The best foundations for every skin type, from dewy finishes to matte formulas

Best: For glow

Rating: 9/10

• Finish: Luminous
• Coverage: Medium to full
• Shades: 42
• Longevity: Stays put until take-off

First launched 15 years ago as one of the first-ever full coverage foundations to include skincare benefits, Dior’s forever formula has had a makeover, making it even better. Now, it comes in two finishes: a matte like the original, or this beautiful luminous offering. Both are exceptional foundations, with next-level staying power and an easy to layer coverage for a flawless finish. You can apply a little extra to cover imperfections and skin will still feel light and comfortable. It’s a tough choice between the duo, but this one is our favourite (just!) for the radiance it gives to the skin without it looking unnatural. However, if you have combination or oily skin you will prefer the matte version.

Read our full Dior forever skin glow foundation review

Best: Natural-looking foundation

Rating: 9/10

• Finish: Luminous
• Coverage: Light to medium
• Shades: 20
• Longevity: A whole working day

Even with such a first-rate, luxe line-up of foundations from the French fashion house, this new one might just be our favourite yet. It’s part of the just-launched No1 collection, with a focus on sustainability. The range is centred around the hero ingredient radiance-boosting, red camellia extract, also rich in antioxidants to protect the skin from environmental aggressors.

It’s a hydrating coverage that dry, normal or mature skin types are going to love. The creamy, thick texture also makes this foundation seamless to apply, whether you like to blend with fingers or a brush (use a sponge if you want the lightest coverage).  Expect it to also leave skin super soft and feeling comfortable all day with a luminosity that oozes health – all without masking your natural complexion. We’ve only marked it down for its higher price point than the other brilliant Chanel bases and for its smaller range of hues.

Read our full review of the full Chanel No1 collection

Best: Matte foundation

Rating: 9/10

• Finish: Natural matte
• Coverage: Medium to high
• Shades: 50
• Longevity: Impressive, minor touch-ups if wearing day to night

With 295,000 five-star online reviews, there’s some serious love for this foundation from the New York make-up company. It’s hugely hyped, but for good reason. The brand says that its shade-finder quiz has a 94 per cent accuracy level, and it was spot on when our perfect shade arrived in the post – if it’s not, you can return it. Easy to blend and build up to a fuller coverage without caking, this uses optical-corrective powders to blur and conceal pores and imperfections naturally. With skin-hydrating hyaluronic acid and vitamin E keeping the complexion smooth and plump, this is a real people-pleasing modern matte that will work on all skin types.

Best: Dewy foundation

Rating: 8.5/10

• Finish: Dewy
• Coverage: Medium
• Shades: 30
• Longevity: All day staying-power but oily areas will need setting powder

With much-loved full and light coverage foundations already in the bank, we were waiting for Charlotte Tilbury to launch a medium and buildable formula as good as its predecessors – and here it is. Buff on (a brush worked best for us) for instantly glowy skin – the kind that oozes youthfulness. Stand-out skincare ingredients also include a radiance-boosting rose water and oil complex, as well as moisture-boosting hyaluronic acid so you know it’s doing good for the skin too. You can feel these benefits throughout the day as skin stays beautifully hydrated. This one really is worth the hype.

Read our full review of Charlotte Tilbury’s beautiful skin foundation

Best: Long-lasting foundation

Rating: 9/10

• Finish: Matte and luminous
• Coverage: Full
• Shades: 30
• Longevity: From morning to evening

This next-generation coverage deserves a finish category all on its own, as it’s such a natural-looking matte with a beautiful luminosity to it. If you want a flawless full coverage formula that will blur your pores and cover blemishes and imperfections, but still look natural without any noticeable heaviness, this is it. Like an Instagram filter for the skin, we are so impressed with how lightweight this feels for a fuller coverage, and how it doesn’t budge.

Best: Luminous foundation

Rating: 9/10

• Finish: Natural luminosity
• Coverage: Medium
• Shades: 36
• Longevity: All day, but oily skin types will need to touch up

With a back catalogue containing some brilliant coverages, we had high expectations when we got our hands on the latest Nars formula and it didn’t disappoint. While the brand markets this as a natural finish, the skincare-make-up hybrid leaves a beautiful luminosity on the skin. The lit-from-within glow is thanks to new light-reflecting technologies (hence the name), as well as a photo-friendly powder that responds to light so you’re always selfie-ready. It’s a medium coverage so it still feels lightweight and natural on the skin, but you can build it up to hide blemishes and imperfections should you need to. This is a great addition to the Nars foundation family that sits in the middle between their sheer and full coverages.

Read our in-depth review of Nars’s light reflecting foundation

Best: Foundation for mature skin

Rating: 8.5/10

• Finish: Radiant
• Coverage: Light to medium
• Shades: 18
• Longevity: A good 9-5 day

Less is more when it comes to coverage for mature skin, as a fuller coverage can settle into and draw attention to lines and wrinkles. So when you couple a glow-boosting light finish and a skincare-led formula with a who’s who of superstar ingredients that are going to work overtime too, you’re left with this winning formula. Enriched with skin-brightening vitamin C, skin-firming peptides, skin-rejuvenating pro-retinol, as well as ceramides and vitamin E to name a few more, expect a your-skin-but-better glow with one pump, and a blurring of lines and pores with two.

Best: Matte and light coverage foundation 

Rating: 8.5/10

• Finish: Matte
• Coverage: Light
• Shades: 27
• Longevity: Promises 12 hours, stays put 12 hours

The original cult favourite double-wear foundation is famous for its full coverage, budge-proof matte formula, and this latest version is equally as long-lasting – but as the name suggests it comes in a sheer finish for those that prefer a more natural real-skin look. With a hydrating punch, thanks to a moisturising blend of ingredients including hyaluronic acid, this keeps skin comfortable, smooth and soft, as well as mattified where needed. We’re predicting this is going to become a popular summer foundation with the added SPF 20 too.

