My Foundation Drawer

Foundation Makeup Collection

Today I wanted to share with you, my foundation makeup collection. My eight base products all fit nicely into one drawer and although I feature these products on my Instagram constantly, I rarely talk about them. So this post is dedicated to my foundations and what I love about each of them.

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As I wear foundation 5 times a week, I like my base products to be breathable and offer light to medium coverage. To perfect my complexion and give me so much needed radiance. I do like to have full coverage foundations on hand for photography or days when I feel like I need that little bit extra. But it’s not my main concern, and that’s why so many of my base products fall into the light to medium category.

I tend to get rid of products that don’t work with my skin, either because they break me out, make me look dry or flaky or simply don’t match me. Therefore my current eight have all passed the first few hurdles to earn a place in my drawer, and although I love some more than others, there isn’t a weak link.

Storage

I keep my foundations in my muju drawers on top of my vanity. All eight products fit comfortably in the deep drawers, but if I wanted to buy anymore, something would have to go. I like keeping my foundations to this amount, not just because it fits but because I don’t feel like I’m wasting product and everything is getting used. It’s a manageable number. I try to buy foundations with different finishes/ levels of coverage and slightly different shades so I have all my needs covered. This allows me to have flexibility and a bit of choice without it being overwhelming.

My skin type

Dry, Dehydrated and Sensitive. Occasionally blemish prone.

Estee Lauder Double Wear in 2N1 Desert Beige | £33.50

The Estee Lauder Double Wear has a very big cult following and I feel like there isn’t many beauty addicts out there that haven’t tried this for themselves. It is extremely full coverage, my skin looks like doll skin when I use this. Putting some colour back into my face with bronzer and blush is essential to ensure I don’t end up looking like a pancake.

I find this foundation oxidises slightly, but it still is a good shade match for me. There is a huge shade range with 50 shades total. The finish is extremely matte so I also choose not to set this with powder, as it would dry my skin to much.

I tend to only use this foundation for photography, its breaks-up on my skin after a couple of hours, so doesn’t make a great choice for day wear. The bottle doesn’t come with a pump which drives me a bit mad, but it does allow the bottle to be a bit smaller if space is an issue.

Despite the very matte finish, it doesn’t cling to dry skin or exaggerate texture. I do love how it looks initially and that’s why I only reach for it on those moments when I want a flawless base but I know I can remove it in a few hours. It has a spf of 10 which doesn’t cause any issues with flashback so it really is great for me for short bursts.

I know this is an extremely highly rated product so it must just be my skin that it doesn’t fully agree with. If it was more long wearing on me I would probably repurchase it, but as it stands I prefer the Clarins Everlasting as my full coverage foundation choice.

Clarins Everlasting Foundation+ in Honey 110 | £30

The Clarins Everlasting Foundation + is my go-to for when I want a full coverage base. It’s not quite as extreme full coverage as the Estee Lauder Double Wear but it certainly covers every blemish and leave my skin feeling covered but breathable. It has a natural matte/velvet finish that doesn’t feel heavy on the skin, and I find one pump to be more than enough. Not all full coverage foundations are long wearing. However, the Clarins Everlasting actually is. It lasts the entire day on my skin, even if I don’t set it with powder.

There isn’t a perfect match for me in the range, Honey is a smidgen to dark for me, so I also use the Body Shop Lightening Drops with this too. There are 10 shades in the range, and Clarins has a habit of discontinuing shades that don’t sell well, which is rather frustrating if you become a fan of this base.

I don’t often reach for full coverage but I do love to have this foundation on hand. It agrees with my dry skin and just has more oophm than the usual light glowy bases I go for. It makes for a fantastic choice for evenings. Although it has an spf of 15, I don’t find it causes any flashback in photograph. It does sit on the skin a little more than other bases I have and as a result is not completely transfer proof. It’s a really great performing base and one I could easily see myself repurchasing as it lasts so long and makes my skin look flawless.

Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder in 3 Fair | £32

It wasn’t too long ago I spoke about the Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder, you can catch up on my favourites post here if you missed it. This is one of my favourite bases and something I find myself reaching for constantly. It’s light to medium coverage and ticks all of the boxes to achieve a great base day. The finish is beautifully luminous and glowing. It feels light on the skin and blends in effortlessly. The texture is thin, which makes it easy to build-up for more coverage if needed.

My dry skin is transformed into healthy, hydrated and perfected skin. I find this to be long wearing and totally fool proof. My shade 3 fair, is a really great match for me. The foundation comes in 9 shades in total.

Charlotte Tilbury didn’t disappoint with this one, I love how radiant and healthy my skin looks and even better when it wears well all day. I always have a good makeup day with this one and I highly recommend it.

Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation in Warm Sand 2.5 | £34

The Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation is another of my absolute favourites. This water based foundation looks beautiful on the skin and just seems to skin in, providing a really luminous natural finish. It provides light to medium coverage but I do find it to be buildable as well. The thin consistency makes it easy to blend but also feel light on the skin.

My skin looks really flawless and healthy when I wear this, it minimises my pores and doesn’t make my skin look dry or cakey. The Skin Foundation is one of my most long wearing bases, it doesn’t break down during the day and tends to wear away around the 8 hour mark.

