The Foundation Guide #2 | Inside my Stash (with Comparisons & Swatches)

It’s time for the second instalment to my Foundation Guide! If you missed the first part, where I talked about finding the perfect base for you, catch up here. This time we’re going to be going through my stash and I’ll be talking disappointments, shade matches, favourites and comparing similar formulas. I really hope this is helpful and answers some of the questions I get.

Let’s start off with a quick (ha!) breakdown of my stash in order of coverage.

Light CC and BB Creams and Tinted Moisturisers

The Body Shop All-in-One BB Cream | £12

Coverage: Very Light

Finish: Natural - Dewy

Staying Power: Not great

Colour Match: Shade 3, which is ok

This really isn’t one I reach for much as I do appreciate a little more coverage and something more long-lasting and less dewy.

Sleek CC Cream | £8.99

Coverage: Light

Finish: Natural-Dewy

Staying Power: Good

Colour Match: Light - a pretty decent match for me but slightly neutral-toned

This was my everyday base a year or so ago and I still do think it’s a pretty good option if you’re on a budget. Although it’s dewy by my standards, I do find it quite long-lasting and although it’s light coverage it definitely colour corrects and evens out my skintone.

Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream | £9.99

Coverage: Light

Finish: Natural

Staying Power: Good

Colour Match: Bronze - a bit too cool and a tad dark on my skintone.

This is a really nice formula and I do like it for an everyday base but the shade selection is pretty rubbish and even mixing different colours couldn’t get me a decent match.

The Body Shop Tea Tree BB Cream | £8

Coverage: Light

Finish: Matte

Staying Power: Good

Colour Match: 03 - this is far too dark for me and the next shade down is too light and they don’t seem to mix together to anything more helpful and this is why I don’t reach for this. However it is nice to see a proper matte BB cream as opposed to something that’s no different to a tinted moisturiser.

Nars Pure Radiance Tinted Moisturiser | £29

Coverage: Light

Finish: Natural

Staying Power: Very Good

Colour Match: St. Moritz - Virtually Perfect

This is by far my favourite tinted moisturiser as it has a really natural finish without being too shiny for my combination skin. Although it’s light coverage, it really makes your skin look flawless. Your skin but better in a bottle, if you will.

Cover FX Mattifying BB Gel* | £35

Coverage: Light-Medium

Finish: Matte

Staying Power: Amazing

Colour Match: G Medium-Deep - Virtually Perfect

This was my go-to over summer as it’s really impressive coverage for a bb product. It also has a matte but non-drying finish that can withstand boiling temperatures.

Light-Medium Natural Skin Foundations

Natural skin foundations don't have a particular matte or dewy finish and are usually light-medium in coverage, which makes them perfect for everyday wear.

EX1 Invisiwear Liquid Foundation | £12.50

Coverage: Light-Medium

Finish: Natural

Staying Power: Not great

Colour Match: F300 - Pretty good, though it could be slightly more yellow in tone

This is quite a nice foundation I just have ones I like better. However if you have medium-olive skin and struggle with the drugstore, this affordable brand is worth checking out as all their shades lean towards these sorts of tones.

Sleek Bare Skin Foundation* | £8.99 (discontinued)

Coverage: Light-Medium

Finish: Natural

Staying Power: Decent

Colour Match: Bamboo – this isn’t the best, it’s very orange in tone

This is actually a really nice drugstore formula for everyday wear, though unfortunately it does seem to have been discontinued. Whilst it does have an unusually large selection of shades, the tone of this isn’t quite right for me so I tend not to go for it.

Oxygenetix Oxygenating Foundation* | £45

Coverage: Light-Medium

Finish: Natural

Staying Power: Good

Colour Match: Walnut (I do also have Taupe, which is too light and neutral) – this is quite a good match though I would’ve liked more warmth.

This is the one I go for when my skin is in meltdown as it doesn’t clog my pores or break me out more. It gives good coverage whilst still allowing the skin to breathe.

Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation | £31.50

Coverage: Light-Medium

Finish: Natural

Staying Power: Ok

Colour Match: 4.5 - Very Good/Virtually Perfect

I really love this foundation as I feel it delivers on the flawless skin front whilst still feeling so lightweight on the skin. My downside is that my skin tends to drink this up in the summer especially and it can get a bit dewy as the day goes on.

L’Oreal True Match Foundation (Original - discontinued) | £9.99

Coverage: Medium

Finish: Natural

Staying Power: Not the best

Colour Match: W4 + N7 – the letters and numbers seem to stop corresponding to anything halfway through this range so N7 is actually warmer than W7! I can get an ok-ish match by combining the warmest shade W4 with N7.

