Foundation - any good ones?

[strawberrylollipop]

Every time I buy foundation it "cracks" if that's the best way to describe it when it's on my face.
Goes powdery ish - and you can see it's there on my skin.

What am I doing wrong?
Is it the wrong type? Wrong shade? Is there a specific brand that's better than others?

So far I've tried -: natural collection, Rimmel, MUA @ Superdrug, maybelline

Funnily enough I had this problem today. Had been for a consultation with the Bobbi Brown people in John Lewis. She put the foundation on me, and the colour was great. I was jus5 about to buy in when I looked closer in the mirror. The foundation seemed to be peeling, and flaking off. In the end I got some from the Clarins counter and it seems fine.
The Clarins woman said the problem could have been the primer that was applied first. She said that some primers and foundations don’t match

What kind of skin do you have? The most obvious thing that could be going wrong is you’re picking for the wrong skin type.
I’ve got dry skin and have been happily using Nars sheer glow, but recently randomly bought shiseido synchro skin which I’m really impressed by; even at the end of the day you can’t tell I’m wearing foundation, it just looks like (nicer) skin.

Thanks both of you! :-)

My skin is normally quite greasy/oily and very sensitive / very pale.

I might go into one of the make up counters and see if they can help, nearly 30 and starting to see grey circles under my eyes that need hiding as well as some good base make up

Probably need to invest in some anti wrinkle cream too whilst I'm on a beauty haul ha!

Yes, a makeup counter would be a good idea. I've always had good experiences with Bobbi Brown and Chanel.
You may want to look at what skincare you are using - if your skin isn't prepped well then makeup can look bad when applied. You want your skin to feel smooth, plump and hydrated before applying foundation. I personally find using a hydrating serum and a decent moisturiser helps (I have oily skin too, but my skin still craves moisture).
What sort of tool are you using to apply foundation? I always get the best results with a Beautyblender sponge.

Also, anti wrinkle cream will only go so far. If you're still in your 20s the best anti wrinkle cream you could possibly buy is sunscreen!

Maybe that's where I've been going wrong - I've been putting the foundation on straight away

I've got a few of the blender sponge things; and wash them regularly too as someone told me to keep them clean

I have oily skin and swear by Bare Minerals liquid foundation. You apply and blend with a brush then it dries matte. I use a little powder on my nose later in the day if it gets shiny.

Are you using a water based foundation over an oil based moisturiser or vice versa?

I prefer dewy foundations...I hate my skin looking too matte.

I use Bourjois City Radiance foundation and love it.

A primer makes a huge difference to how well a foundation performs.

Imagine painting your front door, you need to prime it first, it is the same with your visage.

Good analogy. You would prime your front door and if you put a water based paint over an oil based primer the paint would crack.

Thank you everyone!

Think I need to invest in some primer too - am going to go into one of the make up counters next week and get some help with proper colour matching etc

I love Smashbox photo finish primer with Estée Lauder Double Wear on top and a MAC Waterweight setting powder. The double wear comes in really pale colours too (I have IC1 shell which is super pale).

Not particularly cheap but I use more budget eyeshadows, brow products and lipstick and spend on base and mascara.