Your skin changes throughout the year; it gets colder and drier in winter and picks up colour in summer and will also vary depending on your age and your skincare routine. Sadly, the same foundation won’t work for your whole life.

READ NEXT: How to find your perfect foundation match

To help you navigate the thousands of options, here are evidence-based tips based on the science of how foundation works and what ingredients you need to look out for.

Once you have a better idea of what your skin needs, our list of the best foundation will narrow down your choices.

Types of foundation

Foundation can come in the form of a solid or a liquid but whether it’s a powder, a foam, a liquid or even a spray, most foundations are made up of the same three basic ingredients; a moisturiser, colourant and filler.

The filler makes the foundation spread evenly over your skin while giving it texture, the base is moisturising to prevent your skin drying out and the colourant provides the pigmentation.

READ NEXT: The science of moisturiser 

Most foundation bases are made of oil, silicone or water, and sometimes wax. Knowing whether your foundation has an oil, silicone or water base is important because this determines how the foundation will mix with your other make-up, particularly primers and concealers.

If your primer is oil-based, and your foundation is water-based, the two might not mix easily which can result in patches of foundation gathering in certain places, or streaks of make-up separating.

• Water-based foundations tend to be better for oily skin because they don’t clog pores and are quite light textures. They are dewy and easy to blend.
• Oil-based foundations are more long-lasting and better for people with dry skin.
• §Silicone-based foundations tend not to need primers as the silicon base will act as a built-in primer, it has mattifying and waterproof qualities.

Foundation ingredients explained

To determine whether a foundation is oil, silicone or water-based, look at the first couple of ingredients.

The first ingredient will normally be water, but this does not mean it is water-based, it is just for the liquid consistency.

• Silicone-based foundations usually have ingredients ending in ‘cone’ – ‘methicone’ or ‘siloxane’ – in the first few ingredients.
• Oil-based ones will have ‘oleate’ or ‘oil’ in the first few lines.
• Water-based foundations won’t have any of these in the first three or four ingredients.

In terms of fillers, traditionally foundations use ingredients like talcum powder, also known as magnesium silicate, kaolin or starch, which have no effect on the way the foundation actually looks. However, ‘functional’ fillers like mica, silica and bismuth oxychloride provide coverage and texture in the product.

READ NEXT: How to apply foundation like a pro

Pigments are used to determine the colour of the foundation. Common ingredients for pigment include iron oxides and titanium dioxide.

“Foundation contains colourants that cover your skin’s natural colour, so people see the colour of the foundation,” says cosmetic chemist Perry Romanowski. “It also contains film-forming ingredients so that the colour looks more even and natural.”

Many of these ingredients are also found in the best BB creams and BB creams for oily skin so it’s worth checking to make sure your beauty balm complements your skin and your foundation.

How to find a foundation match

Picking the best colour foundation for you can be a difficult task, especially as complexions change throughout the year. The only way to do this accurately is to try a sample and see if it matches with your skin.

Firstly, determine whether your skin has warm, pink tones or cool, yellow ones, which will determine the pigment base. Then, if you can, try to see the foundation on your skin in natural light rather than the artificial light of the shop you might be trying them on in. We’ve got more advice on choosing a foundation match here, and tips from our resident makeup artist Victoria Howe in her how to apply foundation explainer.

Best foundation type for oily skin

On top of looking good, a foundation can also be used as a form of skincare in itself. If you have a specific skin problem, looking for certain ingredients in your foundation and BB cream, especially BB creams for oily skin might help. For instance, if you have oily skin look for kaolin clay or silica, alumina, corn-starch, or talc, which are all absorbent powders that will help control oil and prevent shine.

Ingredients to look out for:

• Water-based, which means no oils or ingredients ending in ‘cone’ in the first three ingredients
• Kaolin
• Talc or magnesium silicate
• Alumina or silica

Best foundation type for dry skin

If you have dry skin, look for ingredients like natural food oils,  squalane, or glycerides.

Ingredients to look out for:

• Avocado oil, sesame oil or jojoba oil
• Squalane
• Glycerides

Best foundation type for spots

Foundations that contain salicylic acid, also known as BHA or beta hydroxy acid, and benzoyl peroxide can help control spots and acne.

Ingredients to look out for:

• Salicylic acid or BHA (beta hydroxy acid)
• Benzonyl peroxide

You can read more about the truth about the acids in your skincare in our guide.

It should also be noted that if you have acne-prone skin, or suffer from blemishes, make sure you’re keeping your brushes and blenders clean. Makeup tools are breeding grounds for bacteria and you could find you’re spending a fortune on products and skincare to just undo their benefits by using dirty tools. You can find out how to clean makeup brushes and how to clean beauty blenders in our explainers.

Best foundation type for mature skin

Another thing to look for in foundations, especially for people with mature skin, is whether or not they contain SPF.

Sun protection should be a key part of anyone’s skincare routine but finding a foundation that contains it can make the process easier.  For mature skin, common problems include wrinkles, hyper-pigmentation, dry or dull skin.

If you are worried about wrinkles, look for peptides, hyaluronic acid, argon oil or collagen. For discolouration, look for foundations that are hydrating that can help improve your complexion, like vitamin A, also known as retinols, or vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid.

Ingredients to look out for:

• SPF
• Peptides
• Hyaluronic acid
• Collagen
• Retinol
• Ascorbic acid

MORE LIKE THIS

• How to use concealer on mature skin
• Makeup brushes 101: The ultimate guide
• Best foundation
• The truth about the acids in your skincare
• Best concealer for all skin types
• The science of foundation
• Best BB cream
• Best cheap makeup brands

Abigail Beall

Abigail is a leading science journalist writing about space, sustainability, technology and culture. She is author of The Art of Urban Astronomy, a must-have guide to the night sky that guides you through the seasons and learn about the brightest stars and constellations, the myths and legends of astronomy and how to identify star clusters and galaxies.

 

The post What’s really in your foundation? The chemicals you need to look out for appeared first on mamabella.

We recently started a long-running series, over on TikTok, in which we’re testing as many foundations in the UK as we can to finally determine which is the best foundation on the market today.

It’s a huge undertaking and this page is where we’re going to be listing the top 10 as it evolves.

We’re highlighting the price, shade range, coverage, finish, and whether or not each one is vegan and cruelty-free.

As well as our own personal opinion of each. There are additional scores available on the spreadsheet, should you be interested.

This test is also helping us determine which would be best for oily skin, dry skin, mature skin, and more.

We will be updating the relevant Best Buys as and when a contender emerges. All of these guides can be found on our foundation hub page.

We’ll also be updating this page as new foundations are released, or as we test more of the best foundations in the UK.

If there’s a foundation you’re keen for us to try, leave us a comment or request it via our TikTok or Instagram channels.

FURTHER READING: How we test foundations | How to find your perfect foundation match | MUA explains how to get flawless makeup | Best foundation for oily skin | Best high-street foundation UK | Best full-coverage foundation UK | Best foundation for mature skin

Best foundation UK

Below we’ve listed the top 10 best foundations as it stands in May 2023. This list is likely to change as we test more foundations. Below that, we’ve handpicked the best foundations for different skin types, coverage needs, and budgets.

Top 10 Foundations by Score

1. Essence Hydro Hero – £4 | Buy now
2. Collection Lasting Perfection Matte – £6.49 | Buy now
3. SheGlam Skinfinite – £7.49 | Buy now
4. Revolution Conceal and Hydrate – £9 | Buy now
5. MAC Studio Fix Fluid – £29 | Buy now
6. e.l.f Camo Foundation – £14 | Buy now
7. NYX Born to Glow – £10 | Buy now
8. MAX Factor Facefinity – £13.99 | Buy now
9. 17. Second Skin – £5 | Buy now
10. Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Longwear – £30 | Buy now

See the full list of scores here

WANT TO KNOW MORE? Best concealer | Best makeup brush | Best foundation brush | Best eyeshadow palette | Best foundation | Best foundation for dark skin | Best foundation for oily skin | Best foundation for dry skin | Best foundation for mature skin | Best contour kit | Best lip gloss | Best lip liner | Best mascara| Best primer | Best highlighter | Best brow pomade | Best blusher | Best setting spray| Best makeup sets | Best false eyelashes | Best eyeliner

︎ Editor’s Pick: Essence Hydro Hero

£4 | Buy now

View the full video on TikTok

mamabella | mamabella

In the battle for the best foundation makeup in the UK, Essence has done the seemingly impossible. It has knocked The Ordinary’s Serum foundation off the top spot. The first time since we began compiling the top 10 foundations.

Until the end of August, The Ordinary Serum and The Ordinary Coverage foundations held the number one and number two spots overall, with total scores of 62.4 and 59.8 respectively.

However, following another month of testing, Essence’s Hydro Hero has jumped into number 1, and Collection Lasting Perfection Matte is now in second.

What’s more, The Ordinary Coverage has been pushed down to sixth.

While technically a tinted cream, Essence’s Hydro Hero promises light-to-medium coverage and performed as expected in the orange and strawberry tests. It scored 7/10 on the blotting paper test because it let out just a relatively small amount of liquid. (If you don’t know what we mean regarding oranges and strawberries, we explain here.)

It is one of the few foundations in our group test that has a water base, and unsurprisingly this makes it super hydrating. In our hydration test, we saw an increase of five percentage points (which equates to a very impressive 16.5% increase) in moisture levels.

To put this into perspective, the majority of foundations on our list saw drops of around 7-10% so to see any increase is impressive, let alone an increase of almost a fifth.

This is the highest hydration increase of all the foundations we’ve tested and goes a long way to explaining how it scored so highly.

What’s more, this foundation promises to keep your skin hydrated for 24 hours, offers an SPF of 15 and costs just £4.

The biggest downside (and it’s a big one!) is that it’s only available in three shades – Fair-Light, Light-Medium and Medium-Dark. Given that it’s a tinted cream, it’s less of an issue than with higher coverage and pigmented foundations, but it’s still worth noting. This has been factored into the overall score, too.

Buy now from Wilko

︎ Collection Lasting Perfection Matte

£6.49 | Buy now

mamabella | mamabella

Collection isn’t just one of the best cheap makeup brands around, it’s one of the best makeup brands. Period.

It sells a range of highly effective, affordable products that are almost perfect alternatives for more expensive brands like Charlotte Tilbury and Fenty Beauty.

One of the standout products within this range is the Collection Lasting Perfection foundation.

In our orange and strawberry tests, it performed as well as we’d expect for a full-coverage foundation.

It let out a minimal amount of oil onto the blotting paper – giving it a score of nine out of 10 – and it has 20 shades in its range.

This isn’t a high number, but it’s not bad for such a cheap foundation.

Especially when more expensive foundations have fewer.

In terms of hydration, we had expected the Collection Lasting Perfection foundation to be drying because it’s a matte foundation.

However, it only reduced hydration by 1.3 percentage points, which is 5.3%. This is a relatively small hydration drop.

Elsewhere, the brand is cruelty-free but isn’t fully vegan.

If you’re looking for full-coverage foundations, check out our best full-coverage foundation guide

Buy now from Boots” text=”Buy now from Boots”]

︎ SheGlam Skinfinite

£7.49 | Buy now

mamabella | mamabella

SheGlam wasn’t a brand we were familiar with until it started blowing up on TikTok and people in our comments section started requesting we put it to the test.

The brand promises premium makeup at affordable prices and, in our best foundation tests, it lived up to this promise. For the most part.

For a medium-coverage foundation, the SheGlam Skinfinite performed as expected in the strawberry test. It fell a little short of these expectations in the orange test, though.

It scored a maximum of 10 points for the blotting paper test, and in what was a huge surprise, it actually increased the hydration of our skin.

For such a natural, bordering on matte, finish, we’d expected a drop. Any increase would have therefore been impressive. Let alone an increase of 1.2 percentage points.

This is equivalent to a 4.4% rise overall.

What’s more, the foundation is vegan and cruelty-free, including being Leaping Bunny approved, and it comes in 30 shades. Not bad for such an affordable foundation.

It feels a little heavy on the skin at first but blends really well with a beauty blender and gives great coverage for our redness.

It helps to even out our complexion without flattening it too much and lasts well all day.

Buy now from Shein

︎ Revolution Conceal and Hydrate Foundation

£9 | Buy now

mamabella

Proving that you don’t need to wear a full-coverage foundation if you have breakouts, blemishes, or pigmentation, the Revolution Conceal and Hydrate foundation provides a lightweight, hydrating, and sheer finish while giving you an even complexion.

It’s one of an increasing number of the best foundations that are adding skincare ingredients to their formulas and the key ingredient in this foundation is hyaluronic acid.

Hyaluronic acid is found naturally in the skin and is what’s known as a humectant. This means that it attracts moisture, draws it into the skin, and keeps it in place.

This not only helps relieve any dryness and dehydration, while also being light enough to bring much-needed moisture to oily skin, but it helps to plump up the skin and make it look more youthful and smooth. It even helps add a subtle glow to the skin.

When combined with the coverage of this foundation’s pigment, the finish is close to perfect.

What’s more, there are 50 shades to choose from, including more than 18 dedicated to dark skin tones with a range of undertones, from orange to red and olive.

In our orange and strawberry tests, this foundation more than exceeded our expectations in terms of texture and coverage. It also scored highly for being vegan and cruelty-free.

It did drop points in our hydration tests – reducing the skin’s hydration by 12% – however, this is because it was applied using a beauty blender. We use a sponge for those tests because it’s designed to mimic how the majority of people will apply it.

However, to avoid losing any of the benefits of the hyaluronic acid we recommend applying this foundation with clean fingers and then gently buffing it with a kabuki brush or foundation brush to soften and remove any streaks.

Buy now from Revolution

︎ Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r foundation 

£30 | Buy now

View the full video on TikTok

mamabella | mamabella

If you have darker skin tones, check out our best foundation for dark skin guide

In addition to the wide shade range provided by MAC, and other more inclusive brands, there are a number of brands that cater more specifically to shades at the darker end of the spectrum.

This is because, in a disappointingly high number of cases, brands can offer loads of shades but the majority will be at the lighter or mid-range.

One such brand that bucks this trend is Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty.

Designed from the off with inclusivity in mind, the Pro Filt’r foundation line offers 50 shades.

Rihanna was so committed to this, that she personally found women with hard-to-match skin tones and created shades with them in mind.

The brand offers olive, golden, bronze, neutral, cool, peach, yellow, and pink undertones and each one uses custom pigment levels to capture the skin’s truest tones.

We’ve tested both the Soft Matte and the Hydrating versions of this foundation.

The Pro Filt’r Hydrating foundation scored marginally higher, yet both exceeded expectations on the orange and strawberry test.

mamabella/Fenty Beauty

Ironically, the matte version let out more liquid on the blotting paper, while the hydrating released a minimal amount. Similarly, the hydrating version dropped hydration more than its matte sibling – 2 percentage points, vs the matte’s 0.4 percentage-point drop.

As you can see in the image above, the finish on the Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Longwear is even and natural. It doesn’t flatten the complexion, nor does it feel too heavy or too drying given the fact it’s such a long-lasting foundation.

Both blend well on the skin. Particularly when applied using a stippling brush and then softened using a damp beauty blender. The hydrating version feels marginally more comfortable although the matte version – as the name suggests – lasts longer.

Buy now from Boots

Best foundation for all skin types, coverage, and budgets

• Best luxury foundation: Estée Lauder Double Wear – £35
• Best full-coverage foundation: Collection Lasting Perfection Matte – £15
• Best for oily skin: XX Revolution Liquid Skin – £15
• Best for dry skin: 17. Second Skin – £5
• Best for mature skin: Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin – £36
• Best inclusive foundation: MAC Studio Fix Fluid – £29
• Best serum foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum – £10.99
• Best matte foundation: MAX Factor Facefinity – £13.99
• Best natural-looking foundation: Morphe Filter Effect Foundation – £18
• Best skin tint: Fenty Beauty Eaze Drop – £27

︎ L’Oreal Infallible Freshwear

£11.99 | Buy now

View the full video on TikTok 

mamabella | mamabella

L’Oreal Infallible’s Freshwear foundation was one of the first foundations we tested as part of our mega group test – on day 18. Coverage-wise, in both the orange and strawberry tests, L’Oreal Infallible Freshwear performed well above what we expected. The coverage and blend were even and not too thick.

Elsewhere, it released hardly any oil on the blotting paper test – in fact, it’s one of the most matte foundations we’ve tried. If you don’t know what we mean regarding oranges and strawberries, we explain here.

It gained points for having SPF 25, but it lost points for dropping the hydration of our skin by a staggering 41%. It also lost points because it’s not vegan, or cruelty-free.

From our tests, we feel this full-coverage foundation would particularly suit oily skin. Given how much it sucks hydration out of the skin, we don’t recommend this for dry skin or if you have dry patches.

This may also be more of a summer foundation than a winter one, given the fact cold weather dries the skin out further.

People with mature skin could get away with wearing L’Oreal Infallible because it has a medium consistency and doesn’t settle in wrinkles or fine lines.

Just make sure your skin is hydrated and prepped beforehand to make sure you’re getting the most out of this foundation.

︎ Best luxury foundation: Estée Lauder’s Double Wear 

 £35 | Buy now

View the full video on TikTok 

Estee Lauder

Read our full Estee Lauder Double Wear review here

Estée Lauder’s Double Wear foundation is considered to be the Holy Grail, appearing on many best foundation lists. When we recently posted our top 10, as it stood at the end of month one, dozens of people asked for it to be reviewed.

It didn’t disappoint.

Double Wear offers one of the highest numbers of shades of any foundation we’ve tested – at 61 – and it creates a matte finish with medium-to-full coverage. The only brand that offers more shades is the MAC Studio Fix foundation.

