What brands are most reliable for complexion products?
I’ve had good experiences (maybe not to holy grail status but solid options) with most of the foundations/concealers from Guerlain, Giorgio Armani, Lancome, NARS, and Tarte.
— Christine
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For me, the brands whose foundations and concealers work consistently for me across formulas are few: BareMinerals, Everyday Minerals, and e.l.f. So far Makeup Revolution’s Conceal + Define Full Coverage line works well on me, but I haven’t tried all the products.
Honestly, with my hard-to-match skin tone and oily skin that makes foundations turn orange and concealers slide off, I’m lucky that there are a half dozen or so brands from which I can find one or two products that work on me. I’m just thrilled to have more options, period, and I don’t care if the entirety of a brand’s offerings are consistent.
I have others, and usually have to cocktail them. But my go to stand alone is Koh Gen Do aqua. I have every concealer possible, except Cle de Peau, and oddly enough my favorite is Makeup Revolution, any of the ‘conceal and’ formulas with the doe foot. Go figure, preferring Revolution to Pat.
Lancome and Estee Lauder. For drugstore, I’d say Maybelline.
Estée Lauder. I’ve tried a couple of their foundation formulas, and both were excellent. Double Wear Stay-in-Place is my HG.
Fenty, Lancome and Lumene have all proven themselves to have some excellent formulas for my skins needs. Also, excellent shade range on Fenty and Lancome! The only problem is, I have yet to find a shade that matches my skin 100%. My closest match is Fenty Profilt’r Hydrating Longwear foundation in 260. Lumene BB cream in Medium is HG for me.
For me its actually Maybelline! I appreciate having a reliable drugstore brand just because I feel like foundations can get icky before I’m finished with them, or it turns out that they oxidize strangely and I didn’t realize. I love the Fit Me line, there’s so many shades and it looks very natural.
For me, it’s IT Cosmetics, Dior, Guerlain and the oft-overlooked Clarins.
+1 for IT cosmetics, and I would add Estée Lauder for me as well
MAC and Clinique are staples. Never let me down. Good shade match. Also love Bare Minerals, L’Oréal and Maybelline. Nothing fancy. Just works!
Any foundation and concealer I tried from MAC and Estee Lauder was good… maybe some were not my favorite finish or coverage, but I was never disappointed.
For me I can rely on pro brands for the correct undertone (although there can be a touch of variation along the different formulas.) Brands like MUFE, MAC, Cover FX, come to mind. Having a coding system is much appreciated, which makes them reliable. Also, knowing they are go-to base products for pros means they have to be reliable in that field of work.
I have also been dipping my toes into “clean” beauty brands, and the formulas really work for me. RMS and Ilia are newer faves, and again, I appreciate RMS’ numbering system, especially when only being able to order online these days.
I have had a lot of success with KGD, both the Aqua Foundation and the Moisture Foundation in the tube. I like the finishing powder as well. The color corrector primer is useless, however. Tarte and Fenty work well for me in warmer weather. So many of the well regarded brands are involved in testing on animals so I feel fortunate that I have a few others I can rely on.
I have used quite a few foundations over the years and many have worked well across several brands. My issue is while they look nice, apply well and wear well, they just don’t give me the look I want. I admit that a piece of that is just my skin and having grown older, I am just not going to get the perfect skin look that I had when I was younger. I like a dewy look since I have such dry skin. I don’t have a particular brand that works across the board for me but I do like several of the Dior Foundations. I still love Chosungah but only the one formula. I have ordered two foundations during the Sephora sale and am looking forward to trying them out. I am not sure of shade matches since I purchased online but it will be awhile before I go to a Sephora or other department store, in person, to shade match so I took my best shot!!
