FIVE FOOLPROOF FOUNDATIONS

Love you! For now.

I am loyal to a fault when comes to friends, my family and my relationship.  

But when it comes to foundation? I am a floozy, a slut and a slapper. Yep, show me a juicy, lightweight, buildable base that lets my skin look like skin, just filtered, balanced and naturally delicious, and I’m done. In life I am monogamous to my core. But in makeup I am easily led.

When I say it takes me around ten minutes to do my face in the morning, I mean it. On weekdays I don’t have time to faff about, but I still want to look above average. My foundation needs to deliver long-term hydration and not go dry or flaky, bond to my skin, melt in without settling into pores or fine lines, tone down the redness, balance my complexion, smooth and blur perceived imperfections and deliver natural looking, dewy radiance. Too much to ask? Absolutely not.

Skin prep is always the first step, and if you don't do this properly your face is not going to last. Take an extra minute to properly massage in your moisturiser and sunscreen so they don't create a barrier between your skin and makeup. My general routine looks like this:

-I whack on my foundation (with fingers or a brush) -Brush a bit of bronzer up my cheekbones (the By Terry Tea to Tan Face & Body mist is lifechanging, in my opinion and the new No 7 Pro Artist Soft Glow Cream Bronzer is also exceptional and blends like a dream). -Bring life to my face with a hit of blush (Celebrity Makeup Artist Michael Brown says blush is like a push up bra for your cheeks and he is not wrong.) -Sweep on some highlighter to the high points of my cheeks and cupids bow

-Give my eyebrows a rough zhush with a quick pencil and gel.

-Plump up my lips with a bit of lippy or gloss.

-Make my mirror face (does everyone have one of these? Mine is slightly flared nostrils, cheeks sucked in and pouty lips. It's all very..... something).

-Ask myself:  How do I look? And if the answer is: Not too shabby, I’m good to go.  

These are some of the best foundation formulas I’ve been reaching for on rotation depending on the day / the occasion / my mood. There are quite a few more, but here are my top five favourites at present.

Well used, well loved.... until the next thing comes along.

Hourglass Illusion Luminous Glow Foundation

What can I say about Hourglass, except that it’s one of the most beautiful, elegant and sophisticated makeup ranges I’ve seen in a while. If you love precious objects, and beautiful skincare-makeup hybrid formulas, you will swoon for this. Like so many good foundations these days, this one contains plenty of skincare ingredients (including hyaluronic microspheres which activate on contact with the skin to lock in moisture, along with SPF 30). Beautifully smoothing, it doesn’t crease into your lines, just refines your complexion and imbues the perfect hit of natural-looking radiance in the loveliest way.

Rageism Glow Boosting Foundation

This is the foundation I reach for when I want a bit more coverage. I always want my skin to look like skin, not like I’ve applied my base with a trowel and this one manages to camouflage the areas I want to look flawless, adds a decent amount of glow without being shiny, and feels creamy but comfortable. Specifically formulated for 40+ skin, this Aussie made foundation that knows how to work with lines, wrinkles, pigmentation, redness, dryness, you name it. Light to medium buildable coverage, luminous, skin-supportive and it lasts. The formula contains light reflecting particles for soft luminosity, oil control thanks to rice powder and kaolin clay and other goodness including hyaluronic acid, soothing allointin, squalane for hydration and green tea for antioxidant protection. An outstanding foundation for ageing skin.

Inclinic Mineral Matte Liquid Foundation

Inclinic – another Aussie genius - makes some truly impressive foundation formulas. The glow booster is gorgeous, and the mineral is great too, but if you want a more matte finish, as I often do, given the regular state of perimenopausal sweat moustache and general hormonal furnace that makes my entire face glisten, I definitely appreciate a more satin finish. This is Matte not like a brick wall. It’s like a soft, suede satin; still luminous but without the shine. Beautiful coverage that really balances your skintone, hides redness, smoothes over pigmentation but still allows the beauty of your natural skin to shine through.

Mavala Serum Foundation

Mavala is a Swiss family-owned and run brand, possibly most famous for their adorable mini nail polish pots, often found in pharmacies. The serum foundation is the ideal makeup-skincare hybrid. It bonds beautifully to the skin, smooths over fine lines without settling into the cracks and generally looks beautiful. Think effortlessly dewy, easy makeup. Just slap it on without any effort and look excessively decent.

Youngblood Loose Natural Mineral Foundation Dry or more mature skin types are often told to stay away from powder because it can exacerbate dryness and fine lines, which is the opposite of what you want. But I have to tell you that my somewhat dry and definitely maturing face really loves this. The powder sweeps on so smoothly, and I look at least as good, if not better, at the end of the day as I do at the beginning. It leaves skin feeling soft and silky, not dry and crunchy. The coverage is exceptional, buildable and it bonds to my skin in a way that feels like a beautiful mineral hug from a powder that wants you to look and feel you best. Feel free to share your favourites!