Best: Foundation for oily skin

Rating: 8.5/10

• Finish: Matte
• Coverage: Medium to full
• Shades: 50
• Longevity: Budge-proof until take-off

From the palest to the deepest skin tone, you’ll find the perfect shade in Fenty Beauty’s extensive and inclusive colour range, headed up by Rihanna. This bestselling formula is oil-free, matte and buildable, plus it layers well if you want a high coverage or to conceal blemishes. It still manages to feel light, comfortable and silky on the skin, which can be a tough ask in this foundation category. Expect it to keep shine at bay well throughout the day, and stay put no matter what the day throws at you.

Best: No make-up make-up foundation 

Rating: 8.5/10

• Finish: Satin
• Coverage: Ultra sheer
• Shades: 18
• Longevity: Hydrated all day, finish does wear

For the most natural, barely-there, undetectable finish, turn to this next generation formula. Think of it as an in-real-life soft-focus camera filter that subtly evens the skin tone and blurs imperfections without covering them up. It’s water-infused and packed with hyaluronic acid, so it hydrates and plumps the skin, making it feel extra smooth and silky to the touch. It feels ultra lightweight, like a serum rather than make-up, so skin stays fresh looking and feels comfortable all day.

Best: Lightweight foundation

Rating: 8.5/10

• Finish: Dewy
• Coverage: Sheer to light
• Shades: 9
• Longevity: A full working day

Think of this as a moisture-boosting serum with a natural tint. It features pigments that even out skintone while retaining a natural finish, giving a gorgeous no-make-up make-up look. The formula is also packed with hyaluronic acid that leaves skin feeling well hydrated, smooth and plump. It’s so lightweight you won’t feel any tightness, but you will feel it’s like a drink for your skin, especially those on the dry side.

Best: High street foundation for dry skin

Rating: 8.5/10

• Finish: Dewy
• Coverage: Light to medium
• Shades: 20
• Longevity: Touch-ups needed for glow staying power

Hydrating skincare meets a natural, buildable coverage in this new tube foundation. It glides on like a rich moisturiser that’s easy to blend with fingers and leaves a naturally fresh and radiant finish. Enriched with hydrating hyaluronic acid and squalene, as well as skin-brightening vitamin C, this instantly leaves skin plump and smooth with a healthy radiance to it. It’s a shame it’s only available in 20 shades – fingers crossed Max Factor has an expansion planned.

Best: Luxury foundation for dry skin

Rating: 9/10

• Finish: Dewy
• Coverage: Medium to full
• Shades: 31
• Longevity: Flawless and long-wearing for such dewiness

The priciest formula in our line-up is worth every penny if you have a dry, dull complexion that needs a rich hydration boost. The unique formula acts like a veil of moisture to the skin, with buildable coverage and a long-lasting finish all in one. You can buff in the creamy foundation to hide all imperfections and expect it not to budge all day. Plus, the illuminating, light-reflecting finish gives you the most beautiful glowy skin.

Best: Foundation for combination skin 

Rating: 8.5/10

• Finish: Satin
• Coverage: Medium to full
• Shades: 42
• Longevity: All day, but T-zone will need touch-ups

Tricky combination skin types will love the added skincare benefits in this formula, coupled with the classic satin finish (the middle ground between dewy and matte). Infused with skincare powerhouse hyaluronic acid for moisture-boosting, vitamin C for skin-brightening and salicylic acid to work on reducing blemishes and clogged pores, this cocktail of ingredients work on your skin health behind the scenes. While it’s easy to build up to a full coverage, we found a foundation brush is a must for the most seamless application. Oily T-zones will need powder too.

Best: Foundation for acne-prone skin

Rating: 8.5/10

• Finish: Matte
• Coverage: Medium to full
• Shades: 13
• Longevity: Very oily complexions will need touch-ups

This formula does more than just cover up an acne scars and blemishes – it gives it your skin a helping-hand in healing too. The gel base is made up of soothing aloe-vera, rather than traditional oil or water, keeping sore areas calm and comfortable, while the hero ingredient – 2 per cent salicylic acid – breaks down oil and clears out pores. It blends seamlessly unlike traditional acne remedies that can look heavy and obvious, and keeps an oily T-zone shine-free too. Pricey, but worth it.

Best: Semi-matte foundation

Rating: 8.5/10

• Finish: Velvet
• Coverage: Medium
• Shades: 50
• Longevity: Full working day

There may only be one foundation in the Anastasia Beverly Hills line-up, but it’s a customisable coverage that we can’t get enough of. You can build it up from a natural medium coverage that won’t mask real skin to a fuller coverage that will hide imperfections. It applies dewy but dries to a velvety finish that feels lightweight and silky to the touch. Expect it to stay in place all day without any need for powder.

Best: Powder foundation

Rating: 8.5/10

• Finish: Satin
• Coverage: Sheer to full
• Shades: 23
• Longevity: Long-lasting but touch-ups may be needed

Powder foundations are of course another good option for oily, combination or acne-prone skin, but this pot of mineral goodness hailing from Down Under is brilliantly versatile – it will work for all skin types as well as create your desired coverage. Dab and buff on in circular motions, layering anything from a sheer light dusting to a fuller cover-up for days when you just need a little more. Packed with native kakudu plum, which is a rich source of skin-brightening vitamin C, and kaolin clay to absorb excess oil, this mattifies where it needs to while still leaving the complexion with a subtle glow.