Hey everyone! Okay… so this post might seem a bit odd but in the past, I’ve enjoyed sharing my random “fab finds” with you. Hope you don’t mind me picking up the series here with an installment on foundation! As a teenager, I never really wore makeup. Aside from special occasions when I had my makeup done (e.g. prom), I went happily barefaced. Clear mascara and softlips were my go-tos!
In college, I played with some tinted moisturizers (love Laura Mercier) and used Bare Minerals for a while. I remember someone taking me to a Stila warehouse sale and I went crazy, purchasing my first professional brush kit. Still, it wasn’t until after I was married that I really got into makeup. Now I am certainly no beauty guru and I still struggle to apply eyeliner without a shaky hand, but I think I have enough experience and YouTube hours logged to share the bit of knowledge I have. 😉
These days I wear foundation about 4-5 days a week, depending on my schedule. Sometimes I will put on foundation even when my only plans are to clean house and read books with Olive; it just makes me feel fresh and polished. I have tried quite a few foundations and have discovered that my favorites have medium coverage with a youthful, dewy finish. I definitely don’t favor a matte face, so I rarely powder (unless it’s a long, hot day and I desperately need a touch-up). My ideal face looks youthful and glowing but not shiny.
When it comes to luxury foundations, Chanel is my ultimate favorite hands-down. I’ve tried others including YSL and Nars, but I always come back to Chanel. Within the brand, I’ve tried Pro Lumière (now discontinued), Mat Lumière, Perfection Lumière and Vitalumière Aqua. The two latter are my current favorites and are in regular rotation. For both foundations I wear the shade beige 30 — my skin is light to medium with yellow undertones (half-Asian) and I have a good amount of freckles on my face. 😉 I favor Perfection Lumière (retails for $57) for special occasions and evenings since the coverage is better and the finish is slightly more matte (but not flat), which looks great in photos. Vitalumière Aqua (retails for $45) is an easy everyday foundation, feels very light on the skin, and has a very natural finish. It’s a “my skin but better” look that I love! I also love that the packaging is plastic which, while less luxe than the typical glass Chanel bottles, makes for easy traveling and tossing into my handbag.
Although I love me some fancy foundation, I don’t want to use it every single day and constantly need to replace them. So, I change out regularly with two great drugstore foundations. Both were lucky accidents; I stumbled into a CVS and guessed my shade in the aisle and it worked (both times). The two drugstore foundations in rotation (both around $8/ea) are Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse Foundation in Creamy Natural and Maybelline Fit Me Foundation in 120. The former is a cream formula, and the latter is liquid.
For all of my foundations, I prefer to apply with clean fingers and blend well. I do use a stippling brush on occasion if I need a really perfect and thorough application but let’s be real… what mom has time to leisurely apply makeup?? I have been complimented on my skin while wearing all 4 of these foundations so I continue to repurchase each of them. My mom even asked me to get her the two Maybelline foundations for her (that’s a big deal if you know my fancy mom).
If and when I need powder, I reach for the sheer Porefessional powder by Benefit (retails for $30). It keeps shine at bay and I love the built in brush.
Ultimately I think my luxury foundations are worth the splurge (and I usually get a new one at Christmas from my mother-in-law!) but I’m grateful for my drugstore faithfuls for the everyday.
Do you have favorite foundations, either high or low end? I’d love to hear your picks, too! xoxo
Love this! I swear by Armani Luminous Silk foundation– I love it but it’s pricey so I would love to supplement with a less expensive drugstore brand. Any tips for shade matching? I always feel daunted by the lack of testers!
Love Luminous Silk! For drugstore foundations, you can always return them if they don’t work out. Most drugstores have money-back guarantees, even if you use them a few times. 😉
Laura Mericer hydrating primer and tinted moisturizer during the week and Dr. Jart’s Premium Beauty Balm with SPF 45 for a more fancy occasion 🙂
Oooh can’t wait to try Dr. Jart’s! I am always wary of BB creams because I need a bit more coverage, but I will definitely check it out. xo
I’m on the hunt for a new foundation (I used Bare Minerals and just don’t love it anymore) and have had my eye on Chanel. I’ll have to check out your recs the next time I’m at a counter. 🙂
Recently I’ve been using up a sample of Koh Gen Do’s aqua foundation (it’s a Japanese brand available at Sephora). So far so good but I don’t like the glass bottle for exactly the reason why you love Chanel’s plastic packaging. Glass just isn’t very versatile.
