What was the last foundation you wore? Share a mini-review!
I’m a habitual mixer, so it was actually a combination of La Mer’s Soft Linen mixed with Natasha Denona’s Face Glow. I really love those two mixed for a very dewy, smooth finish that is particularly lovely in person (I tend to prefer more matte finishes for photos, as skin looks even smoother/more poreless).
It pains me to say I really enjoy the La Mer foundation, because it is expensive, but it sits beautifully on my skin, wears all day long (and has a nice “wear down”), and consistently applies well. I like Face Glow mixed with other products but it’s very dewy on its own and sometimes to the point where I feel like it draws attention to texture as a result.
— Christine
Estée Lauder Double Wear. It’s the foundation I’ve been wearing for years. I’ve tested others here and there, but always come back to EL DW. Apparently, it’s the only foundation in existence that stays perfect all day long on my skin and doesn’t break me out. Great buildable coverage, and one bottle lasts a long time. This one of my true HG products.
Pat McGrath‘s Skin Fetish: Sublime Foundation in 13, still enjoy, but I seemed pale after a month or more without foundation (yes, as I avoid buying I seem to be avoiding making myself up as if not to enjoy the makeup), so I had to add a little YSL Touch Éclat BD60 (my tanned summer color) to contour. Don’t know vif I like it enough to buy 14 or 15.
That’s my equal favorite the Water Fresh version along with PMG. But for winter, my color Shell Beige is a tad too dull and grey.
That combo sounds beautiful, Christine and something I would probably enjoy.
For reference: I am 55 years old, mature skin, very dry with pigmentation issues and some redness
I too am a mixologist and I wore Glo Skin liquid foundation (a mineral based foundation with a texture very similar to the old GA Maestro liquid) mixed with Shiseido Synchro self-refreshing.
Glo Skin has a very skin like finish and light to medium coverage. It looks very natural, but falls down on longevity. It is not transfer proof. I wear this foundation when I’m not expecting to wear my foundation for many hours. It has a beautiful subtle glow, but does not feel overly dewy because it is a highly runny liquid foundation. In my experience, testing with multiple primers and powder has not had any beneficial effect on longevity or transfer. This is a foundation I wear to run errands should I decide to wear makeup.
Shiseido Synchro is more of a medium coverage foundation and I added it to the brew because I love the finish and wanted to see if the combo lent the Glo Skin better coverage (it did) and longevity. (It didn’t, caveat: neither are longwear foundations). Synchro would be a foundation enjoyed by people looking for light to medium coverage, buildable, and yet remains soft and fresh and slightly dewy. It wears beautifully and seems to meld with the skin as the day progresses. I don’t know about self-refreshing, but it looks fabulous. However, again, It is definitely not a longwear foundation. I get a solid 8 hour wear and then it begins to break down in my usual spots around nose, and chin. It never looks unattractive, but clearly coverage begins to decline.
Also, I powder only sides of nose and chin with both foundations because their natural looking texture/finish is what I am going for.
What a great, thorough review! Thank you.
Last week, I got a sample of Armani’s Luminous Silk foundation as the bricks and mortar Sephora near me is now carrying it. I was SO excited that this was now available for me to see and try for myself. The SA matched me to the shade 3.75. I’ve tried it twice now and let’s just say, I’m glad it was a sample because at $80, I’d have been mightily disappointed had I purchased this. I don’t think it’s just that the shade might not be the best match for me but the product itself – it’s sort of patchy and chalky when I apply it and even on the less problematic parts of my face, it seems to vanish in a very short time. I will stick with my beloved IT CC Cream and Diorskin Forever foundations and save myself a fair bit of dosh.
I’m fair with pink undertones, and I was told to try 3.75. No way was it a good match. I tried, I think, maybe 3 or 4 other shades and even mixed a couple. I could not get a suitable match in GA. His line leans yellow, even the neutrals. It’s has a paucity of cool shades, and of those, the pink can get overwhelming (too pink for me). Plus, I found his numbering system so confusing. I gave up. That was a good 3-4 years ago. So, it sounds like nothing’s changed. The Asian and some French brands have a better selection for pink undertones, imo. That’s where I’ve had the most success anyway. (Btw, the IT CC and Dior foundations are too neutral for me. I need a bit of a grey/pink undertone to my foundation. Sounds ghoulish, I know. But it is, what it is.)