I really do like how this looks on the skin, despite the dodgy shading. It’s the perfect coverage and finish for day-to-day wear, though I do think it has a tendency to break me out which is such  shame!

L’Oreal True Match Foundation (New Formula) | £9.99

Coverage: Medium

Finish: Natural

Staying Power:

Colour Match: W6.5 – Not Great as this is too dark and too neutral in tone. For some reason W6 doesn’t seem to exist in the UK and I think that would probably be my match!

I won’t get too into comparing the two here, as that’s going to happen below!

Cover FX Natural Finish Oil-Free Foundation* | £34

Coverage: Medium-Full

Finish: Natural

Staying Power: Good

Colour Match: G50 and G60 – it’s a good match when I mix the two together as I seem to be right in between shades!

All in all I really like this foundation as a slightly more hydrating option that doesn’t feel too dewy for my combination skin.

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation | £7.99

Coverage: Medium-Full

Finish: Natural

Staying Power: Good

Colour Match: 402 Bronze – This is an ok colour match but it’s a tad dark and a tad neutral in tone

I actually really like the formula of this so it’s a shame the colour match ironically isn’t so perfect. All in all it’s a great drugstore foundation that isn’t matte but isn’t hydrating either.

Medium Buildable Semi-Matte and Satin Foundations

These are probably my favourite finish and level of coverage for my combination skin on a day-to-day basis as they’re generally long-lasting and provide enough coverage without masking the skin.

Cover FX Custom Cover Drops* | £32

Coverage: Medium

Finish: Satin

Staying Power: Very Good

Colour Match: N50 – this is the right sort of shade for me but unfortunately it’s just too neutral for my warm skin tone so I think I could really do with getting G50 instead.

The word ‘innovative’ probably gets bandied around a bit too much but I genuinely think this product is! These are essentially colour-adjusting drops that can be added to a foundation that’s not quite the right shade, mixed with a tinted moisturiser or worn alone. I need to play around with these more but so far I love the amazing but virtually undetectable coverage they offer.

Makeup Forever HD Foundation (Original - discontinued) | £29

Coverage: Medium

Finish: Satin

Staying Power: Good

Colour Match: 127 – this is a tiny bit too light and not quite warm enough, I did order online though so it was always going to be a bit of a gamble.

I wanted to love this foundation but I was a tad underwhelmed; the formula was nice enough for me but nothing out of this world. Paired with the far-from-ideal shade, I rarely use this.

L’Oreal Infallible Matte Foundation | £7.99

Coverage: Medium

Finish: Semi-Matte

Staying Power: Very Good

Colour Match: 30 Honey – a really bad match for me but the shade selection is so limited that not even mixing shades gives me something acceptable. It’s really cool-toned so just looks ‘off’ on me.

I like the formula of this well enough but not enough to wear that shade. This was such a disappointment to me as I really thought I’d love it.

MAC Studio Fix Fluid | £22

Coverage: Medium-Full

Finish: Satin

Staying Power: Very Good

Colour Match: NC40 – pretty much spot on for me, most people should be able to find a match in this.

This is an oldie but a goodie for me! I love the coverage and the satin finish to balance out my combination skin. It isn’t especially buildable though.

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation | £31

Coverage: Medium-Full

Finish: Semi-Matte

Staying Power: Excellent

Colour Match: Stromboli – perfect for me.

This is my holy grail everyday foundation as it keeps my shine at bay, provides the perfect amount of coverage (which can be built to full) and the shade match is perfect.

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation | £29.50

Coverage: Medium-Full

Finish: Semi-Matte

Staying Power: Good

Colour Match: Shade 7 – this is close to perfect for me.

This is the foundation I use when I want to switch it up from Sheer Glow as they’re very similar (we’ll talk more about that later!) It really like how it looks matte on the skin without being drying.

Full, Matte Foundations

I don’t own too many completely matte, full-coverage foundations as they’re more something I’d wear for a night out than on a day-to-day basis. However if you want to have a flawless, shine-free finish then this is the formula for you.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Light | £29.50

Coverage: Medium-Full

Finish: Matte

Staying Power: Excellent

Colour Match: 4.5 – this isn’t a great match for me as it’s too dark

I would like to pick up the correct shade in this as a really like the formula of this. It’s just as long-lasting as my other Double Wear (which we will get to shortly) but has a lighter, more daytime-appropriate coverage.

Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot Foundation | £12

Coverage: Medium-Full

Finish: Matte

Staying Power: Good

Colour Match: Caramel – I would have preferred it a touch lighter and warmer but this is probably my best drugstore match

This is a bit of a nightmare to apply without it going patchy and it definitely clings to dryness. However once it’s on I do really like how it keeps my face shine-free and gives a full coverage without being suffocating.

Revlon Colourstay Foundation for Combination/Oily Skin | £12.99

Coverage: Full

Finish: Matte

Staying Power: Very Good

Colour Match: 330 Natural Tan – this is right in terms of light vs. dark but it’s way too neutral in tone for me

I cannot fault the formula for this if you’re after matte, full coverage, however the lack of warm-toned shades in the range stop this being a love for me.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup | £30

Coverage: Full

Finish: Matte

Staying Power: Amazing

Colour Match: 3W2 Cashew – very good colour match for me. If I were to nit-pick it’s slightly more orange than I like

This is my ultimate night out foundation as it’s incredibly long-lasting, a good colour match and provides a full, matte coverage.

My Favourites and Best Colour Matches

My favourites (in order of coverage):

Nars Pure Radiance Tinted Moisturiser

Cover FX BB Gel

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation

MAC Studio Fix Fluid

Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup

You can read a review of all but the Nars Tinted Moisturiser (which can be found here) in this post

The best colour matches in my stash (in order of how close they are) are:

Nars Sheer Glow in Stromboli

Nars Pure Radiance Tinted Moisturiser in St. Moritz

Cover FX BB Gel in G Medium-Deep*

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation in Shade 7

Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation in 4.5 Warm Natural

The almost-perfect colour matches (these two lean more towards orange than yellow in tone but they're nearly there for me):
Estee Lauder Double in 3W2 Cashew
MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC40

The ones I can make work for me or depend on the time of year (as before):

Bourjois 123 Perfect in Bronze

EX1 Invisiwear Foundation in F300

Sleek Bare Skin Foundation in Bamboo*

Cover FX Custom Cover Drops in N50*

Estee Lauder Double Wear Light in 4.5

Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot in Caramel

Formula Comparisons

Nars Sheer Glow vs. CT Magic Foundation

A few people have asked which I prefer out of the two of these, as I must say they’re quite similar. In short: the Nars. They are very similar in coverage (being medium but effortlessly buildable to something fuller) and both look natural but flawless on the skin. The finish of the Nars Sheer Glow is a tad less matte than that of Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Foundation. I think the staying-power is better with the Nars Sheer Glow in my experience. Stromboli in the Nars is pretty much identical to Shade 7 in the Charlotte Tilbury, I would just say that Shade 7 is the tiniest bit lighter and more neutral.

L’Oreal True Match (Original Formula) vs. L’Oreal True Match Formula

L’Oreal recently reformulated their True Match Foundation and repackaged it. Whilst I was pleased to see the sleeker, more premium packaging I was concerned by the shimmer in the new version that had not been present in the original. Whilst it doesn’t translate to the skin, I’m not quite sure what purpose it’s supposed to serve. I definitely find the new formula more easy to blend and long-lasting, however it is a tad dewier on the skin which means my face gets a little more shiny throughout the day.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup vs. Revlon Colourstay for Oily/Combination Skin

If you can find a colour match in the Revlon then it’s a really good drugstore alternative to Estee Lauder’s Double Wear. They both have a full, matte coverage and are easy to blend. I would say the Estee Lauder is longer-lasting, however the Revlon is still pretty good. For me though, the wider shade range in Double Wear makes it the one for me.

Nars Sheer Glow vs. L’Oreal Infallible Matte

Another product that seems to get compared to Nars Sheer Glow is L’Oreal’s Infallible Matte. I can certainly see why, as despite the name the L’Oreal formula is more semi-matte than anything else, though it is a tad more drying than Nars Sheer Glow. I would say the staying power of each is pretty much the same, along with the medium coverage. For me, though Sheer Glow just sits that bit better on the skin and gives a subtle radiance that the L’Oreal doesn’t. Also the shade selections are polar opposites with the L’Oreal being one of the poorest I’ve seen and the Nars being one of the widest.

Phew! If you stayed until the end of that: congratulations. I hope you found it helpful and make sure to come back in a fortnight to read all about my favourite tools and application tips.

What are your favourite foundations?

 

Don't forget to follow me on:

Twitter | Bloglovin | Instagram

*DISCLOSURE - ITEMS MARKED WITH AN ASTERISK ARE PR SAMPLES/GIFTS. ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN. PLEASE VISIT MY DISCLOSURE PAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION.