The heartbreak you experience after buying the wrong foundation shade is indescribable. You ask a makeup enthusiast, and they would tell you.
Spending money on an expensive makeup item, only to realize later that it doesn’t suit you, is a real bummer. And this is why most makeup gurus advise doing your homework before you plan to buy your favorite makeup product.
Buying the right foundation is a heck of a task. There are so many questions to answer. And with the many options on the market, you only confuse yourself more if you do not know what you truly want.
Some are for dry or oily skin, some offer light-to-medium coverage, while others offer a pristine finish for aging customers. The more you look into it, the more choices you will get.
But, wait. Do not fret because we are here to sort this out for you. The first step to buying the best foundation for your skin is to know what type of foundation you need. Then, once you crack that code, you need to look into the brands that offer products within that category and choose the best ones.
To simplify it more for you, we list 16 of the best foundations for your skin. So now, all you have to do is decide your skin type and then pick the foundation that will best suit your skin.
How Can I Buy The Right Foundation For Myself?
This question might overwhelm you a little, considering the many products available. But do not be since it is not as complicated as it may seem. Getting the right foundation shade and type is essential since it sets the base of your makeup but do not let this worry you.
Besides, when playing around with makeup, it is often a few hits and misses before you get to the product you love. So give yourself a chance.
An essential step towards buying the right foundation is to know your skin type and the kind of skin texture you have. So, for example, individuals with dry skin should avoid buying foundations for oily-skinned people because they are drying and will just parch your skin.
Similarly, individuals with scars or bumps should consider buying a full-coverage foundation since that will cover up the bumps better than a lightweight foundation.
Therefore, before you jump into buying the foundation, consider giving some time to analyze your skin type and its needs. The more you know your skin, the better makeup choices you will be able to make.
The 16 Best Foundations For Your Skin
Now that you know how to find the best foundation for your skin let us look at some of the foundations we believe are perfect for giving you that glowing, flawless face.
The Best Foundation For Dry Skin
NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation
The perfect foundation for your dry skin has to be something that hydrates it and gives it a smooth finish. Any foundation that is drying will go patchy on already dry skin. Therefore, this NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation does an excellent job of making your dry skin stand out and glow.
Also, remember that the formula of this foundation is lightweight and gives a silky, smooth finish. So if you are not a big fan of full-coverage foundations, this is a good choice.
The Best Foundation For Oily/Combination Skin
Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Makeup
This Estee Lauder foundation is up for the task if you prefer a not-too-matte-but-also-not-too-dewy look. It gives a perfect, immaculate finish with little setting time. It means you get a good base that covers up most of the bumps and texture in no time.
Also, it offers a massive shade range of over 60 shades. So if you are someone who has trouble finding the perfect shade for their skin tone, Estee Lauder is there to the rescue.
Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Ultra-Longwear Foundation
Here is another one for those with oily or combination skin. This Laura Mercier foundation is almost weightless, though you feel it on your skin, and offers a fantastic cover for up to 15 hours. It has 32 shades and promises medium-to-full coverage.
It gives a natural, matte finish that does not look too cakey. According to beauty gurus, this foundation also fares quite well when photographed. It makes your skin look flawless and smooth in photos with a bit of flashback.
However, the best way to put this foundation on is to keep it sheer and not layer it. If you layer the Laura Mercier Flawless Ultra-Longwear foundation, it will give you a plastered look that will not be too flattering.
It is already a full-coverage foundation, which means a single, sheer layer would do its job to cover up the dark spots and blemishes. It is by far one of the best full-coverage foundations in town.
The Easily Affordable Foundation
Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Liquid Foundation
This foundation is a staple in every makeup enthusiast’s stash. And this is because with Maybelline Fit Me, you can rarely go wrong. It is easy to apply, gives a matte finish, and is impressive in covering blemishes and light scars. It provides good coverage; however, it does not look cakey. If you ask us, it is one of the best matte foundations we have come across.
Also, this foundation is super affordable. It is the best drugstore foundation you can own. Besides not being too heavy on your pocket, it provides a fantastic base for your makeup. It has a range of 40 shades.