Dior makes (or made – they’ve change the labelling so much, at least here in Canada) a shade that claimed to cancel out redness – it’s #14 in the “old” Diorskin Forever – and it was perfect for me because it did just that. I have some broken capillaries and a fair bit of pink and like to cool both of those down and while #10 or 12, maybe, was good, #14 was even better. And now, of course, the numbering system has changed and has me all confused!
But this Armani stuff – even if I could get a better colour match, I expect a better finished look overall and wear than with that stuff.
I find GA leans yellow also. I have 2,3, and 3.5. I have to mix in a little Benetint to get a touch of red that takes out the yellow cast on my skin and then it works well. This was my go-to until I found the perfect shade match in YSL stick foundation Ivory B20 (I also have it in B10, BR20, and BD20 to create subtle dimension – stick foundations are great for that – a lot more control over pigment placement). It wears extremely well, especially over primer and with powder it doesn’t budge for my long days. I love the finish and use Kevin Aucoin foundation brush to smooth it out to perfection super fast (pricey, but hands down best foundation instrument I’ve ever used). It’s quite mattifying however and while I’m oily, will probably have to switch back to GA soon.
My other issue with GA and also La Mer is they oxidize over time. La Mer goes a shade darker than my natural skin tone across a day so I can’t wear it long. GA isn’t as bad but still an issue. I thought it was an issue with the powder and have tried different ones to no avail. Happy to take suggestions – most foundations oxidize on me. Does anyone else have this problem??
I was going to go the Benetint route myself and add it to fair-enough, more ‘neutral’ tones, but then found The Body Shop’s Lightening Drops and decided to go that route, adding the drops to too-dark-but-correct-cool-tone shade foundations. Sheesh. Nothing like feeling like a mad chemist in my bathroom!
As for oxidation, got a sample of LM’s primer years ago and that stuff oxidized an ugly, ugly mustard yellow on me. Nor have I had any luck with LM foundations — they oxidized yellow! (But any yellow in a foundation just makes it sit on top of my complexion as if to say, “You look ridiculous.”) Basically, I have oxidation problems with too-warm foundations. If I can find one cool enough, oxidation is not a problem. I wish I were a chemist, so I could tell you why that is.
I remember reading somewhere, I think Lab Muffin, that it isn’t really oxidation. It’s the pigment changing colour when it dries, or simply that it’s mixing with oil on your face which makes it turn out a different shade. I also read from Kevin James Bennett mixing foundation with water (ex. wet beauty blender) causes problems.
ColourPop hyaluronic tinted moisturizer. I really like it! It’s not too matte or dewy and it doesn’t pill on top of my sunscreen. It’s one of the few liquid foundations that doesn’t seem to settle in my pores. I’m not really into full coverage so I think this is really good for me.
I rarely wear foundation — instead, I wear three different colored concealers here and there on my face. When I do wear foundation, I wear Giorgio Armani Maestro Fusion Foundation. It’s not super matte on me and doesn’t irritate my sensitive skin, plus the color is a good match for my face. (My neck is lighter than my face, which makes color matching foundation a bit tricky.) However, I’m not totally happy with the Maestro as it seems to make large pore freckles sometimes despite lightly powdering it before going out.
I don’t wear foundation enough to replace it but I may take a look at La Mer’s Soft Linen next time I visit Nordstrom.
Fenty Pro Filt’r Hydrating Longwear foundation – This has become my “daily” foundation. I love the dewy, natural finish it gives me! And it truly does last the day, which is phenomenal and unique for a dewier foundation! However…it does emphasize my pores more than matte or satin-matte finish foundations do. But that’s unavoidable considering how large my pores are in areas. So, I just have to use my RMCA No Color powder on the part of cheeks near my nose. Overall, this is probably one of my favorite foundations that I’ve ever used, even with that one small issue. Another thing I love about it is that I actually have a perfect shade match in this line with #260. That’s actually a rarity for me!
It’s in my drawer as a go to as well. ?. I like to change up my foundation depending on mood/requirement/weather. This is definitely a really good all-rounder year-rounder for mature skin.