I absolutely love the new Estée Lauder Futurist Hydra Rescue Moisturizing Foundation for a gorgeous dewy look. I have fairly normal skin and I have a feeling I won’t be able to wear it in the summer. I’m getting older too (43) and I think it’s just gorgeous. Mel Thompson (Puffin’s Wife) did a comparison between it and the Tom Ford Shade & Illuminate Soft Radiance Foundation which is practically twice the cost and they’re virtually the same, right down to the majority of the ingredients. I do plan to at least mix in some of the Estée Lauder foundation to less moisturizing foundations during the summer because the effect it give to the skin is perfection.
I am so glad to hear that you like it. It is one of the two that I ordered from Sephora during the sale and I can’t wait for it to get here. I have very dry skin so I am sure it will work for me through the summer. I hadn’t seen many reviews of it but I did watch Angie from Hot and Flashy and she really liked it also so decided to take a chance. How do you apply it, with a brush, sponge or hands?
It CC Cream and EL Double Wear both work really well for me. I’ve adored Armani Luminous Silk samples snagged over the years, but felt I could get something very good (if not quite as beautiful) for less money, so never splurged. Tarte had a great tube concealer I used (navy blue) for years – lots of shades and found a perfect match – I’ve assumed Shape Tape is basically the same product w/ different delivery, though never tried it. Also like Tarte color correctors. Amazing Concealer was concentrated & excellent. Bobbie Brown cream concealer w/setting powder – good coverage & staying power. ABH Stick Foundation – use for contouring/highlight/spot correction/sometimes as foundation if sheered out. Basically, I guess base products are not an issue for me. It’s been easy to find good ones in the mid-price range.
The only one I can say that has been consistent over the years for me is L’Oreal, which I think is kinda sad.
I have definitely tried quite a few in my lifetime.
My favourite everyday foundation is the L’Oreal True Match line. Ever since the company expanded the shades to incorporate pink undertones, it has been the one for me. It feels light on the skin, covers my uneven skin tones and lasts pretty much all day. It is also easy to access and is often on sale and I do stock up.
My favourite HE foundation is Clarins – their Everlasting line. Having purchased their porcelain rose shade (Linen), which was promptly d/c the moment I discovered it, the brand hadn’t released a foundation in my shade for quite some years. I think they have one now, but I haven’t checked. But it is beautiful foundation.
MAC, Giorgio Armani and Smith & Cult are my staples for foundation and concealer. I’d throw Tom Ford and Pat McGrath in there as well if the price point were more reasonable.
I mentioned above that the new Futurist Hydra Rescue foundation from Estée Lauder is a dupe for the newish Tom Ford Shade & Illuminate Soft Radiance foundation. It’s not just a dupe, the ingredients are almost the same and they’re made by the same parent company.
Excellent. I’m going to check that out. Thank you for the heads up!
Every time I’ve strayed from Boots No 7, up or down in price, I’ve been disappointed. It’s the best match for my skin, not too heavy, lasts well.
I’ve kept going back to IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye in the original black tube for about 9 years. The luminous pink tube feels and looks more matte to me. I swear it goes bad more quickly but maybe it’s the slightly different finish and that I dread looking dried out. Yup, I’m terribly bored of the original concealer but it’s easy to cut, covers everything when the shade is correct, stays shelf stable for a long time. Bye Bye Foundation spf 50 also works for me since I don’t love the look of matte foundations. I’m almost 40 and I’ve been avoiding anything drying for SUCH a long time. It’s weirdly flexible. That’s likely the snail extract. ? I haven’t found the perfect shade so I mix some in a tiny jar with a bit of the concealer in Fair or Light. It works but I’d love a foundation (or concealer) that’s perfect and feels great. So so bored but it’s reliable.
I agree, TARTE is one. I think I’d go back to Rainforest of the Sea after veering off into their Shape Tape line.
I’ve had great luck with BeautyBlender Bounce Liquid Foundation and Fenty Pro Filt’r Hydrating Foundation, both I would buy again.
However, for summer I lean toward It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better Illumination Cream. I love it’s dewy illuminating finish and that it has a SPF of 50.
I go up a level to medium neutral to match my tanned body; it’s perfect for the summer months and a little goes a long way!