L’Oréal Paris Infallible 24hr Freshwear Liquid Foundation
One more product that amazes us for its value for money is the L’Oréal Paris Infallible liquid foundation. It gives you a satin finish, which is not too matte yet not too dewy. It falls between both and is smooth enough to blend seamlessly into the skin.
The coverage is medium-to-full. However, the result is never cakey. It has some fantastic 29 shades, and the foundation will stay on your skin for almost the entire day, as it promises.
This foundation has the potential to build up for a mega-full coverage or to sheer out for a tint-like base. With its super blendable qualities, it has effortlessly made its way into one of the best foundations for your skin.
The Foundation That Breaks Your Bank
Giorgio Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Foundation
Jokes apart, even though this Giorgio Armani’s luxurious foundation may seem too pricey, it is fabulous and takes a special place in this list of the best foundations for your skin.
Don’t you just hate it when your foundation feels sticky on the face? The Giorgio Armani foundation gives zero stickiness and a radiant, satin look. This very friendly, velvety-smooth liquid foundation blends into your skin like butter.
It provides medium-to-full coverage. However, contrary to the results of other full-coverage foundations, the Giorgio Armani foundation does not feel cakey.
It has 24 shades that give you a beautiful, all-day-long look.
The Foundation That Gives The Best Natural Glow
Bobbi Brown: Skin Long-Wear Weightless Foundation SPF 15
If you are a fan of the no-makeup look while wearing a coat of makeup, then this fits the narrative seamlessly.
This Bobbi Brown weightless foundation is light and gives your skin a natural look. Also, Bobbi Brown was the first to introduce a diverse range of foundation shades. It is still quite a favorite among celebrities because of its undertones.
The Best Lightweight Foundation
Shiseido Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Foundation SPF 30
Many people admire breathable foundations that do not feel like plaster on the face. The Shiseido Synchro Skin foundation is the answer to such people’s worries. It is super lightweight and gives an airy feel to your skin. It is comfortable to wear and blends effortlessly into the skin.
Moreover, many people with troubled skin often find it problematic to layer many products onto the face. So while sunscreen is a must, it is a blessing if you have a foundation that gives you both: sunscreen and a good makeup base. And Shiseido foundation is just that.
It has SPF 30, which means you can wear it during the day and not worry about slathering a layer of sunscreen under your makeup.
Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez: Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation
Another weightless gem is the Liquid Touch Weightless foundation by Rare Beauty. It doesn’t feel like something is sitting on your skin and goes well with other routine products, such as sunscreen or serums.
In addition, it gives your skin a medium coverage which means you can expect the lighter blemishes and scars to hide behind a layer of this foundation.
It has precisely 48 shades which gives you a lot of space to match the right shade to your skin. Even if you do not find the right shade, you can mix and match effortlessly to get the shade you want. With the vast array of shades, mixing and customizing one for yourself is also way more manageable.
It has a wand applicator, but makeup gurus believe the right way to blend this foundation is with a beauty blender to give you that melded and dewy look.
The Foundation That Won’t Ruin Your Skin
Clinique Even Better™ Makeup Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 15
Makeup ruins your skin. We have all grown up hearing this from our elders. But not if it is from Clinique’s Even Better range.
Clinique is famous for its fantastic skincare products and makeup that is good for your skin. It is one of those too-good-to-be-true products which actually exist. It has some unique ingredients that do not break you out or harm your skin. Also, the coverage is excellent.
So, if you have sensitive skin and are always worried about stressing it out, try the Clinique Even Better foundation. We are confident it will not disappoint.
The Best Foundation For Radiant Skin
Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Foundation
It wasn’t long before that glowing, dewy makeup looks were all the rage. They still are, and this Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin foundation is the secret to the picture-perfect, glowing makeup.
It offers 16-hour wear and is almost transfer-proof. It also contains Hyaluronic acid as one of its key ingredients, which indicates the foundation is hydrating. As a result, it gives your skin a healthy, hydrated look with a subtle glow to it.
This foundation gives medium coverage but can give a fuller cover if you build it. In addition, it does an excellent job covering blemishes, redness, or mild pigmentation. With the quality this foundation provides, it would be unfair if you do not mention it in our list of best foundations for your skin.