What’s even better is that Estee Lauder Double Wear contains SPF. Albeit, a low SPF at SPF 10 (again, lower than MAC’s foundation), but it’s better than nothing. You can read more in our guide to the best SPF makeup and skincare. 

The foundation exceeded expectations in our orange and strawberry tests and released hardly any oil at all.

Estee Lauder promises a matte finish, but we think it delivers closer to a natural-matte finish. It reduces shine and oiliness, but it doesn’t dehydrate the skin like other matte foundations, resulting in a more natural and youthful finish.

This lack of oil, while positive for staying power and for creating a flat, matte base, means it may not be suitable for people with dry or mature skin. It can settle in the cracks and cause a small amount of flakiness.

That said, if you’ve got a normal, combination, or oily skin type, Double Wear is worth the investment. If you’re not sure what skin type you are, check out our What skin type do I have? guide. 

The photo below shows how the coverage looked on our oily skin. As you can see, we suffer from redness and the Double Wear covered it well, without being too cakey or heavy.

mamabella | mamabella

Even without the use of setting spray, our skin looked almost as good as we headed up to bed as it did when it was first applied. We’ve also worn it to the gym before and while it doesn’t quite survive a full workout, it holds out a lot longer than many other foundations we’ve tried. It’s also transfer-proof.

The downside is that there’s no pump. You have to pour the foundation out and this can result in wastage, which – at this price – can be painful. If this is a dealbreaker for you, it is possible to buy a pump separately, from Lookfantastic, for an extra £5.50.

Whichever method you use, this foundation does have a tendency to settle so make sure you give it a shake before use.

Read our full Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin foundation review 

Buy now from Lookfantastic

︎ Best foundation for oily skin: XX Revolution Liquid Skin

£15 | Buy now

View the full video on TikTok 

Victoria Woollaston-Webber | mamabella

If you have oily, shiny skin, check out our best foundation for oily skin guide

In our huge foundation group test, the XX Revolution Liquid Skin held the top spot for a really long time, with a total score of 64 points. However, when the hydration test results were factored in, it dropped down to 23rd place overall.

That said, because of the fact this foundation dries out the skin so much without leaving the skin heavy (and it gives a lovely finish), it instead wins our best foundation for oily skin title.

In our orange test, it performed well above what we expected. It met our expectations in the strawberry test but released a lot of oil – in fact, it’s one of the oiliest foundations in our entire test.

Similarly, in our hydration tests, this foundation dropped 6.7 percentage points (from 35.8% to 29.1%) which equates to a drop of 32.4%. That is, this foundation dried out the skin by a third!

The amount of oil it produces, and this lack of hydration isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

mamabella | mamabella

If you have oily or oily-mature skin, this is one of the best foundations for full coverage and for such a cheap price. It creates a silk finish, rather than a matte finish, and this creates a youthful glow without too much shine, or without making your skin look cakey and flat.

It’s also a great way to get a more natural-looking, full coverage. It doesn’t go on heavy and it dries down nicely.

Granted this foundation doesn’t last as long as others we’ve reviewed – namely the Estée Lauder Double Wear – but this can be remedied with a good primer and setting spray. You can read more in our science of oily skin guide and our how to master makeup for oily skin article. 

Buy now from Boots

︎ Best foundation for dry skin: 17. Second Skin 

£5 | Buy now

mamabella | mamabella

If you have dry, flaky skin, check out our best foundation for dry skin guide

Although this entry from 17. is our contender for the best foundation for dry skin, don’t let that put you off if you don’t have dry skin.

It’s a superb foundation which ticks so many boxes that we almost can’t believe it costs just a fiver!

Firstly, it offers 20 shades which all things considered is poor, but when you factor in the price it’s a pleasant surprise.

It performed better than expected on the orange and strawberry. It let out a huge amount of oil and humectants, but this is what makes it so suitable for dry skin.

It also smashed it out of the park in our hydration tests, increasing skin hydration by a staggering 1.4 percentage points, or 5%. The joint highest most-hydrating foundation in our test, alongside Max Factor Facefinity.

The downside to its water base and cheap price is that it doesn’t last very long.

You’ll need to make sure you’re either using a decent water-based primer, or setting spray, or you’re refreshing your dry skin throughout the day to avoid it gathering.

We recently discovered the Oui Cherie hydrating spray from The Beauty Crop and we can’t recommend it enough.

︎ Best foundation for mature skin: Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin

£36 | Buy now

View the full video on TikTok

mamabella

If you have mature skin, check out our best foundation for mature skin guide

Despite scoring relatively low in our giant foundation group test, Charlotte Tilbury’s Beautiful Skin takes the crown for the best foundation for mature skin for a number of reasons.

Firstly, it’s one of the only foundations on test to be water-based. Its most abundant ingredient is Pyrus Malus fruit water, which comes from apples.

This ingredient is moisturising and smoothing, as well as being a mild exfoliant with antibacterial properties and this makes it perfect for mature skin. It particularly helps with breakouts and acne, which can become common during menopause.

Secondly, in the oil-paper test, Beautiful Skin released one of the lowest amounts of oil across the entire group test. This will largely be because of its water base but is worth noting because it shows just how little oil it contains.

And thirdly, it provides great, long-lasting coverage meaning it doesn’t easily melt off when your skin becomes overly oily, and it doesn’t settle into the creases left by your wrinkles and fine lines.

There have been complaints about the foundation causing texture on the skin but we’ve not had this issue on our oily-mature skin. Plus, if you moisturise and well-hydrate the skin before applying, this will help.

mamabella | mamabella

We should note that because this foundation is water-based, it’s vital that you use a water-based primer.

This may even explain why some people have experienced texture because they used a primer that wasn’t compatible. We explain more about this in our What does primer do? guide and we recommend Milk Makeup’s Hydro Grip.

The reason this foundation dropped points is that it’s expensive. The brand is also owned by a company that isn’t vegan or cruelty-free – however, the brand itself is.

If you’re interested in knowing which is the best Charlotte Tilbury foundation, then check out our group test.

Buy now from Charlotte Tilbury

︎ Best inclusive foundation: MAC Studio Fix Fluid 

£29 | Buy now

View the full video on Tiktok

mamabella | mamabella

For a long time, the MAC Studio Fix Fluid either took the top spot or sat in or around the top three in our hunt for the best foundation, largely because of its huge shade range.

MAC offers a very impressive 67 shades across the undertone spectrum. That’s six shades more than Estee Lauder’s Double Wear, and more than double the average of all the foundations we’ve tested so far. For reference, the average shade range is 29.

It has an SPF rating of 15 and in our various orange, strawberry, and skin tests, it performed as expected if not better than we had hoped for a foundation that promises a medium-full coverage. It even let out the bare minimum amount of oil on the blotting paper and dropped 6.7 percentage points in the hydration test.

As you can read in our full MAC Studio Fix review, this foundation blends effortlessly and leaves a matte finish on the skin. Yet, unlike many matte foundations, it doesn’t leave your skin looking flat; the MAC Studio Fix Fluid manages to remove oil but leave your skin looking like skin.

Our writer Lucy explains: “Overall, the Studio Fix Fluid Foundation performs extremely well, gives an impressive finish and definitely offers the coverage and longevity it promises. This is our go-to foundation and we’ve converted a number of friends to switch to it as well.”

What’s more, this foundation lasts for hours. Even in the recent humid weather we’ve been having – and that’s without setting spray. Add one of the best setting sprays to the mix and you can get a flawless base almost all day. This does make it a little hard to remove at the end of the day, but it’s nothing a good cleansing balm can’t handle.

Our only real complaints are that the brand can’t be classified as entirely cruelty-free because it sells products in countries that test on animals. While MAC itself doesn’t partake in animal testing, it enables authorities to. This also prevents it from being classed as 100% vegan in our eyes, even though many of the formulas are vegan.

It also doesn’t come with a pump applicator. You either need to pour the liquid out – and this can lead to wastage, which is galling when you consider the price of this foundation – or you have to pay extra for the pump. Again, given the already premium price for this foundation, it’s a tad disappointing.]

Read our full MAC Studio Fix foundation review

Buy now from MAC

︎ Best matte foundation: Max Factor FaceFinity

£13.99 | Buy now

View the full video on TikTok

Max Factor

MaxFactor’s FaceFinity isn’t cheap enough to make our best cheap foundation list, it’s not expensive enough to make the best luxury foundation list and as a 3-in-1 product, it didn’t fit naturally into many of the other categories.

However, one area where it absolutely excelled was hydration and this score was high enough to make it the best matte foundation of the 100+ foundations we’ve tested.

At £13.99, it’s on the affordable side, and for that price you effectively get three products in one – a primer, a concealer, and a foundation.

We’re always a little skeptical of products promising multiple benefits, especially at such a cheap price, but in the case of the MaxFactor FaceFinity, we were pleasantly surprised.

It provides a smooth, relatively long-lasting base that blurs the pores. It has enough coverage to minimise the appearance of dark circles and redness, and the foundation element evens out skin tone while mattifying shine. In fact, it manages to mattify the skin without making it appear flat or dull.

In our orange test, this foundation performed as expected for a medium-coverage product. It underperformed on the larger “pores” on the strawberry and it produced an above-average amount of liquid on the blotting paper.

It does have buildable coverage, so while we didn’t apply more than one layer on the fruit in our tests, when we used it on our skin we applied more of this foundation in areas where more coverage was needed.

It’s not perfect. MaxFactor claims it gives “24-hour wear” and says it’s touch- and shine-proof. Yet in our experience, this isn’t quite accurate. We managed to get to around lunchtime before our shiny T-Zone began making a slight appearance and by the end of the day, areas of redness started to peek through.

On the plus side, it is incredibly hydrating. This is rare for foundations generally, but certainly those which offer such an effective matte finish. In our hydration test, it was one of only a handful of foundations to increase the hydration of the skin; raising hydrating by 1.3 percentage points, or 5% overall. This means it’s a great foundation for dry and mature skin generally but is particularly great for people with those skin types looking for a matte finish.

Elsewhere, as an added bonus, the foundation has SPF 20 and is non-comedogenic.

Buy now from Boots

︎ Best natural-looking foundation: Morphe Filter Effect Foundation

£18 | Buy now

View the full video on TikTok 

mamabella | mamabella

Morphe was a huge influencer favourite a few years back but more recently it seems to have fallen out of favour for the likes of The Beauty Crop. Yet it still makes a great range of products and one of its best (in our opinion) is its Filter Effect Foundation.

Designed to give a smooth and flawless complexion, the foundation gets its name from the fact it creates a filter-like effect on the skin. This means it can help to blur imperfections and make your skin glow but it does so in a natural way.

Despite this natural finish, it provides lasting coverage and is easy to blend. It also comes in a great range of shades. Especially for a mid-price foundation.

In our orange and strawberry tests, the Filter Effect didn’t quite live up to the medium-full coverage claims. We’d say it was closer to sheer medium.

This may be due to the fact it’s a relatively lightweight, thin foundation that goes hand-in-hand with the large amount of oil that came out of the foundation in our blotting paper test.

The plus side is that this foundation is hydrating – it increased the hydration levels of our skin by 0.1 points (0.3%).

This may seem insignificant but the majority of foundations drop hydration so any increase is good.

In addition to being the best foundation for natural coverage, we think the Morphe Filter Effect will really suit dry skin. This also makes it one of the best foundations for mature skin because it’s natural but hydrating for older, menopausal skin.

How to apply foundation

Emma Osborn

Our resident makeup artist, Victoria Howe, explains how to apply foundation like a pro in more detail here, but to summarise her expert advice, the steps are as follows:

1. Prep: Foundation sits better on hydrated, moisturised skin so make sure you’re applying serums, moisturiser and SPF before applying foundation. Ideally, you should wait until the skincare is absorbed before applying foundation. Check out our best moisturiser, and best sunscreen for face recommendations for products that work well under makeup.

2. Warm: Put the foundation on the back of your hand and wait for it to warm up. This means it goes on more easily, and gives you more control about how much you use.

3. Apply: Put a small amount of foundation in the centre of your face, on your nose and cheeks using a brush or damp beauty blender. You can also use your fingers (just make sure they’re clean!) Making the blender damp stops it from soaking up the liquid foundation.

4. Blend: Using a foundation brush, damp beauty blender, or your fingers, start to spread the foundation from the middle of your face towards the edges. You don’t need to press hard, in fact, a lighter touch will help create a softer, blended base.

5. Soften: Using a large fluffy brush, gently buff your face to soften and blend the foundation into the skin.

6. Set: Once the foundation has dried down, apply a powder all over your face to set it in and place and finish with a setting spray.

The key to knowing how to apply foundation is to use it sparingly. If you need to apply a thick layer all over your face to get an even colour, chances are you’ve got the wrong foundation shade.

You can find out how to find your perfect foundation match here, or you can take advantage of free foundation samples, listed here.

Can foundation be used as concealer?

Yes, there are no rules to makeup, and foundation can be used as concealer but you need to bear in mind their differences, so you know how to use them in the best way possible.

Foundations are typically thinner than concealers and are designed to even out your overall skin tone, cover minor imperfections, and provide a smooth canvas. Concealers are thicker and more pigmented meaning they provide higher coverage.

As a result, if you want to use foundation as concealer, you may either need to apply more of it or it should be saved for blemishes or imperfections that require less coverage.

We recommend:

• Using a light to medium coverage foundation
• Applying it in a thin layer with a concealer brush or sponge
• Blending well, especially around the edges
• Setting with powder to prevent it from creasing

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Victoria Woollaston-Webber

Victoria is founder and editor-in-chief of mamabella, freelance journalist and Mum. She has a passion for empowering people to feel beautiful whatever their age, size, skin type and budget

The post Which is the best foundation in the UK? We’ve tested 100+ foundations for all skin types to find out appeared first on mamabella.

UPDATE: If you’re a MAC fan, the MAC Advent Calendar 2023 is now on sale! The details are as follows and you can see the full list of what is in the MAC Advent Calendar 2023 here.

• Price: £170
• Value: £468
• Release date: 20 September (waitlist); 25 September (general sale)
• Size: 25 days – 21 products are full-sized
• Where to buy: MAC

Click here for more beauty advent calendar 2023 recommendations.

Buy now

Original MAC Radiance Serum foundation continues below

MAC has been pushing increasingly into the skincare market in recent months – following the launch of the MAC HyperReal range – but now it’s taken this a step further with the release of a new skincare-based foundation.

In what is part of the wider skincare-makeup trend, the new MAC Studio Radiance Serum Powered Foundation contains 33 skincare ingredients alongside pigments that offer medium-full, buildable coverage. 

Or as MAC puts it, “to fuse the science of skincare with the power of makeup.”

Below we explain everything you need to know about the new MAC foundation, including its shades, finish, and formula.

Buy now from MAC

MAC Studio Radiance Serum Powered Foundation

MAC

What is it? The MAC Studio Radiance Serum-Powered Foundation is the latest foundation in MAC’s wider base product range. 

It is also the first to feature such a high amount of skincare ingredients.

So much so, the brand claims that the formula is 80% skincare.

The Studio Radiance Serum-Powered foundation promises to repair and protect the skin while also smoothing texture, evening out skin tone, and blurring fine lines and wrinkles.

• Price: £39
• Finish: Radiant
• Coverage: Medium-full
• Base: Oil
• Release date: The new MAC foundation goes on general sale on 22 August 2023.

MAC Serum Foundation: Benefits

MAC has tested its serum foundation on a relatively small group of people – 28 people in clinical testing, and 167 consumers – and the brand claims it increases hydration by 209% – a very bold claim.

Some 92% of users said the new MAC foundation made their skin look instantly more radiant, and 90% added that it made them look more youthful.

MAC also claims the foundation delivers 24-hr hydration and is perfect for all skin types, even oily.

Buy now from MAC

MAC Serum Foundation: Shades

With 56 shades, the new MAC Serum Foundation has fewer shades than other MAC foundations which means that if you already wear the MAC Studio Fix foundation, you won’t necessarily be able to get the exact same shade with the Studio Radiance version.

The chart below gives you a better idea of the differences and shows you how to know which MAC foundation shade is best for you. You can also try the new foundation virtually via the MAC website, or, if you’ve never worn a MAC foundation before, visit our foundation match article to find out how to determine your undertone and shade family.

Click the image below to enlarge it in a new tab

MAC

MAC Serum Foundation: Formula

MAC claims the new MAC serum foundation contains 33 skincare ingredients. The main ones to highlight include:

• Sodium hyaluronate: Also known as the sodium version of hyaluronic acid, this ingredient occurs naturally in the skin and is used to attract and retain moisture in the skin. It’s great at plumping up the skin and reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
• Hydrolysed sodium hyaluronate: A smaller version of sodium hyaluronate that penetrates deeper into the skin. It is also more stable and less likely to break down over time.
• Glycerin: Another humectant that’s designed to attract and retain moisture in the skin. You can read more in our glycerin ingredient spotlight.
• Olive oil: Olive oil is rich in fatty acids, including oleic acid, which is known for its moisturising properties. It can help to hydrate the skin, reduce wrinkles, and protect the skin from damage.
• Jojoba oil: Jojoba oil is similar in composition to the sebum produced by the skin, making it a good choice for people with oily or acne-prone skin. It helps to moisturise the skin, reduce inflammation, and protect the skin from damage. It is also a good source of antioxidants.
• Sunflower seed extract: This extract contains antioxidants and fatty acids, which help protect the skin from damage. It can also help to reduce inflammation and improve skin tone.
• Cucumber extract: Cucumber is known for its calming and soothing properties. It can reduce redness and irritation, but it can also help to hydrate the skin.
• Tremella fuciformis sporocarp extract: The informal name for this extract is snow fungus. It’s another good source of antioxidants and polysaccharides, which help to protect the skin from damage and improve its elasticity.
• Tocopheryl acetate: This is the official name for Vitamin E, another powerful antioxidant. It can help to protect the skin from damage caused by free radicals, and it can also help to reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
• Sorbitol: This is a sugar alcohol that can help to hydrate the skin. It can also help to improve the absorption of other ingredients into the skin.
• Trehalose: This is a sugar found in plants and insects. It’s another good humectant, like hyaluronic acid, which means it can attract and retain moisture in the skin.

