WHAT’S THE MOST NATURAL LOOKING FOUNDATION?
{Foundations} - the 'underpinnings' of your make up but when badly chosen and/or applied, they cheapen your entire look. In Britain - with a heritage that includes a very healthy dose of Anglo Saxon and Celt – and has an SAD-inducing lack of sunshine that can make even the warmest complexions look grey, we need good foundations more than most. Here are our top 6 for different skin types:
This buildable base is not exclusively for older skins – it works brilliantly for anyone on the normal-to-dry spectrum – but that said, Studio 10's {Age Reverse Perfect Canvas SPF30} is a foundation specifically designed to enhance and unify skin with wrinkles and enlarged pores. It's full of antioxidants and vitamins to improve elasticity and promote healthy cellular regeneration, and the light reflecting particles visually blur those pesky imperfections (such as blemishes, dark spots and broken capillaries).
Both of Jouer Cosmetics' tinted moisturisers are oil free and cling like Velcro to even the oiliest surfaces. {Matte Moisture Tint} – the first of its kind – is the perfect formula for shine-prone, combination skins (younger sister to the famous {Luminizing Moisture Tint}, which isn't here because you're all so tired of us banging on about it). This is not flat matte (which can look very ageing) – it still has a vague dewiness that creates a beautiful, lit-from-within finish. You can trust this one not to budge - ideal when you have a busy day ahead. (every day).
Resultime by Collin's {Multi-Corrective CC Cream SPF 30} is so hard-working, you would be forgiven for thinking its hive of activity was creating that 'soft focus' finish. High end, moisturising skin care meets silicone-encapsulated pigments, allowing the colour-correcting formula to glide over skin and create the ultimate, flawless canvas without settling in creases. This is no-make up- make up as it should be – totally weightless and beautifully barely-there. Highly recommended!
Omorovicza's very welcome foray into cosmetics harnesses all of the brand's signature skin-loving thermal minerals in a {Complexion Enhancer} that unifies all skin tones using natural ingredients. We don't know how they've done it, but this truly is 'one-colour-suits-all'. It has mineral SPF and successfully conceals and blurs imperfections so subtly, it looks like you're naked (in make up terms, anyway). This is a favourite of clued-up menfolk because of its ultra-discreet finish.
Kevyn Aucoin's {The Sensual Skin Enhancer} is a thick, full-coverage foundation-cream that can be used 'neat' to conceal, or custom-blended with moisturiser to create a bespoke finish. Applied to well-hydrated skin with a good foundation brush, a little goes a long way – just blend with a buffing brush and your efforts will be repaid with the most stunningly flawless complexion. It's ideal for disguising discolouration without looking 'cakey'.
Lisa Eldridge's fave, Face Atelier's {Ultra Foundation} is waterproof and has a high silicone content which means it applies effortlessly and doesn't look patchy at the end of the day, no matter your skin type. It's no coincidence that Madonna insists that every member of her concert troupe wears this – even through the sweatiest of workouts (or dance offs) this will. not. budge.
Cult Beauty’s Content Editor and a Cult Beauty OG, Verity loves nothing more than the marriage of language and lip balm. A quintessential Libran, she’s a self-professed magpie for luxury ‘must-haves' and always pursuing the new and the niche — from the boujee-est skin care to cutting-edge tech. Balancing an urge to stop the clock with her desire to embrace the ageing process (and set a positive example for her daughter), Verity's a retinol obsessive and will gladly share her thoughts about the time-defying gadgets, masks and treatments worth the splurge...