ZedDash

Best premium foundation

Pat McGrath Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection Foundation

Why we love it: Pat McGrath has done it again. This serum foundation has a silky formula that blends and builds seamlessly to give you a perfect medium coverage that wears comfortably for up to 12 hours. Featuring a soft focus satin finish, its light-as-air texture is infused with ingredients renowned for their hydrating and smoothing skincare-like properties. Now, excuse us while we add it to our shopping cart.

Best foundation for a radiant finish

Dior Forever Skin Glow Foundation

Why we love it: Dior's radiant fluid foundation is made with a base that enables it to intensely hydrate the skin, to let it breathe and to visibly improve the complexion by giving it a glowy, radiant finish. It even has ingredients like extracts of iris, wild pansy, hibiscus and nasturtium – it's practically a skincare product.

How to colour match your foundation

Before picking the shade, make sure to figure out your undertone first: is it pink (cool), yellow (warm) or neutral? Don't disregard this step, because getting it wrong will result in a situation where the skin looks completely different from the rest of your body. There are a few ways that can help you determine your undertone: some say that if you think you look better in silver - you're team pink, if it's gold - yellow, and if it's both - neutral. Another one is to take a look at your veins that are visible through the skin on your wrist: do they look blue? Then you're likely team pink; Are they more on the green side? Then you're probably team pink. Both? Neutral.

Now that you got your undertone right, it's time to pick the right depth of the shade. For that, we recommend first narrowing down three options that you feel like could be the closest match. In order to avoid getting a foundation that might be too dark or too pale for you, ideally, you'd have the opportunity to try the product in-person. Ask the in-store MUA (or ask if you can try it yourself) to apply a small amount of each shade onto your cheek area that's closer to your jawline. If it blends seamlessly, then it's a win. Alternatively, many brands also have their own virtual shade-matching quizzes that are surprisingly accurate (Il Makiage, anyone?)

Lastly, it's also good to keep in mind that our complexion changes with the seasons. During the summer, most of us tend to get more tanned up than usual, while the colder months can leave us more on the pale side. So to think ahead, it might be worth getting two shades, especially if you're someone who loves a good self-tanner sesh.

Should you use a foundation brush or sponge?

When it comes to makeup application, there's only one rule: there are none. It really all comes down to your own preferences. A beauty blender or a makeup sponge will leave an air-brushed finish, but it will also likely soak up some products in the process, so if you're into a full coverage look, this might not be the right fit for you. You also have your foundation brushes, which are great for more liquid-y formulas, but do keep in mind that some might leave streaks. OR you can also settle for the best of both worlds and try both: spread the product with a brush, then dabb the excess and blend the rest with a makeup sponge. Lastly, you have your trusty fingers, which has been one of the most reliable methods for years and is perfect if you're after a natural finish.

Foundation and SPF

A common misconception is that if you see that a foundation already features SPF protection then you don't need to apply sun creams or sunscreens to protect your skin from UV rays. Don't let it fool you, as there's a good chance that the advertised amount of SPF isn't nearly enough to do the job (that's right, even if it claims to be a CC+ cream with SPF 30 or SPF 50). So generally, it's always worth applying a broad-spectrum face SPF before slathering on your foundation – yes, that means during the autumn & winter too.

Foundation and Primer

Have you ever spotted your foundation sliding off your face throughout the day, leaving your face looking patchy and uneven? Chances are, your face primer and foundation might not be from the same family, meaning that the key ingredients may not be compatible. For example, a water-based primer will work best with water-based foundation but not with an oil-based foundation, as that will cause it to separate. Silicon primers and pore-refining ones are great if you want to minimise the appearance of your skin's texture and are after a matte finish. And water-based are perfect for hydration.

For more shoppable beauty content from Glamour UK Commerce Writer Denise Primbet, follow her on Twitter @deniseprimbet and Instagram @deniseprimbet.

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