Foundation alternatives!

[BigCheese24]

I need help! I am so sick and tired of waking up early to put on a full face of makeup everyday. Primer, foundation, concealer, powder, blusher the lot. It's tiresome.

But I work customer facing in a bank and I am way too insecure to go to work with a naked face.

Please can you recommend / suggestions of what I can change? I don't want to look glam I just like to use makeup to hide all the bad bits (redness in cheeks, acne scars, dark circles under eyes)

I've been sitting looking up tinted moisturisers, bb/cc creams etc and tbh I don't understand any of it and feel overwhelmed!

For context, I'm 32, very pale (red undertones) with brown hair.

Beauty experts - please help!

Erborian bb cream is my favourite for this. I would use it straight over my serum and it was a nice light coverage but blurring and covered my dark circles. Also has a reasonable SPF in it. I'm trying the garnier bb next as erborian is so expensive. I always end up going back to it though. I'm very pale and shade Clair erbotian bb works.

I use spf (cerave 50 and then bog standard 50 altruist on top) and blot with tissue a bit. Then use bare minerals powder foundation. Their warmth powder, and then a blusher and it lasts well.

Have a little pot of foundation and an old warmth in my bag for touch ups.

Occasionally their cream concealer in the inner bits of eyes but tend to use a highlighter powder there now

I second the Erborian - I prefer the CC cream however, as it has a sheer coverage and looks like bare skin (minus the imperfections).

Used bare minerals spf cream foundation stuff for years too, it's lovely. Factor 30. But wanted to up the spf.

How is your skin? Do you have a good skincare regime? That's going to be the key for wearing less makeup.

I never wear foundation but I do make sure I am very well moisturised and layer my morning skincare: serum, moisturiser, face oil, moisturiser - thin layers. But I have very dry skin and if I work in an office it sucks the moisture out of me. Do what works for you and you skin type but any makeup sits better on well moisturised skin.

I dot Charlotte Tilbury's Hollywood Flawless Filter on my nose, forehead and top half of face then blend. I follow that with Nars Radiant Concealer over any red areas or spots - for me that's my cheeks, nose, chin and sometimes when spots have appeared on the hormonal beard area! (I'm menopausal) I buff that in with a brush or just use fingers. I use very little - just enough to even out. Then I put bronzer (Benefit Hoola) over my cheekbones (not under as a contour), temples and across my nose. I use the same bronzer in my eye sockets. I sweep a light pinky shimmer across my eyelids (think it was Aldi) and in the corners, put mascara on (Revolution), some tinted lip balm (various but the pink Lanolips is ace) and it all looks like me but vastly better! It also takes about five minutes and I don't look heavily made up. I dye my eyebrows so I don't have to worry about them.

I've fannied about with various other concealers but nothing tops Nars for me. There are a fair few Flawless Filter dupes out there (including a new Aldi one) but the bottle I have at home has lasted over three years now. So it's very cost effective and I think it is a wonder product.

I have the erborian cc cream too but I can only wear it when I have a tan, even the lightest shade is too orange otherwise

I have tried a number of tinted serums/moisturisers.

No7 hydra luminous tinted moisturizer is nice and a good match for my skin, I use the second lightest one

Sculpted by Aimee skin tint is good (it has sunscreen as well) but it does give me a bit of a shiny face so it's not my first choice tbh

Currently I really like Revolution skin silk, I saw an add for it the other day as it was released recently. It is a foundation but it is very light coverage. They have a good shade match thing on the website, I used it and it was bang on. I thought it was worth a try for a tenner! The concealer is good too.