There is one ingredient that has been flagged as being potentially problematic on Incidecoder called Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate.

This ingredient is shown as having a Comedogenic Rating of 4 out of 5, which is high. These ratings are based on specific levels/concentrations of ingredients in specific situations and it’s the overall formula that ultimately determines how comedogenic and irritating a product is.

MAC claims the formula is non-comedogenic so this is more an FYI than something that definitely needs to be worried.

Buy now from MAC

MAC Studio Radiance Foundation Ingredients

This list is taken from the InciDecoder website. All comedogenic and irritation ratings should be used as a guide only.

Water\Aqua\Eau solv, Phenyl Trimethicone emo, Tricaprylin emo|perf, Glycerin sii|h 0 0, Butylene Glycol h|solv 0 1, C9-12 Alkane solv, Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone emu|surf, Octyldodecanol emo|perf, Trimethylsiloxysilicate emo, Polyglyceryl-2 Triisostearate emu, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil aox|emo 0 0–2, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil emo 0 0–2, PPG-12/Smdi Copolymer emo, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate emo|amic, PEG/PPG/Polybutylene Glycol-8/5/3 Glycerin h, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Sodium Hyaluronate sii|h 0 0, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate h, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract so|emo, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract aox|h, Hordeum Vulgare Extract\Extrait D’Orge emo, Tocopheryl Acetate aox 0 0, Sorbitol h 0 0, Trehalose h, Lecithin emo|emu, Disteardimonium Hectorite vc, Octyldodecyl Xyloside emu|surf, Propylene Glycol Dicaprate emo, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate emu 0 4, Triethyl Citrate perf, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate surf, PVP vc 0 0, Silica vc, Polysorbate 60 emu|surf, Sorbitan Isostearate emu 0 1–2, Betaine h, Dimethicone emo 0 1, HDI/PPG/Polycaprolactone Crosspolymer, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite vc, Tin Oxide col|abrasive/scrub|vc, PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate emu, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer vc, Aluminum Dimyristate vc, Citric Acid buff, Silica Dimethicone Silylate vc, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Hydroxyacetophenone aox, BHT aox|pres, Disodium EDTA chel, Caprylyl Glycol h|emo, Sodium Dehydroacetate pres, Potassium Sorbate pres, Phenoxyethanol pres

Hover the mouse / tap over an ingredient for short explanation. Read more on INCIDecoder.

Every MAC foundation ranked

We recently put all of the bestselling MAC foundations to the test to discover which is the best for different skin types and needs. We’ve put the ranking below but you can find out more in our best MAC foundation guide.

1. Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation
2. Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 Foundation
3. Studio Face and Body Radiant Sheer Foundation
4. Studio Sculpt SFP 15 Foundation
5. Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation

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Victoria Woollaston-Webber

Victoria is founder and editor-in-chief of mamabella, freelance journalist and Mum. She has a passion for empowering people to feel beautiful whatever their age, size, skin type and budget

The post There’s a new MAC foundation in town – the MAC Studio Radiance Serum-powered Foundation appeared first on mamabella.

With so many products these days touting a multitude of anti-ageing benefits, it can be difficult to cut through the noise, particularly when looking for the best foundation for mature skin.

Very few foundations are marketed exclusively for mature skin. This is, in part, because the skin is classed as “mature” as young as 25. This is when collagen and elastin production begins to slow down.

It’s also because there are many, many foundations that will work as well for teenagers as they would for the over 50s or 60s. You can read more in our guide on how to prevent wrinkles.

This means that while it is true foundations aren’t reserved for young, or mature skin, if you’re over a certain age you’ll need different ingredients, and are likely after different coverage.

To help add a bit of objectivity to this hunt for a great mature skin foundation, we recently started a long-running series on TikTok in which we’re testing as many foundations in the UK as we can.

To date, we’ve tested almost 100 and we feel we’re now in a good place to be able to finally recommend which foundations are best for different skin types, from dry to oily and mature.

We explain more about how we’re testing the foundations here (which includes buying a lot of oranges, and strawberries and updating an ever-growing spreadsheet…) 

FURTHER READING: How we test foundations | How to find your perfect foundation match | MUA explains how to get flawless makeup | How to use concealer on mature skin | How old does your skin REALLY look? | We’ve reviewed and ranked the best Charlotte Tilbury foundations, the best MAC foundations, and the best No7 foundations

Best foundation for mature skin UK

• Editor’s Pick: MAC Studio Fix Fluid 
• Best drugstore foundation for mature skin: L’Oreal True Match  
• Luxury Buy: Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin 
• Best foundation for dry mature skin: NARS Light Reflecting
• Best for oily mature skin: Collection Lasting Perfection Matte
• Best for irritated mature skin: Clinique Redness Solutions Makeup SPF 15
• Best foundation for mature skin over 40: Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint 
• Best foundation for mature skin over 50: Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk  

WANT TO KNOW MORE? Best concealer | Best makeup brush | Best foundation brush | Best eyeshadow palette | Best foundation | Best foundation for dark skin | Best foundation for oily skin | Best foundation for dry skin | Best contour kit | Best lip gloss | Best lip liner | Best mascara| Best primer| Best anti-ageing cream | Best neck cream | Best eye cream

Editor’s Pick: MAC Studio Fix

£18 | Buy now

Watch the full TikTok video here

mamabella | mamabella

Why we love it: In our hunt for the best foundation for mature skin, MAC has consistently performed well and the best of the bunch, according to the spreadsheet, is the Studio Fix Fluid.

For an albeit pricey £29, you get the choice of 67 shades – the highest of any foundation we’ve tested – and SPF 15.

It exceeded expectations on the orange, performed as expected on the strawberry and let out almost an indeterminate amount of oil from the blotting paper. This makes it particularly great for oily skin.

That’s not to say people with dry skin shouldn’t wear it; the consistency makes it great for blending without sticking to flakes, you just need to make sure your face is well-prepped. This foundation does also have a noticeable, perfumed smell which isn’t unpleasant but it could irritate sensitive skin.

It’s a firm favourite for many and this is likely because it offers a medium consistency, with a medium, soft-matte finish. All with a small amount of dewiness, and with the ability to build the coverage as and when you should need to.

This makes it perfect for mature skin because it fills in the fine lines and wrinkles, covers the red and dark spots, and dark circles, but you can control how much you need so it doesn’t fell cakey or heavy on the skin.

In our hydration test, this foundation did drop the hydration of the skin by a high 23% and we’d put this down to the fact it’s a matte foundation.

MAC claims this foundation will last 24 hours but our oily nose did peek through by mid-afternoon. It’s not as bad as others we’ve tested, though, and a small amount of powder sorts it right out for the rest of the day.

mamabella

Our biggest complaint (and granted it’s actually a minor one) is that the bottle doesn’t come with a pump. You either have to shake it out – which is difficult and caused us to regularly waste foundation by pouring too much – or you can buy the pump separately.

Adding on an extra fiver to an already high price.

You can read more in our full MAC Studio Fix Fluid foundation review 

Buy now from MAC

Best drugstore foundation for mature skin: L’Oreal True Match 

£9.99 | Buy now

View the full TikTok video here

mamabella | mamabella

Why we love it: L’Oreal True Match is a fantastic cheap foundation for mature skin, and ticks a lot of boxes in the hunt for the best foundation for older skin.

Not only is it affordable, but it comes in 40 shades making it much more inclusive than other foundations we’ve tested.

It offers buildable sheer to medium coverage, which is not too dissimilar in consistency and coverage to Charlotte Tilbury’s Light Wonder.

All with the added benefit of SPF.

In our mega foundation group test, this foundation exceeded our expectations in the orange and strawberry tests and released an average amount of oil and humectants.

Thus providing it with a very impressive overall score, and coming top in our hunt for the best foundation for mature skin.

The reason it didn’t take out Editor’s Pick overall, however, is because there are some downsides and sacrifices you need to make for its cheaper price.

In our hydration test, this foundation dropped levels by 19% which is slightly above the average of 17%.

The brand is also not vegan or cruelty-free so if that’s important to you, we recommend you give this foundation a miss.

Buy now from Boots

Luxury Buy: Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin

£36 | Buy now 

View the full TikTok video here

mamabella | mamabella

Why we love it: We recently put the best Charlotte Tilbury foundations to the test and the Beautiful Skin foundation scored very highly.

Charlotte Tilbury’s Beautiful Skin is a rare foundation because it’s water-based – as opposed to silicone- or oil-based.

This means it’s super hydrating which makes it the best Charlotte Tilbury foundation for mature skin.

In fact, the water in this foundation comes from apples – a part of the Pyrus Malus fruit family – which are loaded with proteins, vitamins and sugars.

These sugars, which include fructose, glucose, and sucrose, are great for moisturising and smoothing the skin while the acids (malic and gallic acid) is a mild exfoliant that helps brighten the skin.

Its hydrating qualities were proven in our mega foundation group test when this foundation caused hydration levels to drop by just 1.5%.

By comparison, the average drop for foundations we have tested sits around the 17% mark.

However, having a water base also means that you have to pair it with a suitable water-based primer.

There have been some complaints about this foundation causing texture and yet we’ve never had this problem when we’ve used either the water-based primer or skipped the primer stage and made sure our skin was super hydrated with serums and moisturisers instead.

Due to the addition of skincare benefits in this foundation, you can also get away with not using primer at all.

mamabella | mamabella

Over time, the skincare benefits of this foundation can also help reduce the appearance of pigmentation and dark spots. This is ideal for mature skin because it gives lightweight medium coverage of such imperfections in the short term while helping to reduce them in the long term.

That said, this foundation does have a tendency to slide off during the day on oily/combination skin. This means you’ll need to use a setting spray or similar to keep it in place. It lasts much better on dry skin, helping to hydrate and plump up the skin while also relieving dryness.

Performance-wise, this foundation blends well and a little goes a long way. It does oxidise a little, meaning it dries down darker than it goes on. With this in mind, we recommend you opt for a slightly lighter shade than you think you need.

Read our full Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin foundation review here 

Buy now from Charlotte Tilbury

Best foundation for dry mature skin: NARS Light Reflecting Foundation

 Price: £39 | Buy now

View the full TikTok video here

mamabella | mamabella

Why we love it: For months, our best foundation for dry mature skin was the Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder foundation but sadly it’s been discontinued, so we’ve had to opt for our second-place choice – the NARS Light Reflecting foundation.

It’s great a NARS foundation for mature skin because it offers a medium, buildable coverage with a natural finish.

Its oil base is then great for dry skin because it doesn’t feel too heavy or cakey and it doesn’t settle into fine lines or wrinkles as much as more drying, or matte foundations.

This makes it particularly great for anyone perimenopausal too, as perimenopause can cause the skin to get much drier and more dull than it was before. The NARS Light Reflecting foundation helps nourish as well as brighten the skin, without making it look shiny or greasy.

This performance largely comes from the fact it contains skincare ingredients that help to protect the skin and repair the skin’s barrier.

This also makes it for anyone with sensitive skin, or skin prone to redness.

Another thing going in NARS’ favour is the fact it offers 36 shades. It’s not the highest shade-range foundation for mature skin, but it’s a good amount that covers a wide range of skin tones.

Sadly it doesn’t come cheap but it really is worth the investment, if you can afford it.

Read our full NARS Light Reflecting Foundation review here

Buy now

Best foundation for oily mature skin: Collection Lasting Perfection Matte

 Price: £6.49 | Buy now

View the full TikTok video here

mamabella | mamabella

Why we love it: If you’re of a certain age – and judging by the fact you’re on the best foundation for mature skin, you most definitely are – you’ll remember Collection being a staple of the high street.

Back when makeup counters were tiny and the choices were limited.

The brand recently rebranded and relaunched its entire range and we’re yet to find a product we don’t love.

This is why we weren’t surprised when the Collection Lasting Perfection Matte scored so highly in our best foundation group test.

Despite the fact it’s a matte, full-coverage foundation, it doesn’t feel heavy or cakey.

This makes it the best foundation for oily mature skin because it reduces shine without drying it out, it helps cover breakouts, dark spots and capillaries, and it’s super affordable.

In our orange and strawberry tests, this foundation performed as we’d expect for a full-coverage product because it evenly and effectively balanced the complexion.

It released hardly any oil on the blotting paper, yet it only reduced hydration by a relatively minimal 1.3 percentage points.

Again, as we’d expect from a matte-finish foundation.

A little goes a long way with this foundation and it doesn’t dry too quickly, meaning it blends well. What’s more, it contains SPF 30.

It doesn’t offer a huge number of shades, but with 20 to choose from it’s not a bad selection for such a cheap foundation.

Buy now from Boots

Best foundation for mature skin over 40: Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint

£20 | Buy now

View the full TikTok video here

mamabella | mamabella

Why we love it: Another cult favourite, and for good reason; Glossier’s Perfecting Skin Tint is the perfect wash of colour that won’t sink into fine lines and doesn’t look or feel like a mask.

It is formulated with Diamond Powder that delivers a soft-focus finish, blurring any appearance of enlarged pores or fine lines.

Whilst we don’t recommend this product for those looking to flawlessly cover dark spots or redness, it is the perfect moisturising and breathable foundation for all-day natural wear.

This makes it a particularly good foundation for mature skin over 40 which may be showing the early signs of peri-menopause and changes from one day to the next. You can read more about this in our What happens to skin and hair during menopause? guide.

In our hydration test, this skin tint did drop the hydration levels of our skin by 3.9 points (12.5%). Not a huge drop, but noticeable if you have dry mature skin and ideal if you have oily skin.

This also suggests that to get the full hydration benefits of this skin tint, you use your fingers (rather than a beauty blender) due to its thin, easily absorbable consistency.

Elsewhere, the Perfecting Skin Tint is vegan, cruelty-free, and comes in an impressive shade range, which makes it all the more loveable!

You can read more about why we’re such big fans of Glossier in our Brand Spotlight, where you can also discover the best Glossier products.

Buy now from Glossier

Best foundation for mature skin over 50: Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk

From £27 | Buy now

View the full TikTok video here

mamabella | mamabella

The Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation is one of the best foundations for mature skin over 50 that we’ve ever tried.

It stands out due to its ability to provide a radiant, yet silky finish and even medium coverage.

Most luminous or radiant foundations tend to give a sheer and shiny appearance, which doesn’t suit oily skin types or older, more mature skin.

While foundations that smooth and mattify the skin usually result in a flat complexion that can be drying for skin over 50, due to its tendency to err on the dry side.

Somehow, the Luminous Silk foundation manages to achieve both, giving a natural-looking and healthy finish while also making the skin look youthful.

This is coupled with the foundation’s lightweight formula which means it won’t settle into wrinkles or fine lines.

In fact, the subtle luminosity brightens the eye area while lifting other shadows across the face, creating a more youthful and refreshed appearance.

If you prefer or need fuller coverage, this foundation can be layered to give coverage where it’s needed most.

The only downside is that it doesn’t come cheap, but a little goes a long way so at least it’s good value.

mamabella | mamabella

The Luminous Silk foundation gives medium coverage and a natural finish

What’s more, you can buy a travel-sized version for £27 if you want to give this foundation a go without buying a full-sized, £45 bottle.

You can read our full Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation review here.

Buy now from Boots

Best foundation for mature skin over 60: Clinique Redness Solutions Makeup SPF 15

£28.50 | Buy now

Clinique

Why we love it:  Clinique’s Redness Solutions Makeup is the ideal option for mature skin over 60 and particularly if it’s prone to redness and irritation. This is because its oil-free formula works to colour-correct discolouration, dark spots and redness while providing a lightweight, natural-looking medium coverage finish.

And it wouldn’t be Clinique without some impressive skincare benefits; not only does it contain SPF 15, but it also has probiotic technology which boosts the skin’s natural skin barrier, providing hydration without a shiny finish.

This is particularly great for older skin because as we age, our skin barrier becomes weakened and this makes it prone to irritation and redness.

You can read more in our Everything you need to know about your skin barrier guide and our pick of the best makeup for over 60s and people with mature skin

Buy now from Clinique

What is the best foundation for mature skins?

When searching for the best foundation for mature skin in the UK, we judge them based on:

• How well they conceal imperfections, like dark spots and pigmentation – two skin concerns that increase as we age – and
• Which skincare ingredients do they contain that improve the natural appearance of your skin and provide balance to mature skin that can be prone to irritation, dryness or irritation?

Due to an increased number of fine lines, wrinkles and texture as we get older, lightweight foundations that create dewy and natural-looking finishes are better suited to older skin.

That’s not to say you can’t use thick, full-coverage matte foundations, but unless applied with a light touch it could make you look older, not younger.

Mature skin also benefits from SPF  – although all skin needs SPF so this isn’t a standalone category when looking for the best foundation for mature skin. We also recommend incorporating a face sunscreen of SPF 50+ into your morning skincare routine – regardless of your age – to ensure maximum protection from harmful UVA and UVB rays.

FURTHER READING: The best natural menopause treatments and skincare for menopausal skin

How do you get flawless foundation on mature skin?

As we age, applying makeup in order to get flawless foundation on mature skin can change from the techniques used in your 20s, 30s or even 40s.

