Foundation: what would you recommend?

[MrsCocoa]

Seem to have spent my adult life searching for this. But don't think I've ever repeat purchased - so any suggestions?

Am in mid forties with normal to dry skin. Don't want uber heavy coverage, but not sheer either. Both dewy and long lasting would be great but they don't seem to go together. Have pale/medium yellow-based skin tone. Would be prepared to fork out for the right product.

The Boots one where they test your skin with a machine thingy to get exactly the right colour is good. They do a few types of foundation in each colour (except my colour for some reason ).

That's what I'm using atm, and I think it's only £16.

I like Clinique Even Better Make-up, they have lots of shades to chose from. It is a nice natural finish, not dewy or matte, but somewhere in between. Medium coverage I would say.

Over the summer I've been using Boots CC cream. No idea what CC cream stands for - but it's like BB cream. I think. If you aren't used to foundation, maybe that's a good place to start.

Get a beauty counter lady to help you. I know it's painful, but it's worth it.

And don't stick to one foundation for the rest of your life. Change with teh seasons, as years go by and your skin changes.

I used to mix two different shades of the same foundation to get the exact colour of my skin tone.

You need to be brave and make some purchases.

YSL touché eclait foundation is fab.

Have you tried the Chanel Vitalumiere? It's not good for me as my skin is very oily, but for a drier skin it would be great. You should be able to get a sample on counter to see if you like it. Chanel foundation colours are generally quite yellow-based IME.

The YSL one is very lovely but at the moment I'm using the Bourjois Healthy Mix one and I quite like it.

I second Chanel vitalumiere, worth every penny.

I'm using the Dior spray foundation which I love. You spray it direct on to the brush before blending in. The texture and colour work well for me and I like having control over whether to go for a lighter dewy look or a more made up look.

Best ever is Dior. Chanel's ok, but it comes up a bit yellowy. Depends how pale your skin is

NARS Sheer Glow is the absolute business.

I second getting the Boots No7 lady to test you with the thingy.
Then there are quite a few formulations to choose from, I'm loving the compact one.

I second (third?) the YSL one. Very dewy. I have a similar skin type. I also like the bobbi brown moisturising foundation when i need a bit more coverage. Also - try using a foundation brush (if you don't already). I used to be a big believer in using my fingers to apply make-up but, actually, a brush makes it much more even and I use less of it.

Clinique even better - ivory shade. I am 42 pale olive skin. If you need shade number I can find it.

But..... I also use LOreal Cc Cream - anti dullness variety. Brilliant- I sometimes mix with a drop of said foundation- but it's good enough on its own.

I've just bought some bobbi brown tinted moisturiser and the stick foundation. As a brand they seem to have quite a few foundation type options so worth a visit to the counter?

If you are hard to colour match- which I am as I'm very pale- then Bobbi Brown is your friend.

Having said that I can't find a perfect formula in their range, even though I have these:

Moisture Rich- a bit too oily for my normal-dry skin.
Skin foundation- nice but very sheer- I need 2 coats
Stick foundation- good coverage and great for touch ups, but feels a bit like putting concealer all over your face!

NARS- sheer glow- nice but be careful with the shade- they are either yellow or pink. I went for yellow based ( no. 2) and it is quite yellow.

Clinique- have a look at Repair Wear and Super Balanced- both ok but not pale enough for me since they changed the shade range.

Boots No 7- quite nice formulas but even Calico - palest- is too pink-grey for my colouring.

I was going to suggest Chanel and ysl too. Go to a large dept store and explain what you want to try. Take your own little pots that you can order off eBay if you aren't confident about asking for samples and try try try.

Oh- and Clarins Extra Firming is nice- it's one I may repeat buy when I've run out. IMO Clarins foundations are under rated and they get great reviews by the beauty experts. Clarins also do sachets of testers.

let the sales asst be your guide!
Basically they try different shades and you see which disappears the best on your skin. There is pink, yellow and neutral. Estee Lauder is quite good for matching and they said I was neutral- but if I can't get that then I go more yellow toned.

If you have pink skin then you need a pink based foundation.

YSL! It's magical. It makes me look awake and young and healthy when I am none of those things

Back2too
Sali hughes from the guardian advises everyone to go with a yellow toned foundation - flattering as candlelight is the idea.

Clinique even better is my current foundation and probably the best I've ever used.