This is a great sheer-to-medium coverage hydrating foundation that blends really easily and still covers up redness and uneven skin tone. If your skin is on the more dehydrated side, this is a great one to try.

You can cover your entire face with just a couple of drops, and it also has SPF protection against free radical damage and is packed with antioxidants. I prefer applying this with a brush because it’s got a pretty liquid consistency and a sponge tends to absorb more of the product.

While Sephora Singapore doesn’t carry the Rainforest of the Sea range, you can still ship it from Tarte’s website (shipping is free if you spend over $112).

I fell instantly in love with the Naked Skin concealer from Urban Decay, so it seemed like a fair bet that the foundation would impress me as well. I took a sample of it with me on a work trip, and tried it out with a primer. It’s been raved about by so many people that I’ve been dying to try it, and so when faced with a big event night out, I took the plunge.

The application was so incredibly flawless with my Beautyblender that I couldn’t stop admiring my skin in the hotel bathroom’s magnification mirror. I had the added advantage of extra nice skin thanks to pleasant European weather, and the overall effect was entirely satisfying. The formula of the foundation is truly lightweight and the finish is a beautifully luminous semi-matte, thanks to the light-diffusing spheres in the foundation.

My skin stayed matte the entire night (again, possibly due to European weather), but I imagine this would hold up fairly well even in Singapore weather with the right touch-up tools (blotters and powder). The shade range is also a huge plus.

This is one of the most forgiving foundations, whatever your skin type. While you will get shiny after a while if your skin is oily, some mattifying primer underneath, setting powder and Urban Decay’s De-Slick setting spray over top will go a long way towards keeping the shine at bay. Truth: That trusty combination got me through many late nights in my late teens and early 20s when my skin was at its oiliest.

The coverage on this is quite buildable so less is more if you’re going for a more natural look. There are plenty of shades in this range (over 30 shades if you head to the brand’s Pro Loft) so there’s definitely something for everyone.

I was so excited about this foundation when I first saw videos about it online. It hadn’t launched yet in Singapore but I’d found out that it was hydrating, had great coverage, and still looked like second skin.

In reality, it performed exactly as it claimed to, but I found it a little too greasy on my oily T-zone. I also unfortunately got a shade that was a tad dark for me. But what I do now is mix it into foundations that are a little too light and matte for me. In other words, mixing it into other foundations gives those foundations a more natural finish, which I’m more in favour of these days.

Pro tip: If you have combination skin, you can still use this on the drier areas of your face to keep them from looking cakey, and blend a more matte foundation across your T-zone.

This foundation has been around for a while, and though it isn’t as watery as some foundations on this list, it blends out really nicely and still looks natural on the skin without feeling sticky. It’s definitely more for normal or dry skin as it might slip on the skin over the course of the day. It does give pretty high coverage while still looking like skin, so it’s perfect if you have plenty of imperfections you want to conceal.

The foundation has a slight luminosity to it and makes your skin look brighter and healthier (almost like it’s gotten a dose of oxygen). I do wish there were more shades in this range, but it has decent variety in undertones if you have light or medium skin. It’s more of a daytime foundation as well, with a decent amount of sun protection (SPF25).

While this isn’t necessarily marketed as a foundation, it does provide some coverage when you apply it. It’s best used under your actual foundation if you want more coverage, but if you just want to make your skin look more presentable and have pores you’d like to cover up, then this is an amazing product for the task.

It comes in a sort of squeeze tube with a removable sponge applicator that is stored in the base. The product has a very watery consistency, so I recommend applying it directly to your skin to avoid wasting any product.

The coverage is very light so your skin looks more even, and it does a wonderful job at minimising the appearance of your pores and other imperfections. Again, the shade range is rather limited, but because of the light level of coverage, the shades are more versatile and forgiving on different skin tones.

This CC cream is one of my favourites because it’s got hydrating properties (thank you, hyaluronic acid), but doesn’t leave your skin feeling greasy. I would recommend going in with a nourishing moisturiser or hydrating primer beforehand if you have dry skin, but normal skin types should do just fine applying this “neat”.

Finish-wise, this CC cream lends a very natural and slightly dewy finish, so if you have oily skin you may want to set it your T-zone with the Bye Bye Pores powder ,which does an excellent job at mattifying and oil control (it holds up all day, no joke), and also smooths over the appearance of your pores. The combination of both products is frankly quite amazing, and has become my go-to for natural work-appropriate makeup.

My only gripe is the slightly limited range of shades and undertones, but they do go into the darker end of the spectrum which is nice.

While the shade range is very limited, the brand has introduced a few more (bringing it to a total of six shades) to cater to slightly deeper skin tones. They still have a ways to go in terms of colour diversity but we’re hoping they continue to expand the range.

While it sounds like the Double Wear Stay in Place foundation (that’s a holy grail for oily skin types that want high coverage), it has a more light to medium coverage and isn’t quite matte. It was created as a more on-the-go option with the sponge-tip applicator and dispenser, but I’ll admit having a brush to blend it out will make your life a lot easier. You also get a fair bit less product than a typical foundation bottle in this tube, so it’s on the pricey end of the spectrum.

If you need a more natural foundation that’s going to stay put, then this is a great option, giving you up to eight hours of wear. You’ll still want to set your T-zone with powder if you have combo skin because it has a more luminous finish that may exaggerate any greasiness.

The latest face makeup launch from makeup giant Mac Cosmetics isn’t about coverage. This foundation is all about being worn sheer, and is as barely-there as it gets. The selling point? An Instagram-ready glow. We daresay it’s a foundation reserved for those more confident in their natural skin, because it’s not going to hide many imperfections.

It’ll even out your skin tone for sure, but most of what the product does involves making your skin look luminous, like a slight makeup filter for your face. It contains opalescent microspheres and a host of nourishing ingredients to keep your skin looking hydrated and fresh all day. The range comes in nine shades from Light (a pale ivory) to Dark Deep (a rich golden bronze).

One of the complexion options is the Clarins Skin Illusion foundation which is yet another incredibly lightweight “bare skin” effect foundation we had to add to this list. It’s got pink opal powder for radiance, is hydrating, oil-free and enhances your skin with light-to-medium coverage. You even get some skincare benefits out of a pink algae extract in the formula for some long-term benefits. My only gripe is the shade range which is extremely limited.

This story first appeared on www.herworldplus.com

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