However, remember that it may not be a good pick if you have very oily skin. Individuals with dry or combination skin will find this foundation their safest accomplice.
NYX Professional Makeup Born To Glow! Naturally Radiant Foundation
What if you want radiant, glowing skin but do not also want it to cost you an arm and a leg? The NYX Born To Glow foundation is the answer to your prayers.
It promises a 12-hour radiance and fulfills it. This foundation gives you medium coverage if you layer it twice. But for a more sheer finish, try sticking to just a single layer of the foundation.
The result is a soft, glowing makeup foundation. The shine is slightly less noticeable if you dab on some loose powder. But the luminous glow seeps through after about half an hour and stays fresh for almost 4 hours.
It offers a whopping 45 shades, so finding the right shade will not be as troubling now.
The Everyday Pick That Disguises Itself As A CC+ Cream
IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream with SPF 50+
Before you get riled up about how CC+ creams are not foundations, let us tell you why we put this CC+ cream here on the list.
Unlike other CC+ creams that are supposedly lighter than foundations, this IT Cosmetics product gives exceptional coverage and has a thicker consistency. However, it blends smoothly into the skin and gives a dewy finish. People with dry skin may find this product more suitable than oily-skinned individuals.
It offers 14 shades, which honestly aren’t many. But this product is a good pick if you are looking for something that provides a good makeup foundation daily.
The Perfect Foundation For Hydration
BAREMINERALS Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating SPF 25 Foundation Stick
Next, we have the BAREMINERALS Tinted Hydrating Foundation Stick making its way to our recommendations of the best foundations for your skin. And we will tell you why.
When we think about foundation sticks, we naturally assume that they will dry us out. Because much of the products on the market genuinely do. But this BAREMINERALS Tinted Hydrating foundation breaks the stereotype.
It is water-based and extremely lightweight. It has a hydrating formula, including 30% enhanced mineral water, plumping and refreshing your skin. Even though it feels super weightless when applied to the skin, it gives medium coverage, and the result is a glowing, flawless makeup look.
This foundation has around 20 shades and lasts on the skin for around 6 hours. It is a gentle product that your sensitive skin will surely adore.
The Foundation With Concealer For A Lazy Day
Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish
This foundation-and-concealer-in-one is an excellent pick for people who are always on the lookout for products that perform more than a single job.
Hourglass Vanish Seamless foundation comes with an innovative and unique formula. When put on the skin, the foundation adjusts to the individual’s body temperature, helping it to blend into the skin seamlessly. It is also 100% vegan.
Moreover, the foundation has double the pigment, offering complete coverage in just one application. Hourglass separately sells a Vanish Seamless foundation brush which does a better job blending the foundation than any other brush. It provides 12-hour coverage and has 32 shades with different undertones.
The Perfect Foundation For A No-Makeup Look
Milk Makeup Sunshine Skin Tint Clean SPF 30 Foundation
For some, full coverage foundations just don’t do the trick. The result is often flaky and patchy. Such people commonly prefer buying lightweight foundations that give a sheer look and don’t sit on the top of the skin.
Milk Makeup Sunshine Skin Tint is one such foundation. It is not drying at all, gives you enough coverage, and comes with SPF. The ingredients contain plant-derived squalene, which plumps and moisturizes the skin.
However, all features aside, the eye-catching element of this foundation is the one-of-a-kind tube it comes in. It has a roller-ball at the end, which helps dispense the foundation and claims an easy application.
There are only seven shades of the Milk Tint foundation, so choosing a shade that suits you most might be tricky. However, it lasts for more than 8 hours on the face, which is good. It is a common assumption that sheer foundations do not last long. But boy, does this prove all the assumptions wrong.
The Final Verdict
Choosing a foundation that best suits your skin type and texture is tricky. However, when you know all its nitty-gritty, it becomes more straightforward.
We tried our best to explain how to pick out a perfect foundation for your skin and listed some of the best foundations for your skin that you could buy. We hope this helps you pick out a foundation that gives you the makeup look you desire.