Foundation is a polarizing topic. As with other delicate products like liquid eyeliner and red lipstick, some makeup wearers love it, some can't stand it, and some fall somewhere in the zone of ambivalence where they could really go either way. I happen to identify with the latter group because I adore a full face from makeup to the perfect foundation, but might as well skip this step in my daily regime.
What matters most to me is that any formula I wear all day or just for a few hours must feel light on my skin. We've all had a heavy, cake-like foundation that may look good in photos, but is an absolute nightmare. It smears, it carries over and sometimes you can actually feel it clog your pores. (No thanks!)
Even if full coverage is your goal, you can get there with light formulas. There are countless gorgeous, weightless options that deliver impressive pigment and still feel like you don't even wear makeup. Take a look at our preparation of the 16 best lightweight foundations in advance, which both make-up artists and editors praise.
This light, full-surface primer is also ideal as a physical sunscreen, brightening color corrector, moisturizing anti-aging serum, smoothing primer, concealer for dark spots and moisturizing day cream. In just one step you get the appearance of a complete skin care, foundation and concealer therapy. Whenever I ask my beauty editor Erin Jahns about her favorite foundations, it is at the top of the list.
These liquid drops are super light and airy on the skin, so it is hard to imagine how Catrice managed to pack them with such a full-surface pigment. The famous makeup artist Mai Qyunh is known for keeping it rotating too.
Prominent makeup artist Georgie Eisdell is a fan of this foundation and is known to use it for her A-list, which includes Gwyneth Paltrow, Florence Pugh and Anya Taylor Joy. This oil-free gel cream formula feels fat and springy. The smallest piece of product extends very far, so you can stretch it super thin for a medium coverage or layer a little more for a weightless full coverage.
This silky smooth, organic, cold centrifuged coconut oil-based primer is light, stretchy and, above all, absolutely clean.
We love it when a foundation announces its best qualities directly in its name and does it justice. Indeed, this foundation is weightless and, as promised, makes your skin completely radiant.
It doesn't happen often that Queen Pat McGrath goes for makeup outside of her line of the same name these days, but she actually used these light, medium-sized foundation drops for the models at the Marc Jacobs Spring / Summer 2020 Runway Show at this year's New York Fashion Week.
Here's another natural option that delivers a blurry, velvety finish that looks more like perfect skin than makeup. It's so subtle in its coverage that celebrity groomer Marissa Machado has even admitted to using it with her male customers Nick, Joe and Kevin Jonas.
I have said it before and I will say it again: this affordable foundation is serious about the more expensive formulas. It is buildable, soft, radiant and completely weightless. I cannot say enough good things about it.
I've never met a Kevyn Aucoin foundation that I didn't like, and it's no different. The name says it all – it offers the most beautiful, weightless medium coverage, feels moisturizing on the skin and provides an ethereal shine all day long.
Beauty editor Erin Jahns is an encyclopedia of the Bonafide Foundation (believe me, I picked her bran more times than I can count!), And this is another lightweight foundation that she always calls out for its soft, moist effect on the skin . It's formulated so that your skin looks like you've just treated yourself to a luxurious facial!
By adding pseudo-ceramides, this formula remains soft and moisturizing on the skin for up to 18 hours. You won't notice it cracking or drying out and you can apply it anywhere on the body where it needs some refinement.
I'm not a drugstore foundation snob, but it still has to be said that Revlon always does it right with its formulas. This oil contains prickly oil for a particularly moisturizing, radiant finish.
This moisturizing skin tone feels like a thin oil cream at first, but once it dries, you will literally forget it's there. It gently blurs imperfections and still lets your skin shine through. I love it (and Erin too!) For those days when you just want radiant, hydrated, smooth-looking skin. See above for proof that it delivers on all of these fronts. No filter required.
This cream foundation is probably the easiest you'll ever use. All you need are warm, freshly washed fingers to get started. It's stretchy and sleek at first, but you can also build to full coverage if you feel compelled to do so. The best thing about it is that the slim metal case is reusable by us. Once you have taken care of the product, you can refill it instead of throwing it in the trash.
When we recently met Chanel makeup artist Kara Yoshimoto Bua, she couldn't sing enough praise for the light foundation with which she created Saoirse Ronan's recent Oscars makeup look. She loves the buildability and blurring effect of this liquid formula, saying that it can cover all types of pigments and textures on all skin types.
This bottle was part of my beauty awareness for a long time because my mother fell in love with it early on and continues to use it to this day. It dries out on the most beautiful half mat and can be used on the face as well as in other parts of the body where a small color correction may be necessary. Next, experts say that these 7 makeup cheat codes will help you look younger.
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