Damp beauty blenders can help gently blend both foundation and concealer into textured and mature skin, without leaving it looking cakey. When applying makeup to older skin, you can also use your fingers.

The heat from your fingers can help make the application both easier, and more natural-looking. You can also be more precise and only place makeup where you think you need it.

If you’re going to use a foundation brush on mature skin, be aware that it can cause the product to sit in enlarged pores or fine lines. What’s more, overly aggressive brush strokes – if you’re applying in a hurry for example – can pull at the skin, emphasising any signs of ageing.

You can read more in our How your skin changes in each decade of your life – and what to do about it

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Victoria Woollaston-Webber

Victoria is founder and editor-in-chief of mamabella, freelance journalist and Mum. She has a passion for empowering people to feel beautiful whatever their age, size, skin type and budget

The post Best foundation for mature skin UK: Which foundation for mature skin is best for over 40s, 50s, 60s+ appeared first on mamabella.

If you haven’t heard of the Makeup by Mario brand yet, it’s a collection created by world-renowned celebrity makeup artist, Mario Dedivanovic.

Mario has worked with some of the biggest names in show business, including Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez, and Rihanna.

In fact, it was his contouring technique made famous by Kim Kardashian that thrust him into public view for many of us.

Dedivanovic reportedly started working on the brand three years before launch in 2020 and he said at the time that he wanted to create a line of makeup that was high-quality, easy to use, and accessible.

The brand’s first, and bestselling product was the SurrealSkin Foundation but it’s taken until now – July 2023 – for it to finally go on sale in the UK.

This is despite the majority of the rest of the range – powders, bronzers, highlighters, eyeshadows, lipsticks, and more – being readily available at Sephora UK.

But is SurrealSkin really worth the hype, and its high price tag? Keep reading our Makeup by Mario foundation review to find out.

We recently started a major foundation group test in the hunt for the best foundation – you can see the current rankings here.

Buy from Sephora 3 July

Makeup By Mario Foundation UK Review

mamabella | mamabella

There are eight Face products in the Makeup by Mario range currently available in the UK. In addition to the SurrealSkin foundation, these include:

• Soft Sculpt Transforming Skin Enhancer: This creamy bronzer-style product is designed to warm and tint the skin, to give it a natural glow. It’s available in six shades.
• Soft Sculpt Shaping Stick: A creamy contouring stick – with a hidden brush – that’s available in six shades to match the Skin Enhancer.
• Soft Pop Powder Blush: A powder blush that’s available in five shades.
• Soft Pop Blush Stick: A creamy stick version of the Powder Blush.
• Soft Sculpt Bronzer: A powder bronzer available in six shades.
• Soft Sculpt Transforming Skin Perfector: A bronzer, highlighter, and finishing powder in one. Available in five shades.
• Soft Glow Highlighter: A powder highlighter available in five shades.

The brand recently launched a new cream blush called Soft Pop Plumping Blush Veil. It’s a cream blush balm that contains hyaluronic acid to hydrate and plump skin with a “veil” of colour. This is yet to launch in the UK, although we’re hoping it will launch on 3 July at the same time as the SurrealSkin foundation.

Prices across the Makeup By Mario collection range from £26 to £55, although the majority of Face products cost in the region of £30 each.

Buy from Sephora 3 July

Makeup By Mario Foundation UK: At A Glance

mamabella | mamabella

What is Makeup By Mario SurrealSkin Foundation? Makeup by Mario’s SurrealSkin Foundation is a buildable, medium-to-full coverage foundation designed to look like skin. It is formulated with something the brand calls MoistureGrip technology, which helps to hydrate the skin and prevent it from drying out.

Makeup by Mario Foundation UK price: £35 (30ml)

Shade range: 30

Base: Oil

Coverage: Medium, buildable

Finish: Natural

Who should use Makeup by Mario Foundation? Suitable for all skin types, including sensitive skin, but is particularly good for dry, and mature skin.

Where to buy: Available from Sephora on 3 July

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How we tested the Makeup by Mario Foundation UK

mamabella | mamabella

For our Makeup by Mario foundation review, we used it as our go-to foundation for six weeks. Anytime we wore makeup, which is about three times a week, we used the SurrealSkin foundation alongside our regular makeup routine faves.

Our current routine consists of the Oui Cherie Hydrating Gripping Primer,  Beauty Pie’s Pure Ceramides eye gel, the Makeup by Mario Sculpting Stick, and Skin Enhancer, and The Beauty Crop concealer.

By swapping in just the Makeup by Mario foundation and not changing anything else, we could more easily identify how our base changed, in terms of coverage, oiliness, finish, and more, when using this foundation.

As part of this test, we monitored the SurrealSkin foundation’s staying power i.e how the coverage and finish lasted throughout the day, what our skin looked like in the morning versus the evening, and how easy it is to remove.

By testing this foundation for a month, and not changing anything else, we could also see what impact it had on our skin and if it caused spots or similar.

Makeup By Mario Foundation Performance

mamabella | mamabella

We took the Makeup by Mario online shade finder and were recommended shade 5N, which is at the top end of the Light shade category. On first application, the colour looked too light but as you can see in the before and after image below, as well as our review video here, it blends out well and is a much closer match to our skin tone than many other foundations we’ve tried.

Its consistency isn’t too thick, or too thin. This not only means it feels lightweight but it almost melts into the skin, and a little goes a really long way.

Seriously, one pump is more than enough for our face. It doesn’t leave the skin feeling dry, not greasy, or oily. It feels hydrating and moves well with the skin, especially with the fine lines around our eyes and lips.

We’ve tried a number of ways to apply this foundation and the best results came when we brushed it on lightly, using a stippling foundation brush before pressing it into the skin with a damp beauty blender. It has a tendency to streak a little when applied with a flat foundation brush, but it buffs out beautifully with a fluffy foundation brush.

Makeup By Mario Foundation UK: Before and After

The still image below shows how the Makeup by Mario Foundation looks before and after application, and how it photographs on the skin.

mamabella

Coverage-wise, this foundation errs on the medium to full side. Even if you use a tiny amount. This will be great if, like us, you need extra coverage for redness and uneven skin tone, but not too much because of our wrinkles and fine lines. However, if you’re after a sheer, natural-looking foundation, SurrealSkin may not be for you.

The benefit of all this is that the foundation provides an even base. It does have a slight tendency to make the complexion look a little flat, but adding a bit of bronzer or blush immediately lifted it so this is a minor point.

Sadly, the finish didn’t last very long on our oily skin though. Within a couple of hours, it started to melt off and feel a bit greasy and by the end of the day, the coverage was all but gone. Even when set with powder and setting spray. This is also despite the fact the foundation’s formula contains silica, which usually helps products mattify skin.

That said, followers on TikTok have raved about how well this foundation lasts on dry skin, and how hydrating it is.

If you’re looking for the best foundation for oily skin, click here. 

WANT MORE FOUNDATION REVIEWS? Il Makiage foundation review | MAC Studio Fix Foundation review | IT Cosmetics foundation review | Estée Lauder Double Wear review | TLM foundation review | We’ve ranked Boots No7 foundations from worst to best | We’ve reviewed and ranked the best Charlotte Tilbury foundations

Makeup By Mario SurrealSkin Foundation Review: Verdict

Makeup by Mario’s SurrealSkin is a great foundation for people looking for a dewy, lightweight foundation that offers buildable, medium-to-full coverage. It’s easy to apply and blend, and a little goes a long way, which is a bonus given how expensive this foundation is.

Its shade range isn’t quite as good as NARS, Fenty Beauty, or MAC but it’s not far off, with 30 shades across five categories – Light, Light Medium, Medium, Medium-Dark, Dark. This includes a decent selection of seven shades at the darkest end of the spectrum.

Finish-wise, this foundation can leave the skin looking a little flat but because it has a hydrating, flexible formula that moves with your skin’s natural creases, this isn’t as bad as it could be. It also plays really well with all the cream and powder makeup products we’ve layered on top, so the flatness is also easily remedied.

Due to all the oil and hydrating ingredients, this foundation didn’t last long on my oily skin. As the day went on, it melted off and left the skin feeling slightly greasy to the point where redness started to appear again. On the plus side, this makes the foundation perfect for dry skin and a number of our followers on TikTok have raved to us about how well it sits and lasts on the skin for hours.

It is slightly problematic that the brand wants to be inclusive and accessible, yet its prices put the products out of reach for many people. This isn’t unique to Makeup by Mario of course, but it is worth pointing out.

We should add though that despite all this, we have continued to use this foundation even after the review period finished. It’s still our go-to foundation, especially when we’re going out, and if we touch it up during the day with powder, the great coverage we love so much on the first application lasts much longer. For us, this is a sacrifice we’re willing to make.

Want more foundation reviews? Estee Lauder Double Wear review | MAC Studio Fix review | Giorgio Armani foundation review | NARS Light Reflecting review | Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin foundation review | Huda Beauty foundation review

Buy from Sephora 3 July

Makeup By Mario Foundation review video

@victoria_woolly_web 3rd JULY PEOPLE I’ve been so keen to try the Makeup by Mario SurrealSkin foundation but it’s not officially in the UK yet and shipping it over or buying from a third-party was so THANKFULLY I’ve now tried it it’s really nice – good coverage, radiant, lightweight. Did gather a bit in my dry patches but lasted all day 9/10. Not an ad but was gifted #mamabella #makeupbymario #surrealskinfoundation #foundationreview #makeupbymariouk #oilyskinmakeup #makeuptiktok @makeupbymario ♬ Strong Woman

Makeup By Mario Foundation Formula

The Makeup by Mario foundation formula is ram-packed full of ingredients designed to hydrate the skin. Firstly, it’s an oil-based foundation that suits dry skin because dry skin is lacking in oils.  Secondly, it contains squalane, grape seed oil, sunflower seed oil, glycerin, and coconut alkanes. All are well-known moisturisers.

There aren’t any ingredients that stand out as being too problematic – although if you have oily skin, the amount of extra oil in this foundation may give you cause for concern. As may coconut alkanes.

In some formulas, and sadly it depends on the formula as a whole rather than individual ingredients, coconut alkanes have been shown to be comedogenic. This means it can cause clogged pores and this can lead to spots. In our time testing this foundation, we haven’t experienced any more breakouts than we normally would.

Buy from Sephora

Makeup By Mario SurrealSkin Foundation Ingredients

The following list of ingredients is taken from the INCI Decoder website. You can hover over each ingredient to find out more about it.

The numbers next to each ingredient represent its Irritation Rating (the number to the left of the comma), and then Comedogenic Rating (to the right of the comma).

Both ratings are scored out of five and the higher the number, the higher the chance of it causing irritation, or comedones (spots). Green means it has a low rating so is less likely to cause problems. Yellow and red numbers represent high ratings and are more likely to cause problems.

Water/Aqua solv, Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate emu, Coconut Alkanes emo|solv, Caprylyl Methicone emo, Cetearyl Isononanoate emo, Polyglyceryl-2 Isostearate emu, Glycerin sii|h 0 0, Disteardimonium Hectorite vc, Boron Nitride, Dimethicone emo 0 1, Sodium Chloride vc, Glyceryl Caprylate pres, Silica vc, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate emo, Sodium Dehydroacetate pres, Levulinic Acid perf, Sodium Levulinate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Tocopherol aox 0–3 0–3, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil aox|emo, Squalane sii|emo 0 1, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil emo 0 0, Sodium Phytate chel

Hover the mouse / tap over an ingredient for short explanation. Read more on INCIDecoder.

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Victoria Woollaston-Webber

Victoria is founder and editor-in-chief of mamabella, freelance journalist and Mum. She has a passion for empowering people to feel beautiful whatever their age, size, skin type and budget

The post Makeup By Mario Foundation UK review appeared first on mamabella.

Charlotte Tilbury is a British makeup artist who has become one of the most sought-after names in the beauty industry.

With a career spanning more than 25 years, Charlotte Tilbury has worked with countless A-List celebrities and models, and has become known for her signature makeup looks that somehow manage to be glamorous, and subtle. Meaning they translate from the red carpet to everyday looks.

After making a name for herself in makeup artistry circles, Charlotte launched her own range of makeup and one of the standout products is her Airbrush Flawless foundation.

As one of the early products in the collection, this foundation has gained an almost cult following for offering full coverage with an airbrushed finish.

However, with so many foundations on the market, is the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation worth the hype?

In this review, we take a closer look at the foundation’s claims from its formulation, to how easy it is to apply, its wearability, and overall performance – because at this price, it’s not really the kind of product you can take a gamble on.

Keep reading to find out whether Charlotte Tilbury’s Airbrush Flawless is one of the best foundations around, or if you should give it a miss.

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Review

mamabella | mamabella

The Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless range has been around for a while – it’s one of the longest-running collections in the Charlotte Tilbury makeup range

The Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless range has been around for a while – it’s one of the longest-running collections in the Charlotte Tilbury makeup range.

As the name suggests, all of the products in this collection are designed to give you an “airbrushed flawless” complexion and in addition to the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless foundation, the range now includes powders, a bronzer, setting spray, and more.

Here are some of the key products in the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless range:

• Airbrush Flawless Foundation: This full-coverage foundation is designed to be long-wearing yet comfortable and not too heavy. It contains ingredients like Magic Replexium to give the foundation the benefits of a serum and reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
• Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder: This finishing powder is designed to give your skin a smooth, airbrushed finish. It contains soft-focus micro powders to blur the appearance of fine lines and imperfections.
• Airbrush Flawless Brightening Powder: A brightening version of the Airbrush Flawless powder, this product adds a soft focus to the skin while brightening the complexion.
• Airbrush Bronzer: This bronzer combines skincare ingredients with the Airbrush Flawless powder formula to give you a sun-kissed, hydrated glow. This is thanks to the addition of hyaluronic acid and smoothing polymers.
• Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray: This setting spray helps you set your makeup in place and provide a dewy, luminous finish. It contains aloe vera and allantoin to soothe and hydrate the skin. Charlotte Tilbury claims it works best with the rest of the Airbrush Flawless range but in our experience, it works well with all foundations.

In addition to the Airbrush Flawless makeup line, there are a number of other products that trade on the Flawless name. These include:

• Hollywood Flawless Filter: A so-called “glow booster” designed to be worn on its own, or with foundation to give a radiant finish to the skin.
• Invisible UV Flawless Primer: A hydrating, SPF primer for use before applying Airbrush Flawless makeup.

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless: At A Glance

mamabella | mamabella

The Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation is a full-coverage foundation that promises a matte finish

What is Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation? The Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation is a full-coverage foundation that promises a matte finish. It contains something called Magic Replexium Serum which is said to help to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines over time. It also contains AirCool technology that helps leave the skin fresh and cool.

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless price: £39 (30ml)

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless foundation shades: 44

How to use Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless: Apply the Airbrush Flawless foundation to the centre of your face, using a foundation brush, or your fingers and buff it or blend it outwards away from your nose over your cheeks and forehead.

Who should use Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless? Suitable for all skin types but is particularly good for oily, and combination skin. The anti-ageing benefits are great for mature skin, however given its thick consistency, we recommend using a small amount and building up the coverage to avoid it feeling too heavy or settling into wrinkles and fine lines.

Where to buy: Charlotte Tilbury | Cult Beauty | Sephora

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless alternatives: L’Oreal Infallible (£11.99); Dior Forever Matte (£38)

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How we tested the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless

For our Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless foundation review, we used it as our go-to foundation for three weeks; wearing it each and every time we wore makeup which is three-four times a week.

For the first week, we applied the foundation using just our fingers. For the second week, we used a foundation brush. For week three we used a damp beauty blender.

We experimented with setting the foundation using powder, setting spray, as well as leaving the foundation to sit on our skin without being set. We wore it to the gym and out for walks, as well as on a night out.

We recorded how the foundation felt on our skin, how well it lasted throughout the day, and how easy it was to apply using the different techniques. We also took before and after photos and videos to show how it looks on camera, and in real life.

FURTHER READING: How we test foundation

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Shades

There are 44 Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless foundation shades and they range from Fair (1) to Deep (16). You can then buy it with either a cool, warm, or neutral undertone. If you want to know more about undertones, check out our How to find your perfect foundation match online and in-store guide. 

Annoyingly, one Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless foundation shade doesn’t automatically translate to the same shade in another Charlotte Tilbury foundation. To help, the brand has created a foundation matrix. For example, if you’re the shade 1 Cool in the Airbrush Flawless, you’ll need to get 1 Neutral when buying the Beautiful Skin foundation and vice versa.

Charlotte Tilbury offers a number of ways to help you find your perfect foundation match. These include:

• Pro Shade Match Tool: This tool uses AI and so-called Pro Light Tech to “read” your skin.
• Current foundation match: Tell Charlotte Tilbury which foundation you wear and it will find the matching shade, formula and finish from the Charlotte Tilbury foundation collection.
• Virtual Try-On: This less you virtually apply different shades to a live selfie and see how they look.
• Live consultation: You can also book a free 1-2-1 virtual consultant with a Charlotte Tilbury makeup expert.

It does take up to five minutes for the shade to oxidise so don’t always judge it on the first application. Blend it into your skin, leave it for five minutes, and look at the shade in natural light. Charlotte Tilbury will often give away foundation samples with orders so this can be a good way to try before you buy.

How to use Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless

mamabella | mamabella

Charlotte Tilbury recommends applying the Airbrush Flawless foundation to the centre of your face, using a foundation brush, or your fingers

Charlotte Tilbury recommends applying the Airbrush Flawless foundation to the centre of your face, using a foundation brush, or your fingers.

