This year base makeup is giving skin a breather, moving further away from heavy, pancake foundation in favor of more fluid, lightweight tints, BB creams and skincare or serum-makeup hybrids.
Even full-coverage options feel featherweight, look like real skin and come laced with hydrating ingredients to dial up the glow.
Where you put it on your face might evolve, too.
“Gone are the days where we put foundation all over our faces, the freshness and skin within is what we want to see,” says Louise Rae, makeup artist, Mecca Education Partner and co-founder of Y & L Beauty makeup and hair studio.
Rae tips the new coverage approach to be the bare minimum but with maximum impact.
“There are ways to get coverage with your foundation without applying many layers everywhere,” she says. Indeed these lighter products are often used sparingly, with a few dabs of concealer blended over top, just where needed to minimise darkness or blemishes.
Versatility translates into value and with purse strings tightening, the appeal of ‘do it all’ products can’t be denied.
Skincare benefits abound in cosmetics but expect even more hybrid innovation, from body, hair and fragrance products too. ILIA’s recent C Beyond Triple Serum SPF 40 is a good example. The skincare-focused 3-in-1 serum combines Vitamin C, niacinamide and mineral SPF with a translucent tint that makes skin look fresh and bright.
Here are five of the best recent foundation and skin tints that deliver a fresh, even appearance and natural glow.
Westman Atelier Vital Skincare Complexion Drops
Those used to full coverage may have a bit of a transition into using these new hybrid products, but getting to know the real texture and tone of your skin is worth it. These drops transform from a lightweight oil to a cushiony serum as you blend with your fingers, evening out skin tone with light-to-medium coverage, delivering juicy, healthy-looking skin. Brand founder and celebrity makeup artist Gucci Westman says she was inspired create “potent skin care that would act like makeup,” so its no surprise this also comes loaded with a Skin Vitality Complex designed to improve texture, firmness and radiance with Tsubaki Oil, Ginseng and Pomegranate Extract. Though it does have botanical oils, its also non comedogenic so it wont clog pores, but its best for dry to normal skin-types.
Maybelline Instant Perfector 4-in-1 Glow Makeup
Want a quick and easy do-it-all product? This newbie touts a few talents, but we like it for a quick dab of glowy colour to smooth out any dull or dark areas. You can also use it as a primer or concealer under another foundation as it does have a slightly shimmery finish. It’s a similar product to Charlotte Tilbury’s famous Hollywood Flawless Filter in that it’s meant to impart a real lit-from-within finish. One downside is that there are only a few shades available, but the brand claims the formula is adaptable, so its sheer nature means it extends over a wider range of skin tines, rather than needing an exact match.
M·A·C Cosmetics Strobe Dewy Skin Tint
You’ll find a little less coverage but just as many skincare benefits in this sheer, illuminating tinted moisturiser with light-bending effects. It has hyaluronic acid, shea butter, squalane and vitamin e to ensure your skin looks and feels lush and bouncy and bright. It’s beautiful particularly useful on dry skin and works well on people of all ages. You will need to be able to cope with a dewy feeling on skin, as it doesn’t dry down completely.
By Terry Eclat Opulent Serum Foundation
Intended to nourish and enhance mature skin, this is a stunning product with a little more coverage but still a lovely lightweight feel on. It has just the right amount of luminosity without looking sparkly, and comes infused with hyaluronic acid spheres to plump out lines and Protectine, an antioxidant agent that helps skin cells defend against free radicals that impact skin aging. It’s a pricey commitment but a little goes a long way when applied with a densely-bristled foundation brush.
Kosas Revealer Skin Improving Foundation SPF 25
More coverage than the previous options with a medium buildable finish, but still a modern formula full of skincare benefits. It also has one big additional plus, the addition of SPF filters to protect from UV damage. It gives a nice natural day look and feels lightweight on.