I love that foundation, unfortunately, my skin doesn’t. I end up with little whiteheads on my face after I wear it. ?
I mentioned this in another post, but I have rediscovered my MUFE foundation stick. It is so wonderfully creamy, which really works for my aging, dry/slightly combo skin. I can use a little or a lot, and it is very quick to apply. Also, shade Y225 in the MUFE line cannot be matched to any other makeup lines, it seems. I really wish other lines were able to create a similar shade (I’m looking at you, MAC.)
The MUFE foundation stick looks amazing in photography and from afar, but I never managed to make it fully `set` on my face… too creamy for me.
Which MAC shades do you usually get? MUFE Y245 is slightly too dark for me, I guess Y225 would be a better match. I was previously getting everything MAC in NC20, but NC16 in Studio Fix seemed a better match (but NC18 not so much, strangely).
I am wearing the new foundation from RMS. I think it is called un-cover foundation. It had a bit of a learning curve, but (as with most foundations for me) I found that less is more. Once I cut back on the amount I applied, it really has a very nice natural finish with my freckles slightly visible, but with the pores, wrinkles, and unevenness vastly improved.
I’m a one foundation open at a time, and I started recently using the Clinique Even Better Refresh Hydrating and Repairing Makeup.
I’m still trying to make it work, and it’s a decent foundation, but doesn’t come close to it’s claims. It has indeed a very natural finish, which gives a youthful hydrated look (at first). But the coverage is barely light-medium (barely covers small discolorations) and it starts wearing off after 5-6 hours (it’s like my skin `absorbs` it). It’s quite a hydrating foundation, someone with combination-oily skin could only wear it with a mattyfing primer and powder.
The formula is very liquid, but this allows it to be buildable; but I can’t get more coverage with multiple layers.
Color range is strange; I am usually a 08 in Clinique, but this foundation only comes in 04 (too light) and 12 (slightly to dark, but yellow enough for me). I don’t understand the huge gap.
I wore MAC Studio Fix powder foundation on Friday. This is really my former HG foundation, but I still have a compact of it that I try to use at least once a week. When I first got into makeup in my early 20s, I was living in a much more humid place than I am now, and this was my go-to. Now I am older, my skin is drier, and I live in a more arid climate. All of this combines to mean that I prefer liquid to powder these days, but I don’t want this to go to waste. It’s still a good product, though, and so easy and fast to apply.
My go to us CoverFx Power Play foundation in G80. It’s really great if you have oily/combo skin. I also like to mix it with Fenty’s Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch primer to make more of a BB cream. I really love the feel of it, how it wears, and that it last a long time. It’s my go to for stage and the color is a perfect match for me.
As a point of reference, I am 65 years old. I spent a lot of time on the beach in S. Cal in the 60’s and 70’s. I have texture, pigmentation, wrinkles galore and my skin is basically dry. I do have issues with getting enough coverage without looking cakey. I am a bit of a mixologist also, trying to capture the best benefits of each foundation. right now I am transitioning from my summer shade, which is pale, to my winter shade which is very pale. So, I mix equal parts Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk in the shade 2 Fair and Dior Forever Glow in the shade 2N which is darker than the GALS. I have been using the Dior alone and mixed since early July. I like the coverage which is medium buildable. It covers most things I want to hide except for my pigmentation, which in all fairness, nothing covers. I have applied using fingers, brush and BB and it works well with all three methods. I find the Dior to be more prone to cakiness and have to be careful to not apply too much. I wish it were a little more dewy but overall, I like the foundation. It wears really well for me and I can get 16 hours out of it easily. I don’t use much powder with it given the tendency to cake. I tend to just powder around my nose and mouth. Because I have lip lines, foundations sometimes like to settle in the creases and they just exaggerate the lines. This foundation does that so again, I have to be careful in application. Is it holy grail, NO. It is rapidly becoming too dark for my winter shade. The GALS is lighter and when mixed, I like it. Alone, I am not a big fan. It offers me less coverage than the Dior and doesn’t wear more than 8 hours on me. It isn’t a foundation that I would use if I wanted longevity or if I am going to be out working and getting sweaty since it would just drip off my face. I have less issue’s with caking. I wish it appeared more dewy/glowy when applied. Neither foundation is a perfect shade match for me and both were shade matched by a SA. In the case of the Dior, she actually took me outside to natural sunlight and matched me. It might have been good then, I don’t think so but, it definitely isn’t now. I am hoping to try a few more samples when I travel to Spokane in a week or two. I am so interested in trying the Surratt Beauty Dew Drop foundation but there isn’t a counter within an 8 hour drive. It is expensive so I don’t want to pick it up and then hate it. I know it doesn’t offer great coverage but the skin like appearance is very attractive to me. Also, shade matching is difficult when purchasing on-line. If anyone has tried it I would love to hear.