Before it dries, gently buff the foundation across the rest of your face or blend it using a damp beauty blender. Move the foundation outwards away from your nose over your cheeks and forehead.

We like to then go back over with a dry kabuki brush to soften the finish and get rid of any streaks or stubborn patches.

If the foundation does start drying, mist your face with a setting spray or spray your beauty blender and tap it directly onto the skin.

FURTHER READING: Best foundation brush for liquid and powder foundations, concealers and more

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless foundation: Before and after

The image below shows how the Charlotte Tilbury Flawless foundation looks before and after application.

mamabella | mamabella

A single, thin layer of the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless foundation completely evens out your complexion. It covers blemishes, redness, and even the most prominent capillaries and freckles/moles

As you can see, it has settled a little into the wrinkles that are starting to form on our forehead but it doesn’t show off the fine lines around our eyes.

The area to the right of our mouth is where we tend to get dry patches and you can see a little bit of texture in that region.

We love that it gives full coverage without making our complexion look too flat, or too matte. There is some lovely radiance around our eyes and onto our cheeks.

BASF

These images are taken from trials of Replexium, an ingredient found in the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless foundation. The appearance of wrinkles were reduced by as much as 23% after eight weeks of use.

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless foundation review: Performance

The Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless foundation is not only one of the thickest Charlotte Tilbury foundations, but it’s also one of the thickest foundations we’ve ever used. This sounds like a negative but it has its pros and cons.

On the plus side, you won’t find a foundation that offers better coverage than the Airbrush Flawless. A single, thin layer of this foundation completely evens out your complexion. It covers blemishes, redness, and even the most prominent capillaries and freckles/moles.

Once it’s on the skin, this thickness means it does not budge. It lasts all day, even on our oily skin to the point where you’ll need a good cleansing balm or similar to get rid of it. This is the case even without the use of setting powder or setting spray. A rarity.

@victoria_woolly_web This is thicc but it blends nicely and lasts for ages. It does oxidise a fair bit (as you can see) #fyp #fypシ #viral #mamabella #foundationtest #foundations #foundationreview #foundation #bestfoundation #bestfoundationuk #bestfoundationever #bestfoundationforoilyskin #NatWestWhatYouWaitingFor #charlottetilbury #airbrushflawless ♬ Fly Away – Wes Nelson

The downside, however, is that it feels heavy on the skin. No matter how many times Charlotte Tilbury claims its full of hydrating skincare benefits and leaves the skin refreshed, it still made our skin feel thick. It also takes a lot of blending with a damp beauty blender or buffer brush to achieve the desired finish. It’s great at removing texture, but you have to work for it.

It is easier to apply when using your fingers because the heat helps the makeup melt into the skin but to get the fully airbrushed look, you will need to soften it with a kabuki brush or similar. Otherwise it can leave streaks.

Elsewhere, while it does as promised and creates an airbrushed finish from a distance and on camera, it does have a tendency to settle in pores and look cakey up close, particularly on dry areas of the skin. Additionally, it can emphasise wrinkles and fine lines in the short term – even if the skincare benefits of the foundation reduce their appearance in the long-term.

Buy now from Charlotte Tibury

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless review video

@victoria_woolly_web Day 26: The second Charlotte Tilbury foundation on test – Airbrush Flawless #fyp #foryoupage #tiktok #foundations #foundationreview #beautyblogger #foruyou #viral #stitch #mua #charlottetilburymakeup #airbrush #flawless #4up #makeuptok #makeuptiktok #makeup ♬ Sunroof – Nicky Youre & dazy

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Review: Verdict

mamabella | mamabella

The coverage of the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless foundation is superb – it leaves your complexion looking even, and it conceals imperfections without making your skin look flat or dull. This is no mean feat

As one of the more expensive foundations on the market, the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation not only needs to live up to its claims but it needs to also be good value for money.

If you have oily or combination skin that’s not yet showing deep signs of ageing, we’d say it ticks both boxes. The coverage is superb – it leaves your complexion looking even, and it conceals imperfections without making your skin look flat or dull. This is no mean feat.

It does take a bit of effort to get this finish as the foundation dries quickly if you don’t blend it well enough the first time round, however at least all effort is worth it.

The foundation also comes with a host of skincare benefits (that we discuss more in our Formula section below). Over time the foundation can improve the appearance of the skin even when you’re not wearing it and we definitely so a hydrated glow to our skin during our Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless foundation review period.

What’s more, if your skin is yet to show deep signs of ageing, this foundation has the potential – in our experience – to help stem the tide and keep your skin looking plump, hydrated, and youthful for a little longer.

However, if you have dry skin or your fine lines and wrinkles are already well established, this foundation will likely cause you more problems, not fewer. It has a tendency to stick to dry patches and gathers in wrinkles and fine lines. This ends up emphasising the lines, not blurring them.

If you fall into the former skin type camp, and you want a full-coverage foundation that does more than just balance your skin tone then you won’t find many foundations that are better. In this instance we think the Airbrush Flawless foundation is more than worth the money.

If you fall into the latter skin type camp, we’d suggest giving this foundation a miss. There are other Charlotte Tilbury foundations that are worth your money and effort – namely the Light Wonder or Beautiful Skin – or we highly recommend the L’Oreal Infallible alternatives.

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Formula

Looking at the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless ingredients list, there are a couple of things that stand out – and not entirely in a good way.

This foundation has a relatively high number of perfuming ingredients. Granted they’re all in very small amounts so the potential for irritation should be minimal, even on sensitive skin, but it’s worth noting.

It does contain a range of moisturising and humectant ingredients that help to hydrate and soften the skin. However, humectants attract and draw in moisture so if you’re not hydrating your skin before applying this foundation, or if you have dry skin, you may not get the full benefits of these ingredients.

One way around this is to use a hydrating primer or make sure you’re applying lightweight moisturisers or serums before application.

The foundation is silicone-based and if you want to maximise staying power, make sure you’re using a silicone primer beforehand so the two products “play” nicely together. You can read more about this in our What does primer do?  guide.

The brand itself calls out the following ingredients:

• Replexium: This is a peptide complex that helps to firm and plump the skin, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles over time. The brand explains more here and the chemists behind the ingredient talk more about its benefits here. In tests, this ingredient has been shown to reduce the appearance of wrinkles by 23% after eight weeks.
• AirCool: This technology is designed to provide a cooling sensation upon application, which can help to soothe the skin and reduce redness. Read more here.
• C.T. Defence: This is a blend of natural ingredients including Vitamin E and plant extracts that claim to protect the skin from pollution and other environmental stressors.

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Ingredients

The following list of ingredients is taken from the INCI Decoder website. Hover over each ingredient to learn more.

Aqua/Water/Eau solv, Cyclopentasiloxane emo|solv, Isododecane emo|solv, PEG-10 Dimethicone emu, Propanediol solv|h, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate emu, Silica vc, Nylon-12 vc, Phenoxyethanol pres, Disteardimonium Hectorite vc, Polysorbate 20 emu|surf 0 0, Dimethyl Isosorbide solv|vc, Dimethicone Crosspolymer vc, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Menthyl Pca h, Sodium Dehydroacetate pres, Arginine Pca h, Aluminum Hydroxide emo|h|vc, Tocopheryl Acetate aox 0 0, Parfum (Fragrance) perf, Isomalt h, Sodium Phytate chel, Phaeodactylum Tricornutum Extract h|so, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-11, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-9, Alcohol amic|solv|vc, Phytol emo|perf, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone perf, Benzyl Salicylate perf, Citronellol perf, Limonene perf|solv

Hover the mouse / tap over an ingredient for short explanation. Read more on INCIDecoder.

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• Best full-coverage foundation UK
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• Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin foundation review: Is it really worth the money?
• Foundation samples UK: How to get free foundation samples online
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Victoria Woollaston-Webber

Victoria is founder and editor-in-chief of mamabella, freelance journalist and Mum. She has a passion for empowering people to feel beautiful whatever their age, size, skin type and budget

The post Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless foundation review: Superb coverage, finish and staying power – but it’s not for everyone appeared first on mamabella.

We recently started putting as many UK foundations to the test as possible, and ranking them on a spreadsheet, as part of a long-running series on TikTok. You can read more about the overall winners on our best foundation makeup page.

One of the columns on the spreadsheet is coverage type, and we feel it’s one of the most important. Based on what coverage type the manufacturer promises forms the basis for how we judge what that particular foundation looks like when applied to an orange and a strawberry.

The other categories are entirely objective, but the coverage expectation category is subjective so we take it very seriously.

If you have no idea what we’re talking about, check out our How we test foundations guide.

The list below shows you the best full-coverage foundations based on our tests.

This list includes both full-coverage foundations as well as medium-coverage foundations that are buildable, meaning they can be worn as full coverage as and when needed.

Feel free to scroll through our list below, or click on the links in the box to the left to jump straight to the most relevant section for you.

FURTHER READING: How we test foundations | How to find your perfect foundation match | MUA explains how to get flawless makeup | How to get free foundation samples online

Best full-coverage foundation UK

The top 10 best full-coverage foundations we’ve tried and tested are below. We’ve also highlighted the best full-coverage foundation for oily skin, dry skin and other skin types further down this list. You can jump straight to this section by clicking here. As we test more and more foundations, this list of the best full-coverage foundations in the UK may change. 

Top 10 full-coverage foundations by score

1. Collection Lasting Perfection Matte – £6.49 | Buy now
2. e.l.f Camo Foundation – £14 | Buy now
3. Revolution Conceal and Hydrate – £14 | Buy now
4. MAC Studio Fix Fluid – £14 | Buy now
5. Max Factor Facefinity  – £14 | Buy now
6. Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Longwear – £14 | Buy now
7. Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Hydrating – £14 | Buy now
8. Morphe Filter Effect Foundation – £14 | Buy now
9. NYX Can’t Stop Won’t Stop – £14 | Buy now
10. Urban Decay Stay Naked Foundation – £14 | Buy now

︎ Collection Lasting Perfection Matte 

£6.49 | Buy now

mamabella | mamabella

Collection is one of the best cheap makeup brands in the UK because it consistently releases products that outperform its rivals for a fraction of the price.

What’s more, a lot of the products are alternatives for expensive products from the likes of Charlotte Tilbury, Fenty Beauty, and more.

In our best foundation list, the Collection Lasting Perfection foundation sits in second place, just behind the Essence Hydro Hero foundation as well as topping our best full-coverage foundation list.

It performed as well as we’d expect for a full-coverage foundation in our orange and strawberry tests, scoring 3 points on each. A product only scores the maximum of 5 if it exceeds the coverage it promises.

Given its matte finish, this foundation let out a minimal amount of oil onto the blotting paper. It goes an almost maximum score of 9 out of 10.

Elsewhere, Collection sells 20 shades in its range. This isn’t a high number, but it’s not bad for such a cheap foundation. Especially when you consider more expensive foundations have fewer.

In our hydration test, we had expected the Collection Lasting Perfection foundation to be drying because it’s a matte foundation. Yet it only dropped our hydration levels by 1.3 percentage points. This is equivalent to a drop of 5.3%. Relatively small anyway, let alone for a foundation that let out so little oil.

Finally, this foundation scored highly because it’s cruelty-free yet it isn’t fully vegan, because it sells products with animal byproducts in it.

Buy now from Boots” text=”Buy now from Boots”]

︎ Revolution Conceal and Hydrate

£9 | Buy now

View the full video on TikTok 

mamabella

This was a surprise entry for us because we hadn’t used a Revolution foundation before, but the Conceal and Hydrate performed admirably.

For just £9, it comes in 50 shades and offers medium-to-full coverage. In our experience, we’d say it errs more on the side of medium but because it’s buildable, this is a positive thing.

It allows you to apply as much as you need for your specific skin type of coverage needs.

In both the orange and strawberry tests it performed better than we had expected.

It let out a lot of oil onto the blotting paper, yet considering it’s meant to be a hydrating, radiant-finish foundation, this is hardly surprising.

Speaking of hydration, in our tests this entry on best foundation guide reduced the hydration level of our skin by 3.7 points, which is equivalent to a drop of 12%.

While this is a below-average drop in hydration, meaning that it performed better than the majority of products in our tests, for a foundation that has the word “hydrate” in the title, we were disappointed.

Its overall score was then boosted by the fact Revolution is a vegan and cruelty-free brand.

The only catch is that it appears to have been discontinued – or will be soon – because stock levels have been low for a while. If you’re keen to give this foundation a go, we highly recommend it, you just might have to be quick!

Buy now from Revolution

︎ MAC Studio Fix Fluid 

£29 | Buy now

View the full video on Tiktok

mamabella | mamabella

The MAC Studio Fix Fluid has consistently ranked among the leaders in our search for the best foundation, largely due to its extensive shade range. MAC offers an impressive 67 shades.

This exceeds Estee Lauder’s Double Wear, which is renowned for being inclusive, by seven shades and more than doubling the average of all foundations we’ve tested, which is 29.

With an SPF rating of 15, MAC’s Studio Fix provides medium-full coverage and performed exceptionally well in various skin tests.

It minimises oil on the skin while leaving a natural finish that isn’t flat or matte. It blends effortlessly, and our writer Lucy attests to its impressive finish and longevity by saying, “this is our go-to foundation, and we’ve even convinced our friends to switch to it.”

In humid weather conditions, this foundation lasts for hours even without setting spray, although it can be tricky to remove at the end of the day.

MAC is not classified as entirely cruelty-free because it sells products in countries that test on animals, although it doesn’t partake in animal testing itself. Additionally, it’s not 100% vegan, even though some of the formulas are vegan.

One downside is that the foundation doesn’t come with a pump. This is not only an inconvenience, but it can lead to wastage which can lead to additional costs.

Given its already premium price, this is a disappointment – a minor one, but a disappointment nonetheless.

Read our full MAC Studio Fix foundation review

Buy now from MAC

︎ Max Factor FaceFinity

£13.99 | Buy now

View the full video on TikTok

Max Factor

MaxFactor’s FaceFinity isn’t cheap enough to make our best cheap foundation list, it’s not expensive enough to make the best luxury foundation list and as a 3-in-1 product, it didn’t fit naturally into many of the other categories.

However, one area where it absolutely excelled was hydration and this score was high enough to make it the best matte foundation of the 100+ foundations we’ve tested.

At £13.99, it’s on the affordable side, and for that price you effectively get three products in one – a primer, a concealer, and a foundation.

We’re always a little skeptical of products promising multiple benefits, especially at such a cheap price, but in the case of the MaxFactor FaceFinity, we were pleasantly surprised.

It provides a smooth, relatively long-lasting base that blurs the pores. It has enough coverage to minimise the appearance of dark circles and redness, and the foundation element evens out skin tone while mattifying shine. In fact, it manages to mattify the skin without making it appear flat or dull.

In our orange test, this foundation performed as expected for a medium-coverage product. It underperformed on the larger “pores” on the strawberry and it produced an above-average amount of liquid on the blotting paper.

It does have buildable coverage, so while we didn’t apply more than one layer on the fruit in our tests, when we used it on our skin we applied more of this foundation in areas where more coverage was needed.

It’s not perfect. MaxFactor claims it gives “24-hour wear” and says it’s touch- and shine-proof. Yet in our experience, this isn’t quite accurate. We managed to get to around lunchtime before our shiny T-Zone began making a slight appearance and by the end of the day, areas of redness started to peek through.

On the plus side, it is incredibly hydrating. This is rare for foundations generally, but certainly those which offer such an effective matte finish. In our hydration test, it was one of only a handful of foundations to increase the hydration of the skin; raising hydrating by 1.3 percentage points, or 5% overall. This means it’s a great foundation for dry and mature skin generally but is particularly great for people with those skin types looking for a matte finish.

Elsewhere, as an added bonus, the foundation has SPF 20 and is non-comedogenic.

Buy now from Boots

︎ Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Longwear Foundation

£30 | Buy now

View the full video on TikTok

mamabella

There are two foundation options in the Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r collection, both are medium-full coverage yet the Longwear version is more suited to oily skin or when you need your makeup to last all day. The other – Pro Filt’r Hydrating – is great if you have combination or dry skin, or prefer a lighter finish.

The higher scoring of the two in our foundation group test was the Pro Filt’r Longwear. It exceeded our expectations on the orange and strawberry tests. It let out quite a lot of moisture on the blotting paper but it only dropped the hydration levels by 1.7%.

Ironically, this hydration score was better than the Pro Filt’r Hydrating foundation which dropped hydration by 6.5%. This goes some way towards explaining why the foundation doesn’t feel as thick or as heavy as other full-coverage foundations we’ve tried.

It may also be because it contains grape seed oil and sodium hyaluronate – the sodium form of hyaluronic acid – which is known to nourish and hydrate the skin.

Despite the seemingly high moisture level, the Longwear full-coverage foundation lived up to its name. It creates a soft, but not flat, matte finish that not only evened out our skin tone but helped to smooth the skin and blur the appearance of pores and blemishes.

The effect didn’t quite last 24 hours, as the brand promises, but it definitely lasted long enough to take us from morning to bedtime.

This is likely because it contains what Fenty Beauty calls “climate-adaptive technology” that claims to make your skin sweat and humidity-resistant.

Shade-wise we tested the shade 210 and it is a tad yellow for our complexion. Not significantly so and once blended, it didn’t look too bad. You can see what we mean in our Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r skin test video here.

Thankfully, the shade range is huge so there are other options. We’ll just need to wait until we’ve used our current bottle up as it’s not cheap! It is designed to cater to all skin tones and undertones, with an impressive range of 50 shades.

Buy now from Boots

Best full-coverage foundations based on skin type

The list below reveals the best-scoring full-coverage foundations for oily, dry and mature skin, as well as the best vegan and inclusive options.

