My Top 5 Foundations

My Top 5 Foundation post is due for an much needed update (old one from 2015 is here), since in the past years I've discovered three foundations that really impressed me. My skin type hasn't changed since I've done the last post, nor do I have any different preferences than before. I'm happy to report that in the past three years I found foundations that I don't like just for the formula, but also by some divine intervention also fit me in terms of shades. What a time to be alive! My skin is normal-combination that is drier in winter and oilier in the summer months. I still prefer to wear foundations that look natural on the skin and I'm prepared to sacrifice high coverage for that.

MAYBELLINE Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation

100 Warm Vanilla

Coverage: light-medium

Finish: semi-matte

Undertone: yellow (both 100 and 110)

Price: 8.99 €

This very quickly became my favourite foundation ever, knocking Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum of its throne where is reigned for over a half a decade. It ticks all the boxes for me, from being a very natural looking foundation that has a great finish on the skin, to the most important part for me - it's my perfect shade (colour 100 Warm Vanilla. Not sold in Slovenia, I got mine in Austria. You can buy it online on Feel unique). The formula is light and pretty much invisible on the face when you blend it and the finish isn't that mask-like matte, instead it's more of a semi-matte and unlike a lot of foundations, it looks nice over pores as it somewhat fills them up a bit, therefore provides a very smooth base. I try to use all of my foundations, which means I rotate them a lot and every time I come back to this one, I'm just shocked at how nice it makes the skin look. I've worn it all year round now, so when my skin was drier and when it was a bit more oily, which means I can now say that it doesn't cause dry patches on drier skins, but it's not an amazing foundation for very oily skin because it's not matte, neither does it stay semi-matte, as even on me I notice some shine of the forehead on hotter days (doesn't bother me at all). For normal-combination skin that is in neither in the extremes of being very dry or very oily, it's a perfect foundation. Coverage is light-medium, so those who love a lot of coverage, you won't like it as much, but for me it covers enough. Just a heads up, this exists in two versions, the tube and the bottle one. The latter is sold in the US and has different shades (starts at 110, which I think is equal to our 100) and I'm not 100% sure it's exactly the same, but it's praised a lot.

Full review.

MILANI Conceal + Perfect 2-in-1 Foundation + Concealer

00A Porcelain

Coverage: medium

Finish: satin

Undertone: neutral/peachy

Price: 12.49 €

I'm not big on high coverage foundations because I never like how heavy they look up close, but this one I get on with. I've loved this foundation for a while now, but I only had the original lightest shade which was actually the darkest and most yellow shade in my collection, therefore completely unwearable for me. I recently got the lightest shade they have now, which Milani finally created on their third try hence the weird numbering and I was so delighted at the discovery that it's one of my best matches I've found. It's the closest shade to neutral I own, though it has a subtle pinky-peachy undertone (swatches). The formula is thick, it could almost be a cream foundation, so I apply it in sections and it covers quite a lot as far as I'm concerned, so I tend to skip concealer with this (I've also used it as a concealer in combination with Fit Me). It doesn't sink into pores, though it doesn't hide them like the Maybelline one and the L'Oreal foundation bellow, it also doesn't emphasise any dry areas. I fell in love with it because it was one of the rare foundations that didn't slip into my nasolabial lines, though by now since they are more intense than they used to be, they are visible with it, but it doesn't make them worse than they are without foundation. Staying power is impressive and it manages to last very long on my skin, but more importantly it fades nicely too, though there is one thing that I noticed only at this shade and not 01 - it fades a bit strange on my nose, not patchy or clumpy like Sheer Glow, but strange, so I mix it it Fit Me there and it works perfectly. As far as medium coverage foundations go that work for me all year round, this is by far by favourite.

Full review.

BOURJOIS Healthy Mix Foundation

50 Rose Ivory

Coverage: light-medium

Finish: dewy

Undertone: pink

Price: 9.99 GBP

I'm a huge fan of Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum and I think I'm currently on the fourth or fifth bottle, but the lightest shade is too dark and yellow for me. Luckily, this is almost exactly the same formula and it's available in a shade 50, which is finally not just a pale, but also a pink toned shade (Bourjois foundations tend to run very yellow). Formula is pretty much a dead ringer for the Serum version, so a light texture that sets completely, leaving no tacky feeling behind, which is rare for a foundation that fits drier skin types. It's got a similar coverage as the Fit Me, so light-medium and it has this wonderful natural, invisible finish with a nice healthy, dewy glow. It's a foundation that doesn't emphasise uneven texture, which is the reason I fell in love with the Serum version years ago because regardless of the condition of the skin, for example dry patches, big pores or lines, this never makes the skin look bad, it just evens it out and creates a healthy looking finish. Shade 50 is a smidge too dark for me if you really pay attention to the difference between my neck and my face, so I occasional use the TBS Adjusting Drops with it, but on most days I don't bother because it blends in the skin nicely. This is great for dry to combination skin, but skip it if your skin is oily.

Full review.

BOURJOIS Healthy Mix Serum

51 Light Vanilla

Coverage: Light-medium

Finish: dewy

Undertone: very yellow

Price: 15 €

My good old friend for many years. Serum is a foundation I trust without fail to this day to make my skin look and feel good. It never looks cakey or weird, it just looks like skin and that's why I love it so much. Texture, how it looks and feels on the skin is pretty much the same as the other Healthy Mix, so light-medium coverage, it sets perfectly with no tackiness, it has a natural, dewy finish and it doesn't emphasises the skin texture. It's basically the dewy version of Maybelline Fit Me. I've gone through several bottles of this before I found a better fitting shade 50, but I still use this one, I just mix it with TBS Adjusting Drops.

Full review.

L'OREAL Infallible 24H Matte Foundation

10 Porcelain

Coverage: Medium

Finish: matte

Undertone: pink

Price: 10.90 €

This is my foundation for when my skin is a bit more oily that usual. It's got the best matte finish and it holds the oils well, but it has an extra big plus - this hides pores like nothing I've tried, including primers. It's better than Maybelline Fit Me in this respect, but it's also quite matte, so I avoid it in colder months. It's got a medium coverage that's similar to the Milani one. I have noticed though that with a brush I don't get such a flawless result when it comes to pores, so my preferred method of application is with fingers - well, at least when it comes to the areas around the nose. It's one of those foundations that dries fast once applied, so you don't have a lot of time for blending it in and that's why I apply this foundation in sections to avoid any unblended patches of foundation. I have the lightest shade 10 Porcelain which is a bit too dark for me as well as quite pink, so I need to mix it with Adjusting Drops to wear it. If you have oily skin, this a foundation worth trying.

Full review.

THE BODY SHOP Adjusting Drops

Lightening

Finish: doesn't interfere with the texture of foundation

Shade: off-white pink

Price: 14 €

This isn't a foundation, but I can't do this post without it. Even though in recent years I've found foundation shades that actually fit me, I still need to resort to lightening drops for much of my foundations and these are just fantastic. They are an off-white pinkish liquid that has plenty of pigmentation, so one drop lightens quite a lot, for almost two shades I'd say (you can see how they work with each of my darker foundation in the review). Even if you find you need to use a lot of drops, this doesn't interfere or ruin the original consistency of the foundation. They aren't greasy, they don't ruin the foundation's staying power or change the finish. These are so worth those 14 € because then you'll be able to use up all of those miss purchases and also will be able to buy hyped up foundations that don't have light enough shades.

Full review.