The change of season is the best time to update your current foundations colour and finish, says Editor Trudi Brewer. Here are the latest and some old favourites to find the perfect match for the colouring and needs of your skin.
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Think of these innovative foundation formulas as an extension of your skincare. From hydrating to skin illuminating, there is makeup on offer to meet every woman's skin needs. Here's the latest and a few of our old favourites available online and in-store at Life Pharmacy.
Brightening
Clinique Even Better Clinical Serum Foundation SPF 20, $75.
Clinique Even Better Clinical Serum Foundation SPF 20, $75.
Just launched, if you like a medium to full coverage then this liquid foundation offers all day wear, along with good-for-the-skin ingredients. Namely hyaluronic acid, salicylic acid, vitamin C, and peptides that together, help brighten and blur the look of dark spots while you wear it, while the SPF is extra insurance against sun damage. It is sweat and humidity resistant also, the brand say you can apply this liquid with a brush, a beauty blender or your fingers. There are 20 shades, pictured here WN 30 Biscuit.
How to find the perfect colour match
Try foundation on clean skin, on more than one part of your face. Start on the jawline, and then down the bridge of the nose, and on the chin. Once applied, check the colour in daylight. If the shade blends into your skin and is invisible in daylight, this is your best match.
Lifting & Firming
Shiseido Synchro Skin Radiant Lifting Foundation, $79.
Brand new to the Synchro Skin foundation family, you will not know you are wearing any makeup, with this barely-there to medium coverage liquid makeup. Expect your skin to take on that lit-from-within glow thanks to the light-adjusting technology, a blend of micro-crystals and translucent pearl powders that visibly lift and blur the look of fine lines' and dark spots. Finally, mandarin peel, wild thyme, and beech tree extracts with peptides (protein) hydrate and help correct dullness. There are 16 shades. Pictured here Pine.
Shiseido Synchro Skin Radiant Lifting Foundation, $79
Get the right tone
If you’re undecided on the colour, choose neutral or beige, (not pink or warm) this tone suits most skin types. If you want to warm up your complexion, it's always better to do this with a bronzer dusted on the skin after foundation is applied, rather than going a shade darker with foundation.
Nourishing
Elizabeth Arden Flawless Finish Skincaring Foundation, $69.
Elizabeth Arden Flawless Finish Skincaring Foundation, $69.
Another newbie is a true extension of your skincare, thanks to the hyaluronic acid, vitamin C and E blend in this hydrating foundation.
It promises to be a ‘fresh take on flawless’, with a range of natural iron oxides that help the colour blend seamlessly into any skin tone. It offers lightweight, buildable coverage in 40 diverse shades. Skin looks healthy, brighter, and hydrated. We think this is Arden’s best foundation innovation to date. Pictured here 300N Medium Neutral.
Consider your skin type
Dry and dehydrated skin will benefit from a nourishing liquid or serum-based foundation, with ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and vitamin E in the formulation. Oily skins, opt for a lightweight powder or liquid finish with mattifying, oil-controlling ingredients in the formula such as salicylic acid and clay powders.
Infallible
Yves Saint Laurent All Hours, $102.
An old favourite for wearing out at night, this infallible liquid foundation was created to stay on the skin for hours. In fact you can pull an all-nighter wearing this makeup, thanks to the formula, including black tea ferment, and shea seed cake extract, that instantly blurs pores and fines lines, offering an uninterrupted flawless finish that looks good in any light. There are 11 shades, pictured here B40. For a light coverage use your fingers to apply, for a full coverage use a brush and layer it on the skin.
Yves Saint Laurent All Hours, $102.
Our best application tips
Apply liquid foundation with a short, dense brush, buffed on the skin in circular movements to get a light-to-medium coverage. Then use a flat foundation brush or your fingers to add extra coverage on blemishes or dark spots by dabbing on another layer. To avoid that mask-of-makeup, step back from the mirror and inspect your skin, then only apply foundation where your skin needs evening out; if you need extra cover, zoom in on blemishes with concealer.
Oil Absorbing
Benefit Cosmetics Hello Happy Velvet Powder Foundation, $57.
Benefit Cosmetics Hello Happy Velvet Powder Foundation, $57.
As part of the Hello Happy collection, if absorbing oil or managing shine is your foundation wish, then this formula was made for you. When applied with a sponge, it offers full coverage, or to set a liquid makeup applied with a fluffy brush, this powder is very versatile, and it never looks dry on the skin thanks to the shea butter in the formula. Also, the built-in mirror makes it ideal for touch-ups during the day. There are 12 shades, pictured here 1.
How to get a flawless finish
If your foundation looks patchy or streaky, it may be dehydrated. Always apply moisturiser first, then foundation, or try the new Elizabeth Arden Flawless Start Hydrating Serum Primer, $64. Or it can be dragging lines from using a dirty foundation brush. Make sure you clean your foundation brush between applications. If you have large, open pores, prep your skin with a primer before makeup, such as Try Benefit The POREfessional Pore Primer $60. it blurs the pores' look and helps to control excess oil. Finally, once your makeup is applied, always use a large fluffy brush to buff in the foundation. This ensures it's well blended and not sitting on top of the skin. Suppose you have been heavy-handed mist your skin with Avène Thermal Spring Water, from $13. and press your hands onto your face to remove that excess layer of foundation.