The best foundations for every skin type

From oily to dry to combination skin, we’ve got you — and your face — covered with the top foundation recommendations

Published Oct 18, 2024  •  Last updated 7 minutes ago  •  6 minute read

The best foundation for your needs. Photo by Getty Images

Face it — foundation is an important step in any makeup routine if you’re looking to add a little extra coverage to your look. I’m helping you take the guesswork out of which foundation you should add to your makeup routine by rounding up the best foundations to shop for your skin type and budget. From splurge-worthy to budget-friendly to everything in between, these are the top foundation recommendations to add to your shopping cart if you’re in the market for a new makeup must-have.

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Summary of the best foundations

Best bang for your buck: L’Oréal Paris True Match Foundation
Best for oily skin: Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Foundation
Best for dry skin: ILIA True Skin Serum Foundation
Best for combination skin: Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation
Splurge-worthy: Yves Saint Laurent All Hours Foundation
Luminous and glowy finish: Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Perfect Glow Flawless Oil-Free Foundation
Long-wearing: Revlon ColorStay Liquid Foundation (Combination/Oily)
Best powder foundation: Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Powder Foundation

About the foundations

Best bang for your buck: L’Oréal Paris True Match Foundation

L’Oreal Paris Super-Blendable Foundation. Photo by Amazon

Features: This super blendable, skincare-infused foundation boasts a natural glow and is specially formulated to match your skin’s unique undertone. This moisturizing foundation is ultra-breathable- making it ideal for day-to-night wear — plus, it comes in 45 shades.

What it’s best at: If you’re looking for beauty on a budget, L’Oréal Paris has some incredibly affordable options to consider adding to your everyday makeup routine. As a brand that is committed to advanced beauty care that centers on quality and innovation, this foundation is a must-add-to-cart because it features new shade-matching technology designed to help you find your true perfect match.

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Price: $21
Where to buy: Amazon | Shoppers Drug Mart

Best for oily skin: Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Foundation

Double Wear Stay-in-Place Foundation. Photo by Sephora

Features: This full-coverage, long-wearing foundation offers a flawless, matte finish that’s great for combatting shine. Designed to help even out skin tone, the Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Foundation features a fragrance-free ingredient list and is available in over 55 shades. This is also a great option for the warmer months as ​​it feels lightweight and comfortable on the skin in which it is also built to last in the heat and humidity.

What it’s best at: Estée Lauder is highly regarded for its lineup of prestige beauty products inspired by the desire to “invent the unexpected.” Driven by a passion for innovation, the brand is consistently revolutionizing the beauty industry with new and exciting products while ensuring its customers’ core staples remain as must-haves in any and every collection. In fact, the Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Foundation is noted as an Allure Best of Beauty award winner. 

Price: $67
Where to buy: Sephora | Shoppers Drug Mart | Estée Lauder

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Best for dry skin: ILIA True Skin Serum Foundation

True Skin Medium Coverage Serum Foundation with Niacinamide. Photo by Sephora

Features: An ideal option for dry skin, the ILIA True Skin Serum Foundation is your skin, but better! Offering a natural finish and medium coverage, this is the perfect everyday makeup base that also features active levels of skincare ingredients. Win-win. Ingredients such as niacinamide help to visibly smooth and refine texture while aloe works to nourish and hydrate the skin.

What it’s best at: As a sustainable, skincare-powered makeup brand, ILIA is all about putting your skin first. With products formulated to be skin-centric and clean, the brand champions transparency throughout its product range and offerings. The ILIA True Skin Serum Foundation is a thoughtful skincare/makeup hybrid designed to promote a radiant, healthy complexion while ensuring a natural finish. 

Price: $73
Where to buy: Sephora | The Detox Market

Best for combination skin: Rare Beauty Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation

Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation. Photo by Sephora

Features: This natural finish, medium coverage liquid foundation feels weightless upon application and is perfect for combination skin. Formulated without parabens, key ingredients include a unique botanical blend of lotus, gardenia, and water lily designed to work in harmony while calming, soothing and nourishing the skin.

