Your favourite foundation

[SaltySeaBird]

Hello

What's everyone favourite foundation? I'm on the dregs of a bottle and need to get a new one tomorrow but I'm a bit out of love with recent purchases.

I've just finished a bare minerals liquid foundation. It was a bit too pale, gathered in my fairly minimal wrinkles and aged me terribly. I only persevered because I didn't want to throw it out.

Prior to this I used a Clinique Super Balanced foundation but found it hard to blend and gave me a slightly orange hue. It dried my skin out badly too. Then before that I used Clinique Moisture Surge but again it gave me a slightly orange hue.

I'm 36, have good skin with a few light lines, reasonably even skin tone. I don't want heavy coverage, just something light and moisturising to even things out and give me a fresh dewy look. My skin tends to go quite dry with make up but heavy moisturisers and oily products give me an awful break out. Happy to spend up to £30 on a bottle but equally happy with a £5 bottle if it does the job.

Another vote for Urban decay, that stuff is amazing!

My faves are Lancome Teint Miracle, Armani, the Clarins one in the square bottle and Chanel, the vitalumiere and the one with the black lid. All fab, so go by your budget.

It got the Good Housekeeping gold award and many of those ladies have been around decades more than me ( am turning forty shortly). I tried it on and looked like I had had a really long restful holiday... about 5 years ago. Marvellous! I didn't know make up could do that!!!

Bare minerals original powder over BM primer.

I wouldn't look any further than Chanel Vitalumiere. Lovely light dewy finish but with decent coverage. Skin looks really silky and smooth with it on.

Mac face and body is amazing if you have decent skin. I love it! In the winter months or when the seasons changes my roseaca plays up so i need something abit more heavy duty. Will try some of your suggestions here. Have searched for so many years for my hg foundation. I would love to find it.

I just started using Estée Lauder Doublewear, it's a revelation! If you ask at their counter they'll give you a fairly generous sample (lasted me 2 weeks!). I work very long shifts as an ED nurse and nothing shifts it!

I use Bourjois Healthy Mix serum, I am pale with good skin but some reddishness, and this is just perfect, light coverage, moisturising and stays put all day. The yellow tones balance out any redness perfectly and the finish is dewy without looking greasy.

I did like YSL touché éclat one but it didn't last on me and was a bit too glowy somehow, I felt a bit glow-in-the-dark.

Okay so I'm going to hit the counters and try out:

Lancome Teint Miracle / Lancome Air De Teint
Chanel Vitalumiere (although slightly over budget)
Armani Silk (again slightly over budget)
Mac Face and Body

I'm passing on any Clinique due to the drying effect and orange glow (I've tried several and did use it more regularly when I was younger). I'm not going to try Bourjois either as I can't do yellow tones.

YSL I had once before and liked a lot but obviously not enough to stick with it as a forever foundation.

I might have a look at Revelon and No7 as comparisons too as it seems a bit silly not to even try the cheaper products but I've never found a cheap foundation that's done the job very well before. They tend to be too thick or only last 5 minutes.

I'll report back tomorrow evening!

Laura Mercier Silk Creme and Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua are my favourites.

Be aware that all Lancome foundations have a high alcohol content which is an irritant to skin. You can actually smell it when you open the bottle.

OP- you might find Clinique Perfectly Real foundation worth a try- it's the only pale one that suits my skin colour and doesn't go orange. All the rest are now too dark. Bobbi Brown does a good colour range but most of the foundations have poor coverage unless you go for the compact sort.

I'm still a fan of bare minerals and about to try the brand new serum mix. It's very well priced but I'd like to know if anyone's tried new range after the powder formula and if it's worth a test. It's autumn so need more moisture is this the answer?? Thank you

I'm always looking for the holy grail, too. This thread has given me some ideas. I will check out Bourjois and Chanel.
I, too, have redness so Bourjois sounds appealing.

Another grail hunter...

What did you go for OP?

Recently I have really rated the Max Factor creamy one, round dippy pot, can't remember name Crème something or other, was about £8 and just fab. Similar (but even better than) to the Clarins Instant Smooth I used to use.
Also on the cheap end I like Bourjois Healthy Mix (but not the serum one, the serum one feels slimy, as does Vitalumiere, after reading on here about Vitalumiere for yeeeeears I was hugely disappointed with it)

My Mum, who is 70, has fantastic skin, and always gets asked about it. She uses Clinique laser repair foundation (or something with laser in the title) and I think I might try that next.

Estee Lauder tango's me. All of it. Every single one. I think all their foundations must be on the "pink" rather than the "yellow" spectrum because the cheaper ones (Bourjois etc) that are yellow-y match me much better, despite only having about 5 shades to choose from.

I want to try the Max Factor Illuminise one, as I'm a sucker for a bit of illumination on an advert!

Just got a sample of the Lancone Air Teint miracle on the basis of this thread. Will try today .
Normally wear Bobbi Brown but fancy a change

By Terry Eclat Opulent. Eye-wateringly expensive but you need very little and it's also like a skin treatment. You just look like you're wearing no make up and your skin is great.

In the interests of cutting back I switched to Armani Maestro a few months ago and my colleagues started asking me if I hadn't slept well last night! And by lunchtime, I had to reapply anyway so I reckon it balances itself out because you end up using a lot more of a cheaper foundation. Eclat Opulent looks the same all day and well into the evening. Try get some in a sample pot from Space NK.

Dame - is the colorstay whipped better than the original?

You've probably already decided now OP but after years of using BM and hating it...I've moved to Pur minerals which is a 4 in 1 pressed powder, its really good. M&S sell it in the UK (its a US brand)

ARGH hope I'm not too late

Mac Mineralize, it IS the bollocks, loads of compliments on my ancient booze addled wrinkly face if that helps.

Damn, now think I need to try the By Terry next time I'm in Space NK. All the online reviews are stellar as well. Though does it have the weird strong rose smell the lipsticks have?

Well, I went to the Chanel counter when I was in Boots and she put Perfection Lumiere on me. I don't think I really care for it.

However, she was really, really nice and she convinced me that I should wear pressed powder. She didn't sell me any - just told me that a regular pressed powder patted on would help my foundation stay. I never liked the way it made me look when I'd just put on foundation but I have noticed that in photos I look red and shiny if someone takes pictures when we're on a night out. So I bought some Max Factor powder to put on for when I go out.

I'm a huge fan of Bobbi Brown mainly because it's one of the only ones that coped well with my pale colouring.
I've got the foundation stick & the moisture rich (nice & light)
I love it because you can't tell I'm wearing it except I'm more perfect than without it.
I don't wear loads of foundation just generally to cover dark circles & even out colour.

I used to like Double Wear Light (Double Wear is way TOOO heavy) and Mac but I am now a convert to Bobbi Brown foundation.

Agree wtih PP, you cannot tell you are wearing foundation with it. It is truly excellent stuff.

I've tried a lot of foundations from every price point. Currently really liking the new Boots no 7 stay perfect superlight.