the skin is gorgeous :) xx
Le Beauty Girl
Face and Body is great because it’s sheer coverage, but it still evens out the skin! xx
TattooedTeaLady
Out of all of these I only have the Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation, but I love it. It’s such a great foundation! xo
Le Beauty Girl
Oh, an incoming baby. How exciting! A boy or a girl? :) I haven’t tried Studio Fix; will have to check that out! xx
Le Beauty Girl
I love Wake Me Up! The glow it gives to the skin is gorgeous :) xx
Steph
A boy! Which is why I think I’m getting seriously back into makeup- my house is going to be full of males, so a bit of girly-ness won’t go amiss ;) I love Studio Fix, but I think it’s a foundation people love or hate- if you have a MAC store nearby, I’d try it there first!
Becky
Another great review Ysis! Both the Chanel and MAC face and body are on my ‘to try list’. At the moment I am swearing by Laura Mercier tinted moisturiser however I tend to use EL invisible skin or Jemma kidds light as air but I do have the double wear for evenings. I am on the hunt for a decent one for evenings without SPF but they seem so few and far between.
Becky
Le Beauty Girl
Thanks, Becky :) I know exactly what you mean about the no SPF foundations. Face and Body is the only one I can find so far. On my wish list is Laura Mercier Silk Creme, YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat and Jemma Kidd Light as Air. Oh dear, my bank account is already crying! lol
x
Becky
ah well we can be safe in the knowledge we are keeping the economy afloat haha x
beckysmakeup
Another great review Ysis! Both the Chanel and MAC face and body are on my ‘to try list’. At the moment I am swearing by Laura Mercier tinted moisturiser however I tend to use EL invisible skin or Jemma kidds light as air but I do have the double wear for evenings. I am on the hunt for a decent one for evenings without SPF but they seem so few and far between.
Becky
Le Beauty Girl
Thanks, Becky :) I know exactly what you mean about the no SPF foundations. Face and Body is the only one I can find so far. On my wish list is Laura Mercier Silk Creme, YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat and Jemma Kidd Light as Air. Oh dear, my bank account is already crying! lol
x
beckysmakeup
ah well we can be safe in the knowledge we are keeping the economy afloat haha x
Jennifer Lower
I really wanna try the Benefit foundation :) & I’m currently using the Rimmel wake me up. xx
jensbrightandbeautiful.blogspot.com
Le Beauty Girl
Benefit Hello Flawless is my current favourite; it matches my face perfectly :) xx
Jennifer Lower
I really wanna try the Benefit foundation :) & I’m currently using the Rimmel wake me up. xx
jensbrightandbeautiful.blogspot.com
Le Beauty Girl
Benefit Hello Flawless is my current favourite; it matches my face perfectly :) xx
Sleekhair .k
revlon colourstay has to be the best drugstore foundation.For more information about Beauty Products Visit at sleekhair Website.
Sleekhair .k
revlon colourstay has to be the best drugstore foundation.For more information about Beauty Products Visit at sleekhair Website.
Leanne Richardson
This post really helped me out thanks, I have recently bought a mac foundation in studio sculpt nc15 but was disapointed in how little coverage and horrible look on my skin, am I using it incorrectly do you think?
Leaaaannneee.blogspot.com
Leanne Richardson
This post really helped me out thanks, I have recently bought a mac foundation in studio sculpt nc15 but was disapointed in how little coverage and horrible look on my skin, am I using it incorrectly do you think?
Leaaaannneee.blogspot.com
Tania
great review, im dying to buy the Estee lauder double wear foundation, are all the shades pink undertones? im an NC25 in mac wich shade will you recommend for me?
Tania
great review, im dying to buy the Estee lauder double wear foundation, are all the shades pink undertones? im an NC25 in mac wich shade will you recommend for me?
Polina
Thanks for the review, but aren’t they too dark for your skin? And too yellow?
Polina
Thanks for the review, but aren’t they too dark for your skin? And too yellow?
Jody
I think the best of all, is the estee lauder double wear, but the one that have medium coverage, it looks great, it is not heavy so you can use it for day wear, or for night and it looks awesome. You decide how much coverage depends on the ocassion. For me, it’s the best of all and i have try a lot of foundations.
Nazia
The Estée Lauder one does come in warmer yellow undertones! I didn’t know, I only realised on my second visit to an Estée Lauder counter! The first time, they matched me to a colour with pink undertones which looked terrible on my skin. But the second time, I went to a different counter, this time in debenhams Oxford St, and the lovely lady there knew what she was doing and matched me to a foundation shade with yellow undertones which match me perfectly! She matched me to Spiced Sand. For reference, I am NC42, Syracuse in Nars Sheer Glow and 7.5 in Armani Luminous Silk
denise
Hi I have been looking into the Mac face and body to add to my makeup kit for mainly brides who are wanting that flawless skin look (teamed with a great concealer if needed) my question is what are the most popular colours to put in the kit from this foundation range? (mainly caucasian clients may have a tan). thanks
Le Beauty Girl
Hi denise, I think it might be better to ask in a MAC counter, as the girls there are trained professionally and they will be able to tell you exactly what colours to go for! :) x
Emily
I love the way that you’ve actually swatched the foundations. Not something that everybody would think to do, but very helpful. Great post :)
Emily x – prettypleaseblog.co.uk
Le Beauty Girl
Thanks. I’m glad this was helpful :) x
Justine
How come you have pink and yellow undertones foundations? Is it because you wear fake tan that’s yellow based? Thanks, really useful post
Sophie Wynne
I love the coverage on this but I have sensitive skin – i fell asleep one night after a night out with obviously still full coverage – i broke out like mad. The staying powder in this bad boy is unreal so ill give it that one! I would buy again only if i had the right cleanser to remove this product fully!
Love your blog posts! :) Just read the review on touche Eclat Foundation – considering buying!
Merry Christmas xx
Prarthana Bataju
Hi,
Thank you so much for your effort. This helps me a lot to buy from online.
I use the shade C4 of the Mac (face and body)foundation.
Could you please recommend which shade should I buy for Nars (Sheer foundation) and Luara Mercier(Tinted Moisturizer).
I would be very thankful.