I just have to jump in and offer a ‘dewiness’ suggestion. One pump of Burberry Beauty Fresh Glow Luminous Fluid Base (these names are soooo long, lol) does wonders. I mix it in with my foundation to apply it. It adds a nice bit of shimmer (not too much shimmer) that translates as ‘dew’ to my skin. If you haven’t tried it, take a look at the reviews on the Nordstrom website. I highly recommend it for dry, mature skin. Been using it since it was introduced. Good stuff —
Thank you for the suggestion, Anne. I will definitely check it out. I think it is crazy with the names! All of the foundations that I have tried with “glow” or “dew” in the title have turned out to not be either. Nars Sheer Glow comes to mind! I haven’t tried any Burberry foundations so this is exciting.
CYO Lifewear in shade 108 on my nose and blended onto my nasolabial folds and Koh Gen Do Aqua in shade 123 everywhere else. The KGD is slightly luminous but I don’t like a glowing nose so I don’t use it there. Neither of these foundations settles into pores and lines and they don’t wear off during the day. If I want a matte look, I just use the CYO. It is amazing stuff for $7. I have stocked up because it is being discontinued in January.
Mac face and body, it’s very reliable and easy to apply. I warm it up and rub my fingers or hands together and just straight application. The coverage is light and it has a dewy finish which I prefer, then I apply the bare minerals bare pro concealer stick on my problem areas.
My skin has been very finicky with this pregnancy and the current weather change, the combination of those two works very well for me. But I am enjoying reading everyone’s routine and maybe I can try them out.
Makeup Revolution Conceal & Define Full Coverage Foundation. (Note, I always wear foundation over a primer, due to my oily skin. I wear shade F0.2, very fair with light yellow undertones.) It’s a fantastic, lightweight, full-coverage foundation. I’m really impressed with how good this is: I think I’ve found my CF replacement for Lancome Teint Idole. The shade and undertone range is quite large, the coverage is great, it has a nice semi-matte finish, it doesn’t oxidize, and it wears for 14+ hours. It isn’t cakey at all. The only negative I have is that it comes with a huge doefoot applicator. I would have preferred a pump like they have for their Naturally Flawless Foundation. There was no option for very fair skin with neutral undertones, which I thought strange as other shades do, but the “light yellow” undertones in the shade I got are so slight that it appears neutral on me.
For reference, I have very fair skin with neutral undertones. My skin is oily with periods of combination/oily T-zone. I’m 50 years years old, so aging/menopausal skin, some redness in nose/cheek area, and episodes of cystic acne. I also have sensitive skin.
I am a big fan of L’Oreal’s True Match foundation in porcelain rose. It has only been the past year or so that the brand added new shades and one of them was the pink undertones. Up until then I couldn’t wear any L’Oreal foundations because of the yellowish undertones that predominated their skin products.
The foundation is easy to apply, comfortable to wear and lasts all day. Better still, it is often on sale.
Loreal Infallible Fresh Wear. It’s light weight and needs to be powdered/blotted through out the day. However, it’s looks skin like and so comfortable. Shade match is decent. Love it!
I am actually sampling foundations to try to decide which new ones to buy. I love my skin and do not like thick full coverage foundations .. I currently testing tinted moisturizers .. I love the Laura Mercier luminizing I wish it had a littke more pigment but I love the finish. I am leaning toward the Pat McGrath skin fetish . Perfect consistency and I had put the hourglass finishing powder over it or the Laura Mercier candle glow powder for the luminosity I love
I don’t have any major skin issues so I currently prefer a light layer of powder foundation. I’m using Mecca Max at the moment which is an Australian makeup store’s house brand. It’s really nice because it doesn’t emphasise dry spots if you buff it in and it’s just enough coverage to make my skin colour look even.