• Best cheap full-coverage foundation: Rimmel Lasting Finish – £9.99
• Best full-coverage foundation for oily skin: Maybelline 30H – £10.99
• Best full-coverage foundation for dry skin: Vichy Dermablend– £20
• Best full-coverage foundation for mature skin: Morphe Filter Effect Foundation – £18
• Best inclusive full-coverage foundation: XX Revolution Liquid Skin – £27
• Best vegan full-coverage foundation: NYX Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop – £15

WANT TO KNOW MORE? Best concealer | Best makeup brush | Best foundation brush | Best eyeshadow palette | Best foundation | Best foundation for dark skin | Best foundation for oily skin | Best foundation for dry skin | Best contour kit | Best lip gloss | Best lip liner | Best mascara| Best primer | Best highlighter | Best brow pomade | Best blusher | Best setting spray| Best makeup sets | Best false eyelashes | Best eyeliner | Best MAC foundation | Best Charlotte Tilbury foundation | Best No7 foundation

1. Editor’s Pick: L’Oreal Infallible Freshwear

£11.99 | Buy now

mamabella | mamabella

L’Oreal Infallible’s Freshwear foundation was one of the first foundations we tested as part of our mega group test – on day 18. It held the top spot for a long time until the XX Revolution Liquid Skin came and stole its crown.

However, despite the overall best foundation list changing almost daily, the best full-coverage foundation list has remained the same. Especially at the top, and the current leader is L’Oreal.

Coverage-wise, in both the orange and strawberry tests, L’Oreal Infallible Freshwear performed well above what we expected. The coverage and blend were even and not too thick.

Elsewhere, it released hardly any oil on the blotting paper test – in fact, it’s one of the most matte foundations we’ve tried. If you don’t know what we mean regarding oranges and strawberries, we explain here.

It gained points for having SPF 25, but it lost points for dropping the hydration of our skin by a staggering 41%. It also lost points because it’s not vegan, or cruelty-free.

From our tests, we feel this full-coverage foundation would particularly suit oily skin. Given how much it sucks hydration out of the skin, we don’t recommend this for dry skin or if you have dry patches.

This may also be more of a summer foundation than a winter one, given the fact cold weather dries the skin out further.

People with mature skin could get away with wearing L’Oreal Infallible because it has a medium consistency, and doesn’t settle in wrinkles or fine lines. Just make sure your skin is hydrated and prepped beforehand to make sure you’re getting the most out of this winning foundation.

@victoria_woolly_web Okay, this foundation has no right being as good as it is #fyp #foryoupage #tiktok #foundations #foundationreview #beautyblogger #foruyou #ElectrifyTheMini #stitch #mua #lorealparis #4up #makeuptok #makeuptiktok #makeup ♬ Sunroof – Nicky Youre & dazy

2. Best cheap full-coverage foundation: Rimmel Lasting Finish

£9.99 | Buy now

mamabella

While Rimmel Lasting Finish wasn’t the cheapest full-coverage foundation we tried – that award goes to TLM Colour-Changing – it outperformed almost all other brands to achieve a podium finish. Despite the fact that it costs less than a tenner.

Coming in third, behind the best full-coverage foundation overall (L’Oreal Infallible), and the best inclusive full-coverage foundation from XX Revolution, Rimmel’s Lasting Finish impressed us on the orange and the strawberry tests by exceeding our expectations of coverage and sheer finish on both. Even on the strawberry’s larger “pores”.

It doesn’t have the widest range of shades, nor is it vegan or cruelty-free. It’s also quite a drying foundation, causing hydration levels to drop by 36.5%.

However, it let out a huge amount of oil on the blotting paper, insinuating that it’s better for dry skin than its hydration score would suggest.

It also comes with SPF20, which is an added bonus. Particularly if you have mature skin and don’t want to make your dark spots more prominent.

The consistency is quite thick and it can be a little tricky to blend – the best results we achieved were when using a flat foundation brush followed by a damp beauty blender.

When we just used the blender, the foundation gathered a little in our larger pores and around our nose. A small sacrifice to make for such a cheap price, though.

@victoria_woolly_web That orange is looking peachy AF day 33: Rimmel Lasting Finish #fyp #foryoupage #foundations #foundationreview #makeuptiktok #rimmellondon #rimmel @rimmellondon ♬ Sunroof – Nicky Youre & dazy

 3. Best luxury full-coverage foundation: Smashbox Studio Skin

 £31 | Buy now

mamabella | mamabella

Having previously tested the Hydra version of Smashbox’s Studio Skin foundation – which offers medium coverage and hyaluronic acid for extra hydration – we had a request from a TikTok follower to try the full-coverage alternative. Also called Smashbox Studio Skin.

Instead of a bottle, the luxury entry in our best full-coverage foundation list comes in a tube (which is the easiest way to tell the difference). You get the same amount of foundation for the same price and, if you put the difference in coverage aside, we find the tube easier to use and travel with. There are 40 shades to choose from, which is impressive

This foundation exceeded expectations in the orange test and met our expectations in the strawberry test.

It released minimal oil on the blotting paper, which is unsurprising given that it promises a soft-matte finish, and it caused a drop of 21% in the hydration test.

This is just above the average hydration drop of 17% seen across the entire full-coverage foundations tested.

Consistency-wise, this foundation is thick and a little goes a long way so we recommend you start with a small dollop and see how you get on before applying too much.

It dries very quickly so you either need to blend quickly or use a hydrating spray or mist to make this job easier. We highly recommend the Oui Cherie spray from The Beauty Crop. If you haven’t heard of The Beauty Crop, it’s a fantastic, affordable brand. Read more on our list of the best cheap makeup brands.

That said, because of how full this coverage is and how quickly it dries down, this foundation will last all day. Even on oily skin like ours.

Buy now from Lookfantastic

 4. Best full-coverage foundation for oily skin: Maybelline 30H 

 £10.99 | Buy now

mamabella | mamabella

Another affordable foundation bringing the goods.

Maybelline’s 30H foundation – which has a much longer, official name of Maybelline Superstay Active Wear Full Coverage 30H Liquid Foundation with Hyaluronic Acid – offers full coverage with a matte finish that lasts all day.

It’s sweat-proof, transfer-proof, and waterproof and this makes it the best full-coverage foundation for oily skin because, even if your face gets slick and shiny, the foundation doesn’t move.

Allowing you to maintain great coverage throughout the day and into the night.

Another reason why we rate this foundation so highly for oily skin is because of how little oil it released onto the blotting paper. It was a minimal amount, on par with Smashbox’s Studio Skin.

It also dropped hydration levels of the skin by 23%. We were surprised by this drop, given the addition of hyaluronic acid in this foundation and we wonder how much the drop would have been without it.

However, this, again, makes it more suited to oily skin and, as a result, it may not suit dry skin. Certainly not without adequate skin prep.

@victoria_woolly_web Day 24: Maybelline 30H #fyp #foryoupage #tiktok #foundations #foundationreview #beautyblogger #JDSummerDrip #foruyou #viral #mua #maybelline #4up #makeuptok #makeuptiktok #makeup ♬ Sunroof – Nicky Youre & dazy

5. Best full-coverage foundation for dry skin: Vichy Dermablend 

 £20 | Buy now

mamabella | mamabella

If you haven’t heard about Vichy Laboratoires, it’s a leading French skincare brand that is both doctor-founded and dermatologist-approved. It’s renowned for fact that the entire range contains a unique, volcanic mineralizing water called Vichy, from a region around the Auvergne Volcanoes in France.

This Vichy water is rich in minerals including calcium, potassium and magnesium and this makes it perfect for giving your skin many of the nutrients it needs to be healthy and clear.

In particular, this ingredient has been clinically proven to reinforce the skin’s natural barrier. When this barrier is damaged, it can lead to a lack of moisture causing the skin to look and feel dry. It can also lead to conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.

As a result, Vichy Dermablend is the best full-coverage foundation for dry skin because it combines a natural finish that conceals imperfections, all while protecting and nourishing the skin.

Not only did it cause one of the smallest hydration drops of any foundation we’ve tested – at 2.4 percentage points – it also released an average amount of oil. This means it doesn’t flood the skin, but it doesn’t dry it out too much either. Keeping it in balance, which is what the skin barrier needs.

What’s more, depending on the shade in question, this full-coverage foundation offers a range of SPF. Almost all shades offer SPF35, however two of the darkest shades – 65 and 75 – offer SPF 25. We’ve asked Vichy to clarify why this is the case, but we’re assuming it’s because darker skin tones faller higher on the Fitzpatrick skin scale.

We explain more about SPF and the Fitzpatrick scale here, but in summary – all skin types are categorised by how likely they are to burn in the sun. This is known as a person’s phototype.

On the Fitzpatrick scale, people with the phototype (or skin type) VI have a dark skin colour and are usually of African descent. Their skin rarely burns which means their risk of skin cancer is lower, and thus they can get away with wearing a lower SPF.

This is because the number written on the front of an SPF product refers to the amount of time it takes to start to burn compared to how long it would take if you weren’t wearing any SPF cream at all.

@victoria_woolly_web This one pleasantly surprised me! Day 56: @Vichy Laboratoires Dermablend #fyp #fypシ #mamabella #foundationtest #makeuptiktok #foundations #foundationreview #makeuptiktok #SuperShow #FilmTeyvatIslands #vichy #vichylovers #dermablend ♬ Sunroof – Nicky Youre & dazy

6. Best inclusive full-coverage foundation: XX Revolution Liquid Skin

£15 | Buy now

mamabella | mamabella

For a long time, the XX Revolution Liquid Skin foundation held the top spot in our hunt for the best foundation.

Not only did it score highly on the orange, and strawberry tests – achieving a maximum score of 5 on the orange, and 3 on the strawberry – but it offers a fantastic range of 55 shades. This is an impressive number on its own, yet is even more impressive when you consider how cheap this foundation is.

It puts much more expensive foundations to shame with its shade range and even covers a broad range of undertones including yellow, olive, pink, neutral, cool, golden, orange, and warm undertones.

It eventually lost points, however, because it released a huge amount of liquid onto the blotting paper, which would suggest it’s good for dry skin, but then dropped hydration levels by a high 32%, suggesting it’s not great for dry skin after all.

In fact, it had one of the highest hydration drops in our hunt for the best full-coverage foundations.

Due to the fact this foundation dries out the skin so much, without leaving the skin heavy (and it gives a lovely, silk finish), it recently took our best overall foundation for oily skin title.

In this full-coverage foundation ranking, it falls short of Maybelline’s performance in terms of oily skin and in terms of durability. It does, however, take the best inclusive full-coverage foundation crown instead.

@victoria_woolly_web LOL at how TikTok’s text-to-speech describes XX Revolution #fyp #foryoupage #tiktok #foundations #foundationreview #beautyblogger #foruyou #viral #stitch #mua #revolution #xxrevolution #4up #makeuptok #makeuptiktok #makeup ♬ Sunroof – Nicky Youre & dazy

7. Best vegan full-coverage foundation: NYX Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop

£15 | Buy now

mamabella | mamabella

If you’ve been on TikTok for a while, you’ll be very familiar with the NYX Can’t Stop Won’t Stop foundation. It was once an absolute favourite among influencers and makeup artists and we recently discovered why.

For just £15, you get a choice of 45 shades. It promises full, ultra-matte coverage and it more than lived up to these expectations in our orange and strawberry tests – scoring the maxiumum of 10 points across the two tests.

It’s not the most hydrating of foundations because it released an average amount of oil and dropped hydration levels of the skin by almost 23%.

That said, it gained points for being one of the only fully vegan and cruelty-free brands on our overall best foundation list.

What’s more, this foundation promises to last all day.

Our one complaint is that it’s very thick. Most full-coverage foundations are but this one is noticeably so and this makes it tricky to blend.

@victoria_woolly_web Remember when this foundation was ALL over TikTok? #nyx #nyxprofessionalmakeup #fyp #foundations #foundationreview #beautyblogger #makeuptiktok @nyxcosmetics_uk ♬ Sunroof – Nicky Youre & dazy

How we test the best full-coverage foundations

We explain more about how we’re testing foundations here but, as a summary, we apply every foundation to an orange and a strawberry. As well as applying them to our skin.

This may sound a little odd, but the texture of both fruits isn’t too dissimilar to human skin and pores. We do also test on our own skin, but to avoid our skin type skewing the results, every foundation is tested on fruit in the first instance.

We additionally highlight each foundation’s price, shade range, finish, and whether or not they are vegan and cruelty-free. There are additional scores available on the spreadsheet.

To create our best full-coverage foundation list, we filtered the overall ranking to show only those which describe themselves as full coverage. We then sorted the shortlist by score.

From there we have determined the best full-coverage foundations for oily skin, based on how much oil they release; the best full-coverage foundations for dry skin, based on their hydration scores, and the best premium, and budget full-coverage foundations.

We decided not to include buildable foundations or those which describe themselves as medium-to-full so we can keep this list to the best full-coverage foundations only. However, if you want to see those results, we list them here.

What makes a foundation full coverage?

The science behind a full-coverage foundation lies in its formulation and to be classed as full-coverage, it needs to contains higher concentrations of pigments than other types of foundation.

Pigments are what give the foundation its colour. The more pigments, the more colour and hence the greater coverage. This is because as you spread the foundation across your face, the higher the number of pigments the more pigments per square inch of your face. This enhances its concealing properties and creates a more even coverage.

You can think of it like using a felt-tip pen, compared to using a coloured pencil on paper. When using a felt-tip, the colour is more intense and you can cover up the colour of the paper to the point where you can’t see any white peeking through.

Using a coloured pencil doesn’t give the same level of colour pay-off. You can see the colour but it’s not as vibrant and the colour of the paper can be seen through.

The reason why full-coverage foundations are thicker and heavier on the face also comes down to this greater use of pigment. The more pigments, the thicker the formula generally. Yet in order to make sure the pigments remain stable and even as they’re spread across your face, additional ingredients including emollients are added. These can weigh the formula down.

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Victoria Woollaston-Webber

Victoria is founder and editor-in-chief of mamabella, freelance journalist and Mum. She has a passion for empowering people to feel beautiful whatever their age, size, skin type and budget

The post Best full-coverage foundation UK: We put 40+ foundations to the test to finally discover which is best appeared first on mamabella.

No7 has, in many ways, changed the game when it comes to affordable, effective skincare and makeup.

Yet while we’ve previously included No7 products in our various lists of Best Buys, now we’re delving a deeper to not only celebrate the brand’s foundation range but to put the best No7 foundations to the test.

There are 18 No7 foundations and they average at £15 each, which we’d consider as mid-range, if not erring on the side of cheap/affordable.

We explain more about which foundations we tested (and why we couldn’t review all 18) below. You can also jump to the relevant sections by clicking the links in the box to the left.

If you’re not yet sure which No7 foundation shade you need, Boots offers a couple of options. It has a Foundation Finder tool on its own website, or you can access its Foundation Analysis tool from the No7 Beauty site. Alternatively, you can arrange a virtual consultation with a No7 expert in-store. If you opt for this route, you can also take away some foundation samples to help you decide at home.

We’ve also got a guide on how to find your perfect foundation match, to get you started.

As a side note, since we carried out our initial best No7 foundations reviews, we’ve started a huge foundation group test over on TikTok in a bid to finally discover which is the best foundation in the UK.

From these tests, we have created a spreadsheet which details the scores and rankings for each, and when the No7 foundations are compared to one another.

We’ve also tested how hydrating they each are, and we’re going through the process of applying them to the skin. This means that while the TikTok results are a good guide, they don’t (currently) replace the real-world, long-wear tests featured further down this article, so it’s up to you which you’d prefer to be guided by. We’re just trying to give you as much information as possible in order to make an informed decision!

READ NEXT: How to find your perfect foundation match online and in-store

Best No7 foundation reviews

We’ve ranked the best No7 foundation types from worst to best. These rankings are based on our specific skin type and needs. As a result, something we see as an issue may not be a problem for you (which is why we’ve also tested them via fruit over on TikTok). In this way, we recommend you read through all of the rankings. However, if you want to jump straight to the winner, click here.

Best No7 foundation list based on real-world tests: 

Clicking the link on each product name will take you to the corresponding review below.

1. No7 Restore & Renew Serum Foundation 
2. No7 Stay Perfect Superlight Foundation
3. No7 Stay Perfect Foundation 
4. No7 Essentially Natural Foundation
5. No7 Beautifully Matte No7 Foundation 
6. No7 Lift & Luminate Triple Action Serum Foundation

Best No7 foundation list (based on TikTok tests):

Clicking the link on each product name will take you to the corresponding TikTok. You can alternatively explore the rankings on the spreadsheet here. 

1. No7 Beautifully Matte Foundation
2. No7 Restore and Renew Foundation
3. No7 Stay Perfect Foundation
4. No7 HydraLuminous Foundation
5. No7 Lift and Luminate Foundation
6. No7 Intelligent Colour Foundation

WANT MORE GROUP TESTS? Best MAC mascara | Best Benefit mascara | Best Charlotte Tilbury foundations | Best MAC foundations

6th place: Lift & Luminate Triple Action Serum Foundation

Price: £18.50 | Buy now

mamabella rating: 1/5 

No7/Jenny Tai

We were unimpressed with this No7 foundation almost immediately. When applied with a foundation brush we could see streaks on top of the skin that clung to dry patches

We were unimpressed with this No7 foundation almost immediately. When applied with a foundation brush we could see streaks on top of the skin that clung to dry patches.

The result was better when we used a beauty blender however, the Lift & Luminate Triple Action Serum foundation did still cling to dry patches – regardless of whether we were using the silicone primer or the water-based one. Although it was worse when used with the former.

