Foundation is one of those much maligned makeup products.If people are accused of wearing too much makeup, foundation is usually the culprit. You can normally get away with blobbed mascara or gloopy lipgloss. But streaky, caked-on foundation can’t be ignored. It also has a tendency to make skin look ‘flat’ and can settle in lines and creases. And if you get the shade slightly wrong it can make your face look a different colour to the rest of your body. That is, if you can actually find your shade in the first place, which many women particularly with darker skin tones still cannot. (Made evident by the fact that when Fenty Beauty launched in 2017 with 40 shades of their Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation (£27) customers were queuing around the block —the darkest shades being the first to sell out.)
Hence it’s understandable why many of us avoid foundation altogether, exacerbated by people wearing less makeup since lockdown and the growing emphasis on skincare over makeup. I personally don’t care for a ‘flawless face’ — in the same way I don’t care for the beauty industry’s obsession with anti-ageing and having wrinkle-free skin. For me, skin should have texture and tone, lines and creases, light and shade. Freckles are beautiful (Meghan Markle famously showed off hers on her wedding day) and I love dark circles to a degree — they give a face character.
And don’t get me started on the trend for wearing foundation to the gym. (Who wants to be sweating under a layer of greasepaint? You’re just asking for a breakout…)
But foundation can still have its uses. If you have severe acne, pigmentation or rosacea, it can be like armour. (Vichy Dermablend Corrective Fluid Foundation (£20) is fantastic for all of the above.) Plus, while some of us like yours truly don’t want to look ‘flawless’ we definitely want to look less tired.
I prefer to apply foundation a bit like a concealer, dabbing it on in a ‘butterfly’ shape, covering my under eyes, nose, lips and chin to mask prominent shadows and redness without hiding my natural skin altogether. I’m a fan of Monika Blunder Beauty Blunder Cover (£40), a solid cream foundation which comes in 14 shades which can be mixed and matched. It blurs the boundaries between foundation and concealer, blending in easily and adding coverage where needed. As I don’t cover my entire face, I’ve never felt the need to find an exact shade match — like others, my skin tone changes with the seasons anyway. Plus I always follow up with a sweep of bronzer across my temples, cheeks and jawline to add some colour that my natural skin tone lacks.
Whether you prefer a full face of foundation or not, remember beauty isn’t one-size-fits-all. Many brands offer trial sizes and samples, so have a play around with different shades and textures —powder is usually best for oily skin, cream or fluid for dry skin — to see what suits you best. Just have fun and remember, there are no rules! (Just don’t wear it to spin class, I beg you.)

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