I’ve recently fallen back in love with the Dior Airflash foundation. It doesn’t accent my pores or texture nor stick to the dry patch next to my nose. It doesn’t sit heavy on my face or feel heavy. My skin looks airbrushed every time I use it. Just picked up the Sephora version, hoping it’s as good as the Dior.
Have discovered 2 fabulous foundations in last year for folks looking for light-to-medium, natural coverage. 3Lab Aqua BB SPF 40 is a compact combining a cushion applicator that you press on a foundation-filled foam round. Only comes in 3 shades, but #3 works for my dark-medium, yellow-based, dry, mature skin. Somehow the shades work on a wide variety of coloring.
Kosas Tinted Face Oil #5 provides a bit more coverage although it’s super watery when dispensed. Use your fingers! Also not oily in the least despite the name.
Both products take less than 30 seconds to apply!
I am head over heels in love with the Sisely Phyto-Teint in Sand. I wish I wasn’t because … ouch. It has light to light-medium coverage and I can use a brush, a beauty blender, or my fingers. It has good staying power and fades nicely. It’s light weight and, unless it’s Florida humid, I forget I’m wearing foundation at all. I’m 51 with normal skin, a crap ton of hyperpigmentation and some enlarged pores in the usual haunts. I’ve come to terms with my uneven skin tone, so I don’t mind a light to light-medium coverage. Hormones. What are you gonna do? I like it much better than the La Mer. Better than the Armani Luminous Silk. Better than the Osmosis I was wearing and way, way better than the new Shedeido. I loved the old formula, but the new one is so disappointing. It looks beautiful for a little while, but gathers under the nose of my glasses and bridge of my nose before it breaks down completely. If I’m smart, I will stick with the Sisely and stop wasting my money on the next “best thing” simply because I’m bored.
I normally wear my two favorite foundations everyday: alone or mixed together: Dior Forever Matte and Dior Forever Skin Glow (I like the last one better). I find them to give enough coverage (medium to almost full), are thin on the skin, they last for a whole day and I’d dare say the look pretty natural yet perfecting on me.
I prefer the Skin Glow given the luminosity it provides. My skin is normal to combo with a slightly oily t-zone. I’m fourty with wrinkles starting to come through :/
I always wear primer depending on how my skin is doing that day: either a mattifying one or a hydrating one (Too Faced Hangover primer). I powder lightly on my t-zone and where I’d apply bronzer. Else I don’t need to powder with those two foundations.
About the shades: I wear from 1.5N, 2N to 3N depending on the season. I’d say the neutrals are leaning a bit on the peachy side when you swatch them but they’re a perfect match on my skin (I am neutral and I thought I was leaning towards the olive since I look sickly green when I’m pale).
Otherwise I’m retrying the LM Flawless Lumiere which I didn’t like at all at first, but now it’s looking more promising, though it’s very difficult to find a decent shade match.
L’Oreal Infallible 24h Fresh Wear Foundation: it’s beautiful! Perfect coverage for me and a great shade range. Looks like skin. And it mixes well with my Missha M Perfect Coverage BB Cream. And I can blend it in with my hands and it looks great, but also can use a damp sponge with it too.
I’ve been using Burts Bees Goodness Glows. It’s a good foundation but the shade is really off. I bought online, and picked out Honey, which says it’s tan with a mix of cool and warm understones. I’m tan and veer more towards the warm side, so I thought this mix of warm and cool would be great. This is really pale for a tan. I’ve been using it because a little bit lighter skin tone is ok during the cooler months, and contour and bronzer eliminate any obvious variations at the jawline and hairline, but I don’t quite feel like me with this color on my face. I need something 2-3 shades darker.
I wish we could post pics in these messages so we could illustrate what we mean.
Pat McGrath‘s Skin Fetish: Sublime Foundation in 13, still enjoy, but I seemed pale after a month or more without foundation (yes, as I avoid buying I seem to be avoiding making myself up as if not to enjoy the makeup), so I had to add a little YSL Touch Éclat BD60 (my tanned summer color) to contour. Don’t know vif I like it enough to buy 14 or 15.