When I first started getting into makeup, I was always really afraid of foundations and other face products and stuck to eye products. In my mind at the beginning, I felt like putting on foundation, tinted moisturizer, or even concealer would look like I was trying too hard. But I soon expanded my horizons beyond the world of eyeshadow palettes and started dabbling in base products. I've amassed a small collection of them, with something for almost every occasion, so I thought I'd go over each of them and when I reach for them the most.
On good skin days when I still need some coverage (I usually always do - my skin is the kind that gets dark spots from old breakouts that take months and months to go away), I'll always reach for my Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer. I'll spare you a long rave because I've mentioned my love for this before, but it's got the perfect amount of coverage to even everything out and cover up any and all redness that tends to creep up around my nose. My acne marks usually show through a little, but I'm usually not bothered as long as the rest of my skin is evened out. It's super moisturizing without getting greasy or melting off halfway through the day and just looks like you have almost perfect skin.
On other lighter coverage days when I don't want such a dewy finish, I reach for the Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation. This has very light coverage, about the same as your average tinted moisturizer, but again gives just enough to even everything out. This isn't as moisturizing as the tinted moisturizer (as expected), so it leaves a more satin finish on the skin. I reach for this one more in the summer when I'm producing my own natural glow.
Another drugstore option that I love is the L'Oreal True Match Foundation. This has more coverage than the previously mentioned bases, and again gives a satin finish. I've been loving the look it gives with my fall makeup, but since I have to mix two shades together (C2 and C3) I'll admit I haven't been reaching for it too often. It's still a lovely formula though, and I reach for it on not-so-great skin days when I have the time to concoct the perfect shade.
The first foundation I bought was the Lancôme Teint Miracle Foundation. I had gone to Sephora determined to get the Nars Sheer Glow and was gutted to find out none of the shades matched me. The woman brought this out for me to try instead, and I fell in love. This has got some serious dewiness to it, so probably not one for oily skin. When you let the bottle sit, you can see delicate veins of shimmer appear at the surface of the bottle, but you never see actual shimmer on your skin. This is great for diffusing the light and blurring imperfections - it hides my acne scars really well. Because of the serious beach-babe glow this gives, I tend to reach for it more in the summer, but I should be breaking it out more in the cold weather because my skin could use some kind of life put into it.
I've saved the best for last - the Diorskin Nude Skin-Glowing Foundation. I've mentioned this already, but seriously I'm in love. This gives such a natural look to the skin while still giving great coverage - I'd say it's a buildable medium. The finish isn't overly dewy or matte. It just really looks like my skin. It's amazing that it allows small freckles to show through (if I choose - I can cover them up with a second layer), yet still covers up redness and hides dark spots. No matter how much I build up (sometimes I like to put two layers on and around my nose to really make sure the redness is hidden), it never looks cakey or like I have anything on. This may be the extent of my collection for awhile because I can't see myself loving any other base product more than I love this foundation.
Have you tried any of these base products before? What's your favorite foundation?