The consistency is a light-medium runny liquid, and this gave light coverage. It did leave our skin with a glow, as the Luminate part of its name would suggest, but we instantly had to powder our oily areas. The foundation overall felt like it would slip off the face no matter which primer you use. Given that this is one of the most expensive No7 foundations in the range, we were highly disappointed.

@victoria_woolly_web This is the first of the No7 foundations I’ve tested…with more to come next week and later in July! #fyp #foundations #foundation #foundationmakeup #foundationroutine #makeup #liquidfoundation #foundationday #beauty #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #tiktok #love #like #follow #fypge #likeforlikes #foryourpage # ♬ Sunroof – Nicky Youre & dazy

5th place: Beautifully Matte No7 Foundation 

Price: £15  | Buy now

mamabella rating: 2/5

mamabella | mamabella

This foundation contains SPF15 and the consistency holds the SPF, which is why there was a slight white cast. We suggest going a shade darker

We found this No7 foundation left our skin looking ashy at first. It did slightly oxidise, but we still had to add a little bronzer to warm our complexion up. This foundation contains SPF15 and the consistency holds the SPF, which is why there was a slight white cast. We suggest going a shade darker.

READ NEXT: What is SPF and why is it so important?

This Beautifully Matte foundation held nicely throughout the day and we think it’s definitely better suited for oily skin types. We particularly liked that our T-zone wasn’t oily at the end of the day, which takes some doing. As promised, this foundation truly did give a matte look, although if you apply too much we found that this full-coverage foundation left our faces looking a bit cakey.

The consistency and texture are rather thick and almost mousse-like, and we found it hard to work into the skin because we noticed it can dry quite quickly. You really have to work hard to blend this No7 foundation in.

It’s a lot easier with a damp beauty blender than a foundation brush, but it did cling to dry patches regardless of our application technique or which primer we used. Also, the sacrifice we had to make for matte skin is that it left our complexion looking a little flat.

@victoria_woolly_web WTF is that applicator though day 48: No7 Beautifully Matte #fyp #fypシ #foundations #mamabella #no7 #foundationreview #makeuptiktok #foundationtest ♬ Sunroof – Nicky Youre & dazy

4th place: Essentially Natural Foundation

Price: £10 | Buy now

mamabella rating: 2/5

No7/Jenny Tai

Out of all the foundations in this No7 foundation group test, the Essentially Natural foundation gave the lightest coverage

Out of all the foundations in this No7 foundation group test, the Essentially Natural foundation gave the lightest coverage.

The shade came out lighter than expected, which is largely because of its SPF15 rating.  The foundation worked well with silicone and water-based primers, and we preferred the look we used with the foundation brush because we felt it gave that bit more coverage where needed. Using a beauty blender gave more of a natural finish, which this foundation is designed to do and is ideal if that’s what you’re going for.

We thought this foundation would be runny due to the fact it gives such a natural finish but it actually has a thicker, light/medium consistency. It was very easy to work into the skin and didn’t cling to our dry patches on our skin.

It blended nicely, but towards lunchtime, we noticed that it sunk into the creases on our forehead, and into our fine lines/wrinkles. Our T-zone became rather oily, quickly. We needed to touch this foundation up during the day otherwise our skin would have been super shiny by the evening.

3rd place: No7 Stay Perfect Foundation 

Price: £15 | Buy now

mamabella rating: 3/5

No7/Jenny Tai

The No7 Stay Perfect foundation is highly buildable and works well with a silicone primer. It was easy to work into the skin and it gave a natural finish, which we liked

The No7 Stay Perfect foundation is highly buildable and works well with a silicone primer. It was easy to work into the skin and it gave a natural finish, which we liked.

It doesn’t really give full coverage to begin with, which is why you’ll need to build up to that kind of coverage if that’s what you’re after. As a result, the No7 Stay Perfect foundation could be a good foundation to cover all bases –  lighter coverage for the day and fuller coverage at night. It also offers true-to-colour shade, even with SPF15.

The consistency and texture are medium and we found using a makeup brush gives more of a medium coverage while using a beauty blender gives a lighter look. Despite it being called Stay Perfect, it did leave our T-zone rather oily at the end of the day.

@victoria_woolly_web A drop of 10 percentage points is the top end of average. Yet the finish isn’t as drying as this would suggest #fyp #fypシ #viral #mamabella #foundationtest #foundations #foundationreview #foundation #bestfoundation #bestfoundationuk #bestfoundationever #bestfoundationforoilyskin #bestfoundationformatureskin #hydratedskin #hydration #hydrationstation ♬ BREAK MY SOUL – Beyoncé

2nd place: No7 Stay Perfect Superlight Foundation

Price: £15 | Buy now

mamabella rating: 4/5

No7/Jenny Tai

Out of all of the versions in this group No7 foundation review, the No7 Stay Perfect Superlight was our favourite

Out of all of the versions in our hunt for the best No7 foundation, the No7 Stay Perfect Superlight was one of our favourites.

Even though it gave light-to-medium coverage, it covered blemishes well and the shade matched almost exactly. This would be the perfect everyday foundation, it worked well with both primers and gave a lovely natural finish – our skin looked like, well, skin. We did favour the beauty blender application because it gave a smoother-looking complexion, but the difference was marginal.

The consistency is light/medium, and it has a liquid texture.

Despite the fact it gave decent coverage with a single application, we did try building it a little more to see how well it would cope and it performed admirably. It didn’t leave our skin looking caked.

It also worked beautifully with our other concealers, bronzers, blushers and highlighters. Even those not made by No7.

Again, this No7 Stay Perfect foundation did leave our T-zone looking oily at the end of the day but it held our makeup throughout the day very well.

WINNER: No7 Restore & Renew Serum Foundation SPF 30

Price: £19.95 | Buy now

mamabella rating: 5/5

mamabella | mamabella

The No7 Restore and Renew foundation is the best No7 foundation of all the versions we’ve tried

We’re very pleasantly surprised by how well this foundation performed. So much so, it surpassed our previous favourite No7 foundation, the No7 Stay Perfect Superlight Foundation. The Restore and Renew Serum foundation gave us light-to-medium coverage and it masked our blemishes with ease.

The shade matched our skin tone very well and it gave a natural finish. We also loved that it left our skin looking glowing, smooth and most of all healthy.

The consistency is quite runny because it is such a lightweight foundation, but this consistency means it’s easily buildable, too. We used two pumps and that was enough coverage for the whole face and onto our neck, we heavily moisturised our skin instead of using a primer and it worked really beautifully.

It also played nicely with our concealer, bronzer and blusher. It gave our concealer a good base to blend into and our face didn’t feel sticky after applying the foundation.

Over the day, this No7 foundation felt breathable and it sat well on our face without ever settling into our fine lines or wrinkles. It was the only No7 foundation that didn’t sit in any flaky patches on the skin, making this the best No7 foundation for dry skin. What’s more, we didn’t even have to touch up our oily T-zone as much as we expected.

@victoria_woolly_web The second No7 foundation on test: Restore and Renew #fyp #fypシ #mamabella #foundationreview #foundations #foundations #makeuptiktok #foundationtest #viral #no7 #bootsuk @No7 ♬ Sunroof – Nicky Youre & dazy

No7 foundation range

There are 18 No7 foundations – 12 of which are liquid foundations and of these, two are classed as tinted moisturisers and one is a BB cream. The rest are compacts (one); powders (three); or they come in stick form. Asterisks next to the foundations listed below are those we reviewed for this No7 foundation group test.

No7 foundation: Liquid and stick

• No7 Lift & Luminate Triple Action Serum Foundation*
• No7 Stay Perfect Foundation with SPF*
• No7 Restore & Renew Serum Foundation SPF 30*
• No7 Hydraluminous Foundation
• No7 Intelligent Colour Foundation
• No7 Protect & Perfect Advanced All-in-One Foundation
• No7 Beautifully Matte Foundation*
• No7 Beautifully Matte Light Foundation* – since our review, this product has been discontinued
• No7 Essentially Natural Foundation*
• No7 Stay Perfect Superlight Foundation*
• No7 Stay Perfect Stick Foundation

No7 foundation: Compact and powder

• No7 Stay Perfect Compact Foundation
• No7 Flawless Finishing Loose Powder
• No7 Flawless Finishing Pressed Powder
• No7 Airbrush Away Finishing Powder
• No7 Mineral Perfection Loose Powder Foundation

No7 foundation reviews: How we tested

For this No7 foundation group test, we centred on the liquid options in order to make the most direct like-for-like comparison.

However, because the shade choices across these ranges vary so wildly, only a selection of the range features a suitable skin tone match (which for us is Warm Beige, for the record). Plus, the majority of foundation options only have around 15-20 shades, which is a really small selection by comparison to many other brands.

We’re unsure why Boots doesn’t offer the same shade range across each type of foundation, or why it can be so difficult to tell which shade you are in each type.

Each No7 foundation was tested on our face with a silicone primer and a water-based primer. We also tested these No7 foundations with a foundation brush and a beauty blender in an attempt to mimic the various combinations we expect you will use and experience.

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Jenny Tai

Jenny has always had a strong passion for beauty, health, skincare and wellbeing. After working in marketing in the corporate world she has stepped out to fulfil her passion for content writing and blogging. You can discover more on her Instagram page

The post We’ve ranked Boots No7 foundations from worst to best, from Stay Perfect to Beautifully Matte appeared first on mamabella.

Giorgio Armani isn’t just a designer fashion brand, it also sells a high-end makeup line aimed at giving premium results (albeit for a hefty price.)

A lot of its makeup products are aimed at more mature consumers and promise to meet a range of needs by combining the best formulas with added skincare benefits.

One of its bestselling lines is the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk collection, which includes a foundation and a concealer designed to create a luminous, radiant, and silky finish, even and natural-looking coverage, coupled with anti-ageing and hydrating skincare benefits.

This foundation has developed a cult following, it’s won multiple awards and is said to be a makeup artist favourite, but does it live up to the hype?

To find out, we recently embarked on a six-week Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation review.

Read on to discover what we thought of the coverage, finish, staying power, and skincare benefits to see if it’s really worth the £45 price tag.

We also explain more choosing the best shade in our Luminous Silk foundation shade guide.

Buy now from Boots

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation Review

mamabella | mamabella

There are two products in the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk range – the Luminous Silk foundation (pictured) and the Luminous Silk concealer

There are two products in the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk range – the Luminous Silk foundation and the Luminous Silk concealer.

• Luminous Silk foundation: The Luminous Silk foundation is sold in either a full-sized bottle or a travel-sized one. The full-sized version costs £45 for 30ml, while the travel-sized version is £27 for 18ml. There are 40 shades available in the larger bottle, but only 18 shades in the smaller size.
• Luminous Silk concealer: The Luminous Silk concealer costs £37 and is available in 20 shades.

The Luminous Silk range is described as offering buildable medium coverage with a luminous finish. If you prefer a different coverage or finish, the wider Armani foundation range includes:

• Power Fabric foundation: High coverage with a luminous finish
• Power Fabric+ foundation: Full coverage with a natural matte finish
• Designer Cream foundation: Anti-ageing foundation with natural coverage and finish
• Designer Lift foundation: Full coverage, lightweight foundation with a radiant finish and anti-ageing benefits
• Neo Nude Glow foundation: Hybrid foundation offering light coverage with a radiant finish and skincare benefits
• Crema Nude Supreme Glow Reviving tinted cream: Tinted moisturiser with anti-ageing skincare benefits

If you’re not sure which foundation you need, take the Giorgio Armani foundation quiz.

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk: At-A-Glance

mamabella | mamabella

The Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation provides a luminous, natural finish. Available in 40 shades

What is Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk? A favourite among makeup artists, the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation is – as the name suggests – a silky foundation that provides a luminous, natural finish. It promises glowing skin that “improves texture and blurs imperfections”, and it contains glycerin for hydration. Available in 40 shades.

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk price: £45 (30ml)

How to apply Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation: Armani recommends applying the Luminous Silk foundation with a foundation brush (it recommends its own Maestro Signature Blender Brush) before buffing it out for an even finish. You can add more layers if the coverage isn’t enough, or you can mix with a highlighter to accentuate the glow.

Who should use Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk? Suitable for all skin types but it’s a particularly good foundation for mature skin, as well as for dry complexions.

Where to buy: Armani | Lookfantastic | Sephora | Boots

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk alternatives: L’Oreal True Match (£9.99); Physician’s Formula The Healthy Foundation (£14.59)

WANT TO KNOW MORE? Best concealer | Best makeup brush | Best foundation brush | Best eyeshadow palette | Best foundation | Best foundation for dark skin | Best foundation for oily skin | Best foundation for dry skin | Best contour kit | Best lip gloss | Best lip liner | Best mascara| Best primer | Best highlighter | Best brow pomade | Best blusher | Best setting spray| Best makeup sets | Best false eyelashes | Best eyeliner | Best setting powder | Best eyelash curlers

How we tested the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation

For our Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation review, we used it as our main foundation each and every time we wore makeup for six weeks.

We typically test foundations for a month, however, given the fact that Armani talks about the Luminous Silk Foundation having skincare benefits, we wanted to give it time to make a difference. This is because skin tends to renew itself every six weeks meaning it can take a while to see the benefits of any skincare products.  You can read more in our How we test skincare to see if it lives up to its claims.

We applied the foundation using a foundation brush before using a damp beauty blender to melt it into the skin. We also applied it using a stippling brush followed by a soft powder brush, as well as with our fingers to see which gave the best results.

The rest of our makeup routine remained the same. This allowed us to more accurately see how the Armani foundation looked and lasted compared to other foundations we wear regularly.

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation shade guide

mamabella | mamabella

The 40 Luminous Silk shades are divided into three undertones and five skin tones

There are 40 Luminous Silk shades available. They are available in Cool, Neutral, and Warm undertones and Fair, Light, Medium, Tan, and Deep shade ranges. The Luminous Silk foundation shade guide is explained below and in the image above.

The image also shows which Luminous Silk concealer best matches which foundation shade and Armani suggests buying a shade lighter than you need it you want to brighten the skin.

We explain more about finding your perfect shade in our foundation shade match guide. 

Cool undertones

Cool skin types usually have pink, red or blush undertones.

• Fair: Luminous Silk Shades 3.75 or 3.8
• Light: Shade 4.75
• Medium: Shades 5.2, 5.5, 5.8, 5.9, 7
• Tan: Shades 8.25, 10, 12
• Deep: Shades 11.5, 13.5

Neutral undertones

Neutral skin is neither cool nor warm, meaning it has a balance of pink and yellow undertones.

• Fair: Shades 1.5, 3
• Light: Shades 4.25, 4.5, 5
• Medium: Shades 5.1, 5.25, 7.5, 7.75, 7.8
• Tan: Shades 8, 9, 11.75, 13
• Deep: Shades 13.25, 14

Warm undertones 

Warm skin tends to have yellow, orange, or gold undertones.

• Fair: Shades 2
• Light: Shades 3.5, 4
• Medium: Shades 5.75, 6, 6.25, 6.5
• Tan: Shades 8.5, 8.75
• Deep: Shades 11, 15

If you’re still not sure, Armani also allows you to virtually try each Luminous Silk shade by clicking the Try It On button.

How to apply the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation

Armani recommends applying the Luminous Silk foundation with a foundation brush before buffing it out for an even finish.

During our Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation review period, we tried a number of different methods of application and the best results we got were when we used a flat-top buffing brush (we recommend the £15 Morphe M6 Pro Flat Buffer Brush) with a damp beauty blender.

1. Shake the foundation well.
2. Apply a pump of Luminous Silk onto the back of your hand to warm it up
3. Pick the foundation up onto the flat-top brush and dab/tap it onto the skin. Avoid pulling the foundation as it can create streaks.
4. Once pressed into the skin, even out the finish using a damp beauty blender.
5. A final, optional step, is to gently buff the surface of the skin with a soft powder/kabuki brush.

FURTHER READING: Best foundation brush for liquid and powder foundations, concealers and more | Makeup brushes 101: How to use different types of makeup brushes

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation Before and After

The image below shows our Luminous Silk Foundation before and after results. We have Light skin with neutral undertones so opted for the shade 4.5 which we feel was a great match.

mamabella | mamabella

The Luminous Silk foundation gives medium coverage and a natural finish

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation: Coverage and Finish

Living up to its name, the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation creates a luminous, naturally radiant finish that feels and looks like silk when first applied. This is no mean feat.

The majority of luminous or radiant foundations we’ve tried have a sheer finish that has a tendency to look almost shiny. While foundations that smooth and mattify the skin as well as this Armani foundation does then tend to flatten the complexion.

Being able to almost perfectly balance the two means the Luminous Silk foundation creates one of the most natural-looking and healthy finishes of any foundation we’ve tried. We’d even go as far as to say it makes us look youthful. Its lightweight formula also means it doesn’t settle into our wrinkles or fine lines, and the subtle luminosity brightens our eye area while helping to lift other shadows across the face.

As you can see in the before and after photo above, one pump of the foundation is enough to cover imperfections, blur the complexion and reduce redness, creating a balanced, even finish. This is the perfect balance for us because our 38-year-old, acne-prone, oily skin doesn’t like full-coverage foundations. They have a tendency to feel heavy, look cakey, and have our skin screaming at the end of the day.

That said, if you prefer (or need) fuller coverage, this foundation is buildable allowing you to create the perfect, desired coverage.

mamabella | mamabella

This is the Luminous Silk foundation in the shade 4.5 – which is for neutral, light skin. On our hand it comes up slightly peachy, but on our face it was a much closer match

We say that the Luminous Silk “almost perfectly” balances coverage and finish because, over the course of the day, the overall effect does have a tendency to drop. By midday, oily patches on our nose and forehead started to peek through and by the end of the day, our redness became more noticeable. That said, this foundation didn’t make our skin feel greasy at any point and to look at us, you’d barely notice these changes. We only really saw them because we know how good our skin looked at the start of the day.