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What it’s best at: Rare Beauty is on a mission to create makeup that you feel good in. Since the brand champions body positivity, Rare Beauty is redefining beauty by offering a product lineup that is all about embracing your natural self and highlighting your features. The Liquid Touch Foundation does just that by letting your true skin shine while providing an innovative, breathable formula that can be layered to achieve your desired coverage without caking or clogging. 

Price: $41
Where to buy: Sephora

Splurge-worthy: Yves Saint Laurent All Hours Foundation

All Hours Foundation. Photo by Sephora

Features: If you’re looking for a foundation that checks all of the boxes, this Yves Saint Laurent All Hours Foundation might be the one for you. This long-wearing, full-coverage, luminous matte-finish foundation is formulated without Sulfates SLS & SLES. Spotlighting a combination of hyaluronic acid, jasmine petals and vegetal taurine, these skin-loving ingredients work together to keep skin looking hydrated and radiant. 

What it’s best at: Yves Saint Laurent offers a luxurious beauty range that ensures quality and performance are top of mind in all product offerings. The Yves Saint Laurent All Hours Foundation is a star product from the brand’s lineup that is packed with skincare benefits and boasts a transfer-proof and heat-resistant formula.

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Price: $81
Where to buy: Sephora | Holt Renfrew

Luminous and glowy finish: Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Perfect Glow Flawless Oil-Free Foundation

Luminous Silk Perfect Glow Flawless Oil-Free Foundation. Photo by Sephora

Features: You glow, girl! This Allure 2018 Best of Beauty Award Winner is oil-free and offers a luminous, glowy finish. Since it features medium buildable coverage, you can sport a more natural finish or layer it up for a full glam moment. The lightweight formulation also makes it great for everyday wear.

What it’s best at: Advanced technologies and innovative formulas are at the heart of Armani Beauty. In this instance, the Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Perfect Glow Flawless Foundation features Micro–fil technology, in which this foundation blends seamlessly into the skin, allowing it to be layered for optimal coverage.

Price: $93
Where to buy: Sephora | Armani Beauty

Long-wearing: Revlon ColorStay Liquid Foundation (Combination/Oily)

ColorStay Liquid Foundation. Photo by Amazon

Features: This lightweight, long-wearing foundation is super buildable and promotes a flawless stay-all-day base that provides up to 24 hours of coverage. This version of the product, in particular, is geared towards those with combination/oily skin as it features salicylic acid for long-lasting oil control, however, there is also a Normal/Dry version available. The Combination/Oily formulation features SPF for added protection and applies smoothly to help control shine throughout the day, delivering a poreless, matte finish. 

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What it’s best at: As a leading global company, Revlon is known for creating trend-driven, innovative products within the beauty space that keep affordability and accessibility top of mind. The ColorStay Liquid Foundation lineup from Revlon has had a long history with the brand that consumers can trust. The latest ColorStay foundation range features a pump, for easy product access, and two distinct formulas with respective finishes which means that there’s something for every skin type! 

Price: $20
Where to buy: Walmart | Shoppers Drug Mart

Best powder foundation: Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Powder Foundation

Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Powder Foundation. Photo by Fenty Beauty

Features: The brand’s Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Powder Foundation is buildable in coverage and delivers a soft matte finish that offers no flashback. Blurring, crease-resistant properties and a non-cakey formula ensures the product won’t settle into lines or wrinkles for a flawless application, every time.

What it’s best at: Fenty Beauty, created by Rihanna, promotes the idea of getting out of your comfort zone and experimenting with different makeup looks and styles. The brand’s Longwear Powder Foundation gives you the tool to create the perfect canvas for your makeup masterpiece thanks to the humidity-resistant formulation that is free from parabens and phthalates. 

Price: $54
Where to buy: Fenty Beauty | Sephora

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