The 11 best foundations to suit all skin types - and FYI, they all have skincare benefits

MAC Cosmetics' iconic matte foundation has been remastered with a soft-matte finish, with lightweight, natural-looking coverage that feels breathable on skin. I love using this foundation - it's easy to apply and the pump gives you just the right amount. What's more, it features 87% skincare ingredients – including hyaluronic acid and red algae extract to hydrate the skin, and sugar kelp extract to help control oil.

MAC Cosmetics' iconic matte foundation has been remastered with a soft-matte finish, with lightweight, natural-looking coverage that feels breathable on skin. I love using this foundation - it's easy to apply and the pump gives you just the right amount. What's more, it features 87% skincare ingredients – including hyaluronic acid and red algae extract to hydrate the skin, and sugar kelp extract to help control oil.

If you've seen this foundation all over TikTok you're not alone! It has gone viral since Stephanie Valentine (aka Glamzilla) showed it off on her socials. It glides on like a dream and is sweat-proof and waterproof - making it perfect for your next holiday. "Oh my god, it's so good!" she declared as followers - myself included - rushed out to buy it. 

Glamzilla applied using a brush, and then went over it with a beauty blender. It has real staying power but still lightweight.

If you're a regular on TikTok you'll have seen all the praise for Lady Gaga's medium coverage foundation - it has been getting rave reviews, and Molly Mae even recently declared it her favourite foundation right now. The weightless, gentle foundation includes fermented arnica that helps reduce redness and protects from environmental stress.  

Made with 20+ skincare ingredients, this award-winning Triclone Skin Tech Medium Coverage Foundation with Fermented Arnica formula delivers ultra-comfortable, longwear performance without compromising your skin. 

Its weightless, serum-like texture seamlessly blurs and smooths for a natural, luminous finish that wears all day. No slipping or caking. 

As we age, we can develop more redness or imperfections. However, many foundations don't work with mature skin. Bobbi Brown recommends using her What The Foundation, a sheer foundation formula with light pillowy coverage. 

A complexion enhancing skin tint formula that locks in moisture, doesn’t dry out the skin and leaves skin looking fresh and healthy.

Containing key skin boosting and restoring ingredients including Jojoba Oil and Vitamin E, as well as sodium hyaluronate and glycerin, this breathable and lightweight formula evens out skin tones whilst providing a veil of hydration. She also recommends her Jones Road Miracle Balm as an all over colour corrector and skin tone to bring some life back into some skin that needs a bit of help.

Fun fact! Charlotte Tilbury secretly tested the Beautiful Skin Foundation on her celebrity clients for the three years leading up to the launch. Promising dewy, hydrated skin (without shimmer or glitter), this foundation was designed to bridge the gap between Charlotte’s Light Wonder Foundation and Airbrush Flawless Foundation. Expect a buildable, medium, long-lasting coverage that’s natural, not cakey, and dewy, rather than matte.

It not only covers imperfections and gives a dewy finish, but is packed with active skincare ingredients to treat the skin along the way. A multi-tasker if ever we saw one.

Discover a flawless-looking base with the cult-favourite Double Wear Stay-In-Place Makeup by Estée Lauder. The buildable, medium-to-full coverage foundation encourages a seamless mattified finish. Offering up to 24 hours of wear, the lightweight foundation features a water, sweat, heat and humidity-resistant formula, while seeking to remain colour-true with an airbrushed effect. Fortified with SPF10 protection, the multi-benefit formula works to blur the look of imperfections and improve the appearance of the skin tone, alongside helping to minimise the appearance of unwanted shine for lasting 'just-applied' freshness.

Armani Luminous Silk always makes the cut and it's popular for a reason - in fact, it's believed it's Meghan Markle's favourite foundation because it lets her freckles show through. The formula is so lightweight, but it still blurs the skin and covers the odd small blemish.

Dior Forever foundation has reinvented the natural complexion with Natural Nude, and if you want to look natural but with an even skintone, this is the foundation for you. Enriched with 96% ingredients of natural origin and concentrated floral skincare, you get the fresh and lightweight foundation with all the benefits of luxury skincare. What's more, it has real staying power, too.

The Bobbi Brown long-wear foundation lasts 16-hours, is incredibly breathable and weightless, and provides natural matte coverage with an SPF component. The foundation visibly minimises pores instantly and strengthens skin’s barrier over time, while it hydrates instantly helping to conceal redness and discolouration. The formula also helps keep excess oil and shine in check, making it a perfect foundation for oily skin.

Estée Lauder's Futurist SkinTint Foundation is a silky serum with added skincare to keep your complexion looking radiant all day long. Infused with botanical oils and SPF 20, this lightweight foundation is perfect for everyday with 8 hour staying power. With its extra moisturising properties, it's perfect for those with a dry skin type.