Over the course of our six-week Luminous Silk foundation review period, we also noticed that our oiliness and redness improved generally. Even when we weren’t wearing the foundation. Again, not enough to shift the dial and solve all of our skincare concerns, but enough to notice. What’s more, as our oiliness became more balanced, the foundation’s coverage and finish lasted much longer throughout the day.

This suggests that if you have combination skin, or skin that is oily but not overly so, this foundation could help balance your complexion. It may not be suitable for really oily skin though, as it has a tendency to melt off. Even when setting powder and spray are applied.

Another complaint is that while the glass bottle makes this foundation feel sleek and luxurious, we almost smashed it twice when it fell over in our makeup draw. This is a very minor, and possibly unique problem to us, but at the price of this foundation it had us worried each time. It also worried us when we put the foundation bottle in our suitcase for a mini-break.

Elsewhere, the pump dispenser can be a bit tricky to control. It’s easy to dispense more product than you need, leading to potential wastage. Again, at the price of this foundation, any wasted product is annoying.

Buy now from Boots

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk review videos

@victoria_woolly_web Day 53: @GiorgioArmaniOfficial Luminous Silk – this one is pricey but popular it seems #fyp #fypシ #SuperShow #foundations #mamabella #foundationtest #foundationreview #giorgio #giorgioarmani #luminoussilk ♬ Sunroof – Nicky Youre & dazy

@victoria_woolly_web Based on previous hydration tests, this is around average. Not too drying but doesn’t flood the skin – given its price I expected more but given that it promises a silk finish, this score seems about right #fyp #fypシ #viral #mamabella #foundationtest #foundations #foundationreview #foundation #bestfoundation #bestfoundationuk #bestfoundationever #bestfoundationforoilyskin #bestfoundationformatureskin #giorgioarmani #luminoussilkfoundation #luminoussilk @D @. ♬ BREAK MY SOUL – Beyoncé

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Review: Verdict

Few products come with such high expectations as the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation. Not only does it promise a lot by claiming to give luminous, glowing skin, a silk finish, even skin tone, and skincare benefits, but it’s also one of the most expensive foundations we’ve tried. It has garnered almost a cult following, as a result, while also winning multiple awards.

And in the most part, it lived up to these expectations. The coverage and finish definitely live up to the claims. In fact, we’d go as far as to say they exceeded our expectations and did what we had previously deemed to be impossible – offer the almost perfect balance of radiant, yet velvet-smooth, balanced and even skin.

Despite being lightweight, the foundation lasted better than we expected, too. Patches of oil did start to appear as the day wore on, as did areas of redness, but not to the extent other similarly lightweight foundations have in the past. In fact, this medium-coverage foundation lasted better than some of the best full-coverage foundations we’ve tried.

mamabella | mamabella

Over our six-week Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation review period, our skin was noticeably more plump and hydrated. It felt and looked more balanced and was less inflamed and red

The foundation even lived up to the claims of offering skincare benefits. Over our six-week Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation review period, our skin was noticeably more plump and hydrated. It felt and looked more balanced and was less inflamed and red. It didn’t completely solve our skincare woes, but it definitely made a dent.

The biggest downside is that all of these benefits come at a price. At £45 – or even £27 for the 18ml travel-sized version – this foundation will be out of reach of many people. This is a huge shame because it does live up to the hype and we feel a lot of people would love it. If you can afford it, it’s a worthwhile investment.

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation alternatives: If you can’t afford the Luminous Silk foundation but want a cheaper option with similar coverage, finish, and benefits we highly recommend the L’Oreal True Match (£9.99); Physician’s Formula The Healthy Foundation (£14.59).

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Ingredients

The following list of ingredients is taken from the INCI Decoder website. You can hover over each ingredient to find out more about it.

The numbers next to each ingredient represent its Irritation Rating (the number to the left of the comma), and then Comedogenic Rating (to the right of the comma).

Both ratings are scored out of five and the higher the number, the higher the chance of it causing irritation, or comedones (spots). Green means it has a low rating so is less likely to cause problems. Yellow and red numbers represent high ratings and are more likely to cause problems.

Aqua/Water solv, Cyclopentasiloxane emo|solv, Glycerin sii|h 0 0, Isododecane emo|solv, Alcohol Denat amic|solv|vc, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate emu, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone emu|surf, Hexyl Laurate emo, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate vc, Disteardimonium Hectorite vc, Phenoxyethanol pres, Acetylated Glycol Stearate emo, Magnesium Sulfate vc, PEG-10 Dimethicone emu, Trihydroxystearin vc, Cellulose Gum vc 0 0, Nylon-12 vc, Limonene perf|solv, Benzyl Salicylate perf, Benzyl Alcohol pres|perf|solv|vc, Linalool perf, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate aox|pres, Isobutane, Diphenyl Dimethicone emo|emu, Acrylonitrile/Methyl Methacrylate/Vinylidene Chloride Copolymer, Parfum/Fragrance perf, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate surf, Methylparaben pres 0 0, Butylphenyl Methylpropional perf, Aluminum Hydroxide emo|h|vc, Hexyl Cinnamal perf

Hover the mouse / tap over an ingredient for short explanation. Read more on INCIDecoder.

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Victoria Woollaston-Webber

Victoria is founder and editor-in-chief of mamabella, freelance journalist and Mum. She has a passion for empowering people to feel beautiful whatever their age, size, skin type and budget

The post Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation review: Worth the money or worth avoiding? Before and after images reveal all appeared first on mamabella.

It’s a little over a year since Charlotte Tilbury launched its first “skincare-inspired” foundation called Beautiful Skin.

The brand promised the foundation would be suitable for all skin types, including mature.

It claimed it offered a host of skincare benefits and it said that the foundation is so effective, it can improve your skin with continued use.

In our major foundation group test, it didn’t stack up against many of its rivals but – as with all beauty products – the only way to really tell how good something is, is to test it for a long period of time.

For our Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin foundation review, we used the foundation at least three times a week for a month.

We took before and after photos, tracked its staying power, and put its skincare claims to the test.

Below we explain more about the Beautiful Skin foundation, how it fits in with the rest of the Charlotte Tilbury foundation range, and if it’s really worth £39.

FURTHER READING: We’ve reviewed and ranked the best Charlotte Tilbury foundations

Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Foundation review

The Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin foundation is the latest foundation launch from the celebrity makeup artist.

When it launched in 2022, it took the total number of foundations sold by Charlotte Tilbury to four.

These include:

• Airbrush Flawless: Full coverage; available in 44 shades
• Beautiful Skin Foundation: Medium coverage; 30 shades
• Light Wonder: Light coverage; 12 shades
• Magic Foundation: This foundation line is being discontinued but is still available in select shades while stocks last

Charlotte Tilbury also sells a product called the Hollywood Flawless Filter but this is a “glow booster” rather than a foundation so doesn’t provide the same level of coverage.

The foundation closely resembles the IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better Foundation + Skincare in that they both provide medium coverage while offering skincare benefits from ingredients such as hyaluronic acid. Charlotte Tilbury’s version costs £39, while the IT Cosmetics tube is £32.50. The former comes in 30 shades, the latter comes in 39.

WANT TO KNOW MORE? Best concealer | Best makeup brush | Best foundation brush | Best eyeshadow palette | Best foundation | Best foundation for dark skin | Best foundation for oily skin | Best foundation for dry skin | Best contour kit | Best lip gloss | Best lip liner | Best mascara| Best primer | Best highlighter | Best brow pomade | Best blusher | Best setting spray| Best makeup sets | Best false eyelashes | Best eyeliner | Best setting powder | Best eyelash curlers

Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Foundation: At-a-glance

mamabella

The Beautiful Skin foundation from Charlotte Tilbury offers medium coverage and a radiant finish

What is the Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin foundation? Charlotte’s Beautiful Skin is a medium coverage foundation that promises to hydrate the skin, and ” combine instant glow and buildable coverage with long-term skincare benefits” thanks to the addition of rose complex and hyaluronic acid. Charlotte Tilbury claims the foundation improves the look of skin with each wear.

Beautiful Skin foundation price: £39

How to apply Beautiful Skin foundation: Charlotte Tilbury recommends applying Beautiful Skin foundation to your entire face before buffing it into your skin using a foundation brush.

Who should use Charlotte’s Beautiful Skin foundation? Suitable for all skin types but is particularly good for mature skin.

Where to buy: Charlotte Tilbury | Cult Beauty | Sephora

Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin foundation alternatives: Max Factor Miracle Glow (£12.99); IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better Foundation + Skincare (£32.50)

How we tested Charlotte’s Beautiful Skin foundation

For our Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful skin foundation review, we used it as our go-to foundation for a month. We used it alongside our usual makeup and skincare products which currently include the Embryollisse cream, CeraVe Repair Eye Cream, the Fenty Beauty Match Stix, and The Beauty Crop concealer.

We monitored the Beautiful Skin foundation’s staying power i.e how well the coverage and finish lasted throughout the day. We also assessed how easy it is to apply, and remove.

We also took images of our skin before and after applying the foundation using our smart mirror. This means we could objectively see how well the foundation blurred our pores and covered imperfections and redness.

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Charlotte’s Beautiful Skin foundation shades

The shades of Charlotte’s Beautiful Skin foundation vary slightly from those available with its other foundations. For example, if you’re a 5 Neutral in the Airbrush Flawless foundation you need to get the Beautiful Skin foundation in 6 Cool.

To make this easier, Charlotte Tilbury has created a Complexion Matrix that helps you match a shade in one product to a shade in another. The chart for Medium Skin Tones is below to show you an example, but you can see the matrix for light, tan and deep tones here.

Charlotte Tilbury

Charlotte Tilbury has a Complexion Matrix that helps you determine which shade you need in which range

If you haven’t used a Charlotte Tilbury foundation before, or you’re not sure what shade you need, Charlotte Tilbury also has a Charlotte Tilbury Shade Finder tool, or you can book a 1-2-1 consultation with a Charlotte Tilbury expert if you want to be even more accurate.

We used the Shade Finder tool and were recommended shade 6 Neutral which turned out to be too dark. The neutral undertone worked well, but shade 6 is classed as a medium skin tone, and we’re closer to light and even fair. What’s more, the shade dried down even darker so we had to blend it well for it to look natural and even.

With this in mind, we recommend you opt for a slightly lighter shade than is needed to account for the oxidisation.

Charlotte’s Beautiful Skin Foundation performance

To apply the foundation, we experimented with a stippling brush, a flat foundation brush, a damp beauty blender, and our fingers. The best and most natural-looking result we achieved was putting a pump of foundation on the back of our hand, picking it up with the flat foundation brush and buffing it into the skin.

Due to water being the prominent ingredient in this foundation, the consistency is thin and runny. This meant that using a stippling brush created brush marks on the skin, while the beauty blender absorbed more foundation than we’d have expected, causing the coverage to be thinner than promised.

Speaking of coverage, despite the fact Charlotte’s Beautiful Skin foundation is described as medium, we found it performed better than expected in our orange and strawberry tests. If you’re not sure what we’re on about, check out our How we test foundations to find out which is the best guide. It’s not quite full coverage but it’s closer to medium-full than straight medium in our view.

As a result, the coverage is impressive, especially for such a relatively thin and lightweight foundation. It covered our redness and reduced the appearance of our pigmentation while balancing our overall skin tone.

Upon first application, the finish is soft and gives the skin a natural glow – as promised. However, as the day went on this shifted from dewy to shiny and our natural texture and pores became more visible.

By the end of the day, the foundation had then all but slid off our oily/combination skin and we had to reapply and cover it in powder if we were going out after work and needed our makeup to last. This is despite the fact Charlotte Tilbury claims it will last 16 hours.

While Charlotte Tilbury describes this foundation as “hydrating”, in our hydration test it dropped the levels of hydration in our skin by 0.4 points (-1.5%). This isn’t a huge drop – and the majority of foundations we test drop considerably more – but for a foundation described as being hydrating, we expected more.

In order to see the longer-term skincare effects of this foundation, you do have to wear this foundation daily for weeks. During the course of our Beautiful Skin Foundation review, we saw a marginal improvement in dullness and our dark circles. Our skin did look plump while wearing it but we didn’t see a significant change in our skin.

We also experienced a few breakouts during our testing period, more than usual.

FURTHER READING: Foundation samples UK: How to get free foundation samples online

Charlotte’s Beautiful Skin Foundation Review: Before and After

The image shows how our skin looked before applying Charlotte’s Beautiful Skin foundation, and after.

mamabella | mamabella

Upon first application, the finish is soft and gives the skin a natural glow – as promised. However, as the day went on this shifted from dewy to shiny and our natural texture and pores became more visible

Charlotte’s Beautiful Skin Foundation: Verdict

The Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin foundation launched to great fanfare at the start of 2022. Influencers across Instagram and TikTok flooded to praise the new entry to the best foundation market and while we can’t quite go as far as to say we love this foundation, it’s not a bad product at all.

Its thinner consistency and apple fruit water base make it a lightweight foundation that’s easy to apply and blend. It doesn’t cling to dry skin or accentuate areas of roughness. It’s also more hydrating than other foundations we’ve tried and it creates a soft, natural glow.

The coverage is also impressive, especially for such a thin foundation, and it left our skin looking balanced and even.

However, the brand’s claims about 16-hour wear and its multiple skincare benefits didn’t quite live up to our expectations. The foundation didn’t seem to like our oily skin and slid off within hours of application. This left our skin feeling heavy, and our complexion looking greasy. This obviously impacted its coverage and by the end of the day, the redness on our cheeks and nose was visible.

We saw a minimal improvement in our dullness and dark circles over the four-week review period, but given this foundation costs almost £40, we had hoped for more.

That said, friends of ours with dry skin have said they love this foundation. They said it improves the texture of their skin and doesn’t cling to flaky skin as much as many other foundations do. If you have oily skin, we recommend you opt for the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless foundation instead. It offers a similar performance with a more matte finish.

For everyone else, the Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Foundation has a lot to offer. If you can afford the high price tag, that is.

Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Foundation review video

@victoria_woolly_web This foundation DIVIDED my TikTok. Let’s see what the orange is saying #foryoupage #PerfectPartner #tiktok #fyp #foundationreview #foundations #charlottetilburymakeup #beautifulskin @Charlotte Tilbury ♬ Sunroof – Nicky Youre & dazy

Charlotte’s Beautiful Skin Foundation Formula

Charlotte’s Beautiful Skin foundation is quite ingredient-heavy. There are a lot of oils, extracts, and silicones even though the most abundant ingredients are regular water, and Apple fruit water.

The latter not only hydrates the skin, but it acts as an antioxidant to protect the skin from environmental damage, which in turn gives it anti-ageing properties. Similarly, the addition of glycerin helps nourish and protect the skin.

Of the other ingredients that Charlotte Tilbury calls out on the website, the majority only feature in this foundation in small or even trace amounts.

For example, hyaluronic acid is the 30th ingredient on a list of 35. Ingredients are ordered based on how much of each one is in the formula. The higher up the list, the more of that ingredient it contains. Subsequently, the lower down the list, the less of that ingredient is found in the foundation.

Similarly, the use of Bixa Orellana Seed Extract – said by Charlotte Tilbury to reduce oil and shine – is in 25th place on the list, and the rose extract and fragrance drop even lower.

This isn’t to say that these ingredients don’t bring any benefits. After all, small amounts of ingredients that benefit the skin in a foundation are better than no skincare ingredients. However, this may explain why the improvement we saw in the skin was so minimal. It’s also worth bearing in mind – this foundation won’t be able to replace your skincare, but it may complement its benefits.

FURTHER READING: Skincare ingredient checker: Get to grips with what’s in your skincare with our ingredients guide

Charlotte’s Beautiful Skin Foundation Ingredients

The numbers next to the ingredients refer to their respective irritation and comedogenic rating. If the numbers are green, the risks of irritation and breakouts from that ingredient are low. If they’re red, there is a chance that they could cause problems.

However, the overall formula ultimately determines how irritating, or pore-clogging a product is so these should be used as a guide only.

Aqua/Water/Eau solv, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Water, Dimethicone emo 0 1, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate emo|vc 0 0, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone emu|surf, Mica col, Hydrogenated Ethylhexyl Olivate emo, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene emo|vc 2 1, Propanediol solv|h, Glycerin sii|h 0 0, Trimethylsiloxysilicate emo, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate emu, Sodium Chloride vc, Lauroyl Lysine vc, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer vc, Disteardimonium Hectorite vc, Sodium Dehydroacetate pres, Hydrogenated Olive Oil Unsaponifiables emo, Caprylyl Glycol h|emo, 1,2-Hexanediol solv, Sodium Gluconate chel|h, Tocopheryl Acetate aox 0 0, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Maltodextrin, Bixa Orellana Seed Extract, Pentylene Glycol solv|h, Aluminum Hydroxide emo|h|vc, Butylene Glycol h|solv 0 1, Cassia Angustifolia Seed Polysaccharide, Sodium Hyaluronate sii|h 0 0, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Extract emo, Rosa Damascena (Rose) Flower Oil aox|perf|amic, Rosa Damascena (Rose) Flower Water, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate aox|pres

Hover the mouse / tap over an ingredient for short explanation. Read more on INCIDecoder.

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Victoria Woollaston-Webber

Victoria is founder and editor-in-chief of mamabella, freelance journalist and Mum. She has a passion for empowering people to feel beautiful whatever their age, size, skin type and budget

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