Foundation Overview

I think it's clear to say that I have an obsession with foundation, I have a ridiculous amount and I always manage to convince myself that I need one more. I thought I would share a few of my favourites, these are the ones I tend to switch between on a daily basis.

Mac Face and Body

This one is more of a lighter coverage than all of the others, the formula is very thin and runny so if you're after a foundation with a lot of coverage; this isn't one for you. However if you want something that feels light on the skin and makes it look like you have hardly anything on, then it's great! A few people compared Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua to this, which I kind of agree on, the consistency and smell is similar. However I personally hated the coverage of Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua and it just slid off my face in a couple of hours. Face and Body doesn't do this and it's used by so many makeup artists for shoots, as it's called Face and Body, it's also perfect for legs; especially if you're going out! When I bought this (and I think this is still the case) they didn't stock it in Mac stores, only online, which is a slight pain when it comes to picking shades. However I find with this foundation, because it's so light, if you get a shade too light or too dark it's not the end of the world as it's easy to blend it in. Because the consistency is very runny, I struggle to use a lot of brushes with it and it just doesn't blend in too well, so I find the best way to apply it is with fingers or a sponge, like a Beauty Blender/the Real Techniques one! They sell two sizes of this, the 120ml which I have and the 50ml. The 120ml is £27 and the 50ml is £21.50. I personally think the 120ml is great value for money, bearing in mind most foundations are only around 30ml! The 50ml one is perfect if you travel a lot or are a makeup artist and don't want the huge on! This is great on my dry skin and is one of the only foundations that I have no problems wearing, it doesn't cling to any dry patches.

Estee Lauder Double Wear

This is probably one of the most well known foundations, I would say this is medium to full coverage. It does cover a lot. However I find that the consistency of the foundation isn't too thick, I know that I expected it to be this really thick, heavy and cakey foundation, which it isn't. This is definitely a matte finish so if you have very dry skin then it maybe wouldn't be great, although I do have slightly dryer skin and it's not too bad on mine. This is available in pretty much every department store/Boots so it's very easy to get hold of. It retails for £29.50 (which has gone up quite a lot since I first purchased it!) so it's definitely pricey! It contains SPF 10 and I have been photographed with flash when wearing this and it did cause flashback, so it's probably not the best if you're going out anywhere that flash photography is going to be used! This is one of the most long wearing foundations I've tried, when I take my makeup off at night, it's ALL still there! I like to apply it with either a Real Techniques Buffing Brush or the Sigma F80. 

Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation
When I first used this foundation, I hated it, I just couldn't get it to work. However, I now love it! I think the key is to start by applying a tiny bit and if you need more, add it. It's one of my all time favourites. The consistency is kind of a mix of a mousse and a gel, it's very thick but I find that it blends really nicely into the skin. It is more of a full coverage foundation with a matte finish that lasts ages! I went out with this foundation on, slept in it (naughty Georgina) and woke up with my skin still looking great! I couldn't believe how good the foundation still looked! I either apply this with a Sigma F80 brush or a wet Beauty Blender style sponge, the latter is probably my favourite way of applying it as I adore the finish the sponge gives! As I said, this is one of my all time favourites, I would  definitely repurchase! It retails for £34.50 so it is quite expensive but you do get 35ml rather than the standard 30ml!

Makeup Forever HD
This is the most recent foundation I've bought, it is called HD as it is meant to look great on HD cameras. I would say this is on the low side of medium coverage, it definitely doesn't cover as much as Nars Sheerglow. The great thing about this foundation is that I find it doesn't look cakey at all, I can keep adding more in the places that I need it and it still looks natural. It retails for £30.95 which again, is a pricey purchase. It is very difficult to get hold of, I bought mine online at Guru Makeup Emporium which meant that I had to sort of guess my shade. However you can go into their store in Kensington if you want to find your perfect colour match, if you live outside the UK it is available at Sephora. (damn you Sephora, when will you open in the UK!?) I love applying this with a wet sponge as it gives such a lovely finish, it lasts really well throughout the day.

Nars Sheerglow
Another one of my top foundations, I tend to go back to this foundation so often! The coverage of this is medium, whenever I talk about this foundation, I say "it isn't sheer or glowy." It is medium coverage and covers well so it definitely isn't sheer and I don't find the finish is glowy or dewy, it does make your skin look very awake and fresh but I would associate "glow" with "dewy" which is definitely isn't. I love the coverage of this and it never looks cakey. I apply it with my Sigma F80 but it works well with most brushes! It retails for £30.50, which is pricey but I think well worth it! This is a foundation I tend to wear when I'm going out (along with Laura Mercier Silk Creme) as it has a lovely finish and contains no SPF! This works great on my dryer skin and I think it would be great on normal skin, if you have oily skin, they do Nars Sheer Matte which may work better at controlling oil. 

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation

This is a relatively new foundation to me, I bought it a while ago but didn't really use it. I find this one very similar to Nars Sheer Glow, it has medium coverage and is very "silky" as the name suggests. I love applying this with a wet sponge as I think it works better on my slightly dryer skin. It retails for £35.50, personally if I had to pick between this or Nars Sheer Glow, I would go with Sheer Glow, I just find it works slightly better on my skin. I know a lot of people use this for weddings as it has no SPF and it photographs beautifully.

If you have any questions about the foundations, leave a comment and I will reply.