2024's Best Foundations: Top Picks & Reviews
What really makes the best foundation?
Is it that you look natural with makeup, or is it about staying power and looking flawless all day long? Or does the best foundation subtly cover redness while letting your natural skin glow?
We’ve rounded up our top foundation choices. You’ll find your new favourite foundation here at Beauty Affairs, from sheer, barely there coverage to long-wearing powder compacts.
How to Choose the Best Foundation
When it comes to makeup artistry, choosing the perfect foundation for your skin can seem daunting - at least at first. Shopping for the best foundation starts with recognising which skin type you have, which makes a massive difference to the type and finish of the foundation you buy!
Oily skin will prefer to go with a foundation that has a matte finish. Because oily skin creates a lot of shine, it’s best to use formulas that absorb that excess oil and don’t add radiance to your skin. Not looking too shiny is one of the best ways to look natural with makeup.
Normal skin can wear foundation with a satin or natural skin-like finish. They’re not too oily or overly dry - the ideal canvas for foundation.
Dry skin needs extra hydration to look natural with makeup. If you have dry skin, foundations with a luminous finish add a natural glow without looking overly shiny.
Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Lift and Firm Foundation SPF15
This award-winning foundation from Elizabeth Arden is formulated to nourish skin and provide flawless coverage in a radiant, creamy formula.
Best Foundation for Oily Skin
Our choice in 2023 as the ideal foundation for oily skin is Dior Forever Clean Matte Foundation. This matte foundation absorbs excess oils, ensuring that skin never looks too oily or shiny. The formula also resists transfer, so it stays on your skin all day.
Another bonus to this matte Dior foundation is the SPF built into the formula. The SPF ingredients make this foundation ideal for daytime wear and add another layer of protection to your skin! Dior Forever Clean Matte Foundation has buildable coverage and can be applied to your skin with hands, a makeup brush, or a beauty sponge for a flawless finish on your skin that lasts.
Dior Forever Clean Matte Foundation
Ideal for oily and combination skin, Dior Forever Clean Matte Foundation leaves skin with a flawless, soft-matte finish that keeps oil production at bay. This transfer-proof foundation works to refine pores and perfect skin thanks to nourishing skincare ingredients.
Best Foundation for Normal Skin
The iconic Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation is our choice for normal skin for 2023! This award-winning liquid foundation is a cult favourite worldwide, and for a good reason.
Luminous Silk blends easily into the skin thanks to patented technology that you won’t find anywhere else! Charmeuse Silk, a favourite fabric of the Armani fashion house, inspires the formula.
We’ve picked this as the best for normal skin because of how easily blendable the formula is. Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation doesn’t cling to any dry patches nor adds excess shine to your skin. It’s the perfect balance of adding buildable coverage without flaking or looking cakey.
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation
This luminous foundation perfects skin with an easy-to-blend formula in a wide range of shades. Inspired by the finest fabrics, this award-winning lightweight foundation was designed to correct and unify the complexion for instantly glowing skin.
Best Foundation for Dry Skin
Dry skin needs a foundation with a formula to increase hydration and prevent those pesky dry patches from appearing. Our pick?
Dior Forever Skin Glow Clean Radiant Foundation.
The nurturing, hydrating formula makes this foundation ideal for dry skin. This foundation from Dior doesn’t skimp on all the good stuff foundation needs, either; easy to blend, buildable coverage, and a wide range of shades. The enriched formula doesn’t reveal flaky skin, yet stays put on the skin all day long.
Dior Forever Skin Glow Clean Radiant Foundation
Ideal for normal to dry skin, Dior Forever Skin Glow Clean Radiant Foundation adds a visible glow and skin-perfecting coverage. This formula effortlessly covers imperfections and skin texture, all while infusing skin with hydration.
Best Foundation for All Skin Types
The MAC Face and Body foundation is a versatile foundation that’s a favourite in makeup artistry - especially for fashion shows and catwalks. It’s called “Face and Body” because it was initially created as an all-over formula to be used on the body as needed for fashion photoshoots and the runway!
The latest version of this iconic formula is waterproof and long-wearing on the skin, making it ideal for all skin types. MAC Face & Body is one of the best formulas for making your skin look natural with makeup. This foundation is sheer but is buildable to conceal minor imperfections for a flawless yet natural look.
MAC Studio Radiance Face and Body
Long beloved on red carpets and runways around the world, MAC Studio Radiance Face and Body Radiant Sheer Foundation promises to reveal – and never conceal – the real you with a sheer, radiant, my-skin-but-better finish.
The Best Foundation: Honourable Mentions
Other than skin type, there are a few other factors you want to consider: do you want to look natural with makeup, or do you prefer a full-coverage look? Do you need your makeup to stay put all day long?
What about if you prefer powder foundation?
We’ve rounded up our top two best foundations that deserve an honourable mention for extended staying power, ease of use, and skincare benefits.
Best Long Wear Foundation
Formulated to blend onto the skin and stay there, the Giorgio Armani Power Fabric+ Full Coverage Liquid Foundation is never a letdown when it comes to high coverage and long wear. This full-coverage foundation is surprisingly lightweight, creating a flawless canvas and covering imperfections in an easily blendable, matte-finish formula.
Giorgio Armani Power Fabric+ Full Coverage Liquid Foundation
Giorgio Armani Power Fabric+ Full Coverage Liquid Foundation SPF20 is a full coverage matte foundation. Inspired by the finest silk, this newest addition to the power fabric foundation range lasts up to 24 hours and delivers all-day comfort with its lightweight and non-drying formula.
Best Foundation for Beauty Newbies
When it comes to applying foundation without fuss, you can’t go wrong with powder. Powder foundations easily blend onto your skin with a fluffy brush, and lend a perfect mix of coverage and mattifying effects. Powders are also less prone to streaking like liquid foundations are - perfect for those new to makeup artistry on themselves.
Our recommendation? MAC Studio Fix Powder. Available in a huge range of shades, it’s ideal for all skin tones and types.
MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation
A one-step powder and foundation that gives skin a smooth and even ultra-matte finish with medium-to-full buildable coverage, with a velvety texture that allows skin to breathe.
How to Choose the Right Foundation: Key Tips
The best foundation for you first depends on your skin type. Oily skin will prefer a matte finish to avoid looking extra shiny, while those with dry skin will prefer a dewy finish. It’s easier to blend powder foundation onto skin compared to liquid - so those new to makeup may prefer a powder foundation finish.
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