I've never done a just-foundation blogpost and so I'm excited to be sharing with you my favorite foundations. Seriously, my favorite of the so many I've tried! And, I'm not going to just end there. I'm also going to rank them from most to least, although it's going to be really hard. So please don't end with the numbers. Read the descriptions as well :) It's because I love them all!
As a reference, let me tell you about my skin. This foundation works for me and I have combination/oily skin, blemish-prone, light to medium skin tone, with yellow undertone, and I like to wear my foundation .5- 1.0 shade lighter than my actual skin tone, but nonetheless it must not look like a mask because of the difference of color from face to neck. Now, here are the list of my favorite foundations ranked amongst themselves.
- Estee Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover, Shade 03 Creamy Vanilla
- Nars Sheer Glow Foundation, Shade "Fiji"
- Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation, Shade "Bamboo Beige"
- Chanel Perfection Lumière, Shade 20 Beige
- Jemma Kidd Light as Air, Shade 02 Light
Let's begin with my favorite foundation of all time, and forever time. Estee Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover. The shade I have is 03 Creamy Vanilla. This foundation is the best of the best. I did write a whole blogpost on it, but it definitely wasn't my best. I say that because the post doesn't portray how amazing this foundation actually is. Since trying this foundation I have tried to get everyone around me to buy it. It's just simply the best, for those specifically looking for maximum coverage but not-at-all cakey foundation. It is thick but what is amazing is that it doesn't look cakey at all. Of course, all you need is a little to go a long way but whatever suits your boat should work as well! Because it is such densely pigmented and best coverage foundation, most people use it as a concealer. Blah with that! If I want a f.l.a.w.l.e.s.s. face, I'm going to use this all over my face! And, it is so long-lasting. Come summer and humidity, it just doesn't matter. It won't budge once it sets, so make sure you spread it out in small portions over the face because it does set rather quickly. I use a Real Techniques Face Expert Brush to apply and it's like a match made in heaven :)
Next up. Nars Sheer Glow in the shade "Fiji". Seriously, this foundation is a forever repurchase. Again, amazing coverage and the glow it gives the face is nothing overdone. It's so subtle and the glow looks more like a radiance from beneath the makeup! It gives you a young and fresh look. This foundation doesn't last nearly as long as the Estee Lauder but with a primer, it should last you through the more significant part of the day/night! Another thing I like about this is that it sets just as well as the other favorite foundations on my list. That is just a must for me. I hate liquid foundations that never set and just stray on your face. Yuck! Since I have oily skin, setting to a either powder or solid liquid (?) is of paramount importance. That way, it doesn't feel like your skin is wet, especially in the summer humidity! Interesting thing is that though it is the most watery out of all the other foundations (like it can literally run down your face/hands when you put some on), it sets perfectly! I use the Real Techniques Buffing Brush for this, since it's more watery. Love them together. I talk more about this foundation here.
Laura Mercier Silk Creme is lovely for medium-full coverage. I like foundations to actually lay as a flawless foundation for whatever needs to go on top: blush, bronzer, eyeshadows, etc., Nothing looks good without a good foundation! So, this is a similar consistency as the Estee Lauder when you first pump it out. It's thick and dense. But again, it will smooth out like silk on the face and give such a natural finish! Nothing cakey at all. Unlike the Nars it doesn't have a glow, but it isn't completely matte either. It's just... well, natural. The very slight downfall is the color range. I had such a hard time choosing the shade because what it seems on the hand swatched changes over time. Meaning, on the face applied, the color is darker than it just seems. I have the shade Bamboo Beige, but if you see the swatch you will see that it is much darker than the rest. Over time, that darkness is more obvious. When I use this shade, I make sure to use a lot of under-eye concealer to brighten certain areas! I apply this with my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. You can read my first blogpost on this foundation here.
I haven't talked about this foundation in awhile, and that's because I haven't used it that often. But nonetheless, every time I use it I think, wow Chanel just does everything right. The Chanel Perfection Lumiere Foundation gives again great coverage. I can't say that it is "full" as Estee Lauder or Nars but more on the borderline between medium and full. What I love about this foundation is the finish of it. It is completely matte. For all those who want to get rid of any kind of shine on the face, this gives that perfect matte look without the effect of cakiness or heavily-done makeup. It just looks like you have naturally matte skin! Also, the smell is that lovely Chanel scent and even though it's liquid it feels like powder once it sets. How lovely, so after it sets (which again, this sets quite quickly) you almost feel like there's nothing on the skin. The downside? Price!
Lastly, it is the foundation I love the least! It's Jemma Kidd Light as Air foundation, which is a medium-full coverage foundation that actually doesn't sell anymore! So, I was wondering what was the point in blogging about it anyway if you readers can't even go try it :( But still, I do want to feature all the foundations that have and use so... forgive the fact that even if you wanted to try it, you can't! This is a very watery foundation, much like Nars. I think the setting time for this foundation is the longest out of the rest. It does feel light on the skin but not as light as say the Chanel foundation. The downside of this foundation is that because the brand was closing, the labeling and the actual colors were all over the place! It took me about 3 returns to get the right shade, and I'm still unsure as to whether the 02 Light shade is the correct shade! But it works so it's all good :) This finish is also a bit glowy.
Here is another pic of the swatches without flash (a bit shakey I'm afraid!):
The Nars and Chanel foundations have almost the perfect color match together, but because of the finish difference, the Nars blends into my skin a bit better. The Laura Mercier is the darkest and though I can still wear it without looking weird, I'd rather go about 1.5 shade lighter than what I have! It actually looks even darker in real-life than in these pictures! The Estee Lauder works very well for me. The Jemma Kidd seems to be the redder of the rest! On the face, it doesn't seem that obvious though :) My favorite shades are: 1 2, and 4.
So there you go. That was my full-on ranking of my favorite foundations. I've tried a lot of foundations, and they are definitely products I would repurchase again and again! I hope the color descriptions also helped, oh, and what kind of brush I use to get the best finish.
If you have any questions, leave them down below and I'll try my best to answer them :)