Warm sand matches me perfectly, there are 25 shades in total and I find that there is a good mix of cool and warm undertones. I can’t speak highly enough of this foundation if you have dry skin, it blends effortlessly and is the perfect everyday base.

Swatches from Left to right: Estee Lauder Double Wear in 2N1 Desert Beige, Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder in 3 Fair, Clarins Everlasting Foundation+ in Honey 110 & Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation in Warm Sand 2.5.

Urban Decay Naked Skin One and Done in Medium Light | £28.50

The Urban Decay Naked Skin One and Done offer light coverage and a great option for the summer. I’m almost finished with my current tube of this and although there are a lot of things I love about it, I’m on the fence if I would buy it again.

The One and Done dry’s quite sheer, similar to a BB cream. I find it does a good job of improving the appearance of my skin, but it doesn’t even out my complexion, as much as other light coverage bases in my collection. This sets very quickly and I don’t often find the need to powder it, the finish is quite natural and makes my skin look hydrated. It’s a very breathable base, and although it is so light, I find it still looks skin improving.

This comes in 5 shades, the shade I have medium light, looks darker then my skintone but it doesn’t appear that way on my face. I think as it is such light coverage, you can get away with not an exact match more easily. I love that it has an spf of 20, it makes a great product for the warmer weather, or if you’re in a hurry. As advertised it is a bit of a one and done type product.

I don’t find it to be drying, nor does it make me look shiny, but it does wear away midway through the day. I think if you are looking for a product that really is a light, breathable, slightly perfecting base then this doesn’t disappoint.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo + Unifiant in Light | £16.50

The La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo + Unifant is such a great base for hydrated natural looking skin. I tend to reach for this when I suffering with breakouts, as this works as a bit of a treatment as well as providing some light coverage. I then spot conceal to get my skin looking flawless. This is a very breathable base and just helps to even out my skintone.

I find it does make me look a bit shiny half way through the day, as I have dry skin this doesn’t really bother me, as it’s not oily and doesn’t break down. I tend to keep a powder compact in my handbag which I often reach for midday, so this solves that problem.

The shade selection is very poor, there is only two shades and the shade light is really more of a medium with quite a strong warm undertone. I really hope they build on the shade range and provide lighter and deeper tones.

La Roche-Posay is a great brand for sensitive skin and I find their products to be really high quality which is what drew me to this product. It isn’t as much of a skin treatment as the effaclar Duo + but I do find it helps blemish control and keeping my pore from looking clogged. If you are looking for a treatment light coverage base and have a similar skin tone to me, this is a great one to check out.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in 54 Beige | £9.99

The Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation is the most affordable base in my collection and it certainly doesn’t behave that way. I have repurchased this many times over the years but my current bottle was sent to me by Influenster back in September. As I wasn’t sure at the time which foundation they were sending me, I picked the wrong the shade. In the past I have always gone for 52, which I find to be a better match for me then 54. However, a drop of The Body Shop lightening drops sorts this out, no problem.

This has a very dewy finish but I find I do have to set it, as it doesn’t dry down on its own and stays quite wet without a light dusting on powder. I think the finish is lovely and the light to medium coverage is easily buildable. The only down side to the foundation is the wear time, with a good primer I can get a few more hours out of it but I don’t find it lasts the day. Especially in warm weather.

For a drugstore foundations it’s one of the best, it comes in 15 shades and if you are looking for a lighter coverage/even more glowy option, you can also choose from the Healthy Mix Serum range. It’s a great base and an even better price.

Swatches from Left to right: Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in 54 Beige, Maxfactor Healthy Skin Harmony Miracle Foundation in Nude 47, La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo + Unifiant in Light & Urban Decay Naked Skin One and Done in Medium Light.

Maxfactor Healthy Skin Harmony Miracle Foundation in Nude 47 | £14.99

The Maxfactor Healthy Skin Harmony Miracle Foundation is the newest in my collection as I picked it up only a few weeks ago. I had my eye on this for ages and I’m so glad I decided to pick it up as it been working like a dream. This foundations wears really well, I feel it starts to break up slightly at around the 8 hour mark. I love the naturally radiant finish it gives my skin. The coverage is good, medium but still breathable on the skin. It doesn’t cling to dry skin and blends in easily.

I found it tricky to pick my shade, there are 15 shades in line but I couldn’t find the right undertone to match the right shade for me. I eventually settled on the shade nude, which has quite a strong peach undertone. However, I do find this matches me okay and although it is a little light for me at the moment due to it being summer, It will match me much better in winter.

As I have only had this for a few weeks I’m still putting it to the test but I have been loving it so far. It has an spf of 20 which is higher than most of my foundations and considering its only £14.99 I’m really impressed across the board with its performance, appearance on the skin and wear-time.

I hope you enjoyed finding out about the foundations in my collection. If I had to pick my three absolute favourites, it would be; Charlotte Tilbury’s Light Wonder, the Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation and the Maxfactor Healthy Skin Harmony. These just work the best on my skin and offer me the perfect about of coverage while leaving my complexion looking radiant and glowy.

What is your go to foundation?

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