Love seeing your Fab Finds make an appearance again!
I’ll have to look into Koh Gen Do — I love all the Japanese cosmetics I’ve tried, especially mascara!
Love the post! For the past couple years I’ve been using Estee Lauder Double Wear Light and love it, but now with the little bun in the oven, I wanted to try something more natural (although, I’m sure it really doesn’t matter in the case of foundation), so I asked a friend who works at Sephora for a suggestion. She suggested Josie Maran’s foundation kit because it’s so natural, you could eat it. I ordered it online, thought it was pretty, but unfortunately had to return it yesterday because no matter what, it flakes up on my nose. Tried exfoliating, etc but nothing helped. So now I’m in the market for a new natural foundation…
Have you used Bare Minerals? I know that’s really natural and I liked it when I did use it. 😉 I just prefer something more hydrating these days.
I’ve always loved your fab finds series! I don’t actually wear foundation very often, usually concealer and loose powder for me. But I bought Clé de Peau Beauté Teinte Naturel Fluide (Cream Foundation) for a photoshoot last year and love it for special occasions! Brian’s mum swears by Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse Foundation too and always has us stock up and bring it back to Taiwan for her. And I switch between Guerlain Blanc de Perle Brightening UV Base (current obsession – I wear it alone sometimes when I workout and it gives my skin the perfect luminous glow) and Ettusais BB Mineral Cream as a base during the summer. I could chat beauty products for hours… 😉 xo
I trust ANYTHING you use; can’t wait to try your favs!!
Love this post! I’m currently using Make Up Forever’s HD Foundation under Laura Mercier’s Mineral Powder Makeup. It gives me full coverage with a luminous glow. 🙂 I’m definitely going to give those Maybelline foundations a try – I totally trust your judgment! 😉 xoxo
I’ve heard a ton of great things about Make Up Forever’s HD Foundation… will get a sample!! xoxo
A friend told me about EWG Skin Deep Cosmetic Database, and after typing in my go-to products and learning about their potential toxicity levels, a lot of my products went straight to the trash.
It was/is not as easy or convenient to find products that contain less harmful ingredients and that work well, but once I found them, the upside is that I’m no longer tempted to buy cheap products at the drugstore, or the expensive brands at the dept. stores. Some brands I like are 100% Pure, Scotch Naturals for nail polish, Shea Organics. For everyday use, I prefer these products. And for special occasions, I’ll let a make-up artist put (almost) anything on me.
I’ve seen the EWG database before; thank you for the reminder! I couldn’t find any info on Chanel products but it looks like the Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse is one of the lowest hazard foundations on the site (score of 2 out of 10). That’s a good start! I agree that I need to take a better inventory of my products and be more mindful of the ingredients, though!
I used the Vitalumiere for my wedding and still love it! On a day to day basis I’m a fan of the Maybelline BB cream but it’s fairly light coverage. Might try their mousse on your rec. I like something moisturizing and with sun protection, which rules out a lot of options!
I always have a hard time finding a shade that’s a good match, which can make drugstore purchases tricky (have to remember to purchase from CVS, where you can return, vs. Target, where you can’t!).
Oh Target is so tough with returns in general. I definitely favor Walgreens or CVS for my drugstore makeup purchases. 😉
I love MAC!
Friendly PSA: Bare minerals is really bad for you! One of the main ingredients is a metal called Bismuth Oxychloride and it’s known to be a skin irritant, and not something that you should put on your face. It is processed with copper and tin. Also, bare minerals claims to be perservative free however if you flip the label over it lists METHYLPARABEAN and PROPYLPARABEAN, both chemical preservatives that have strong links to cancer.
I know so many use Bare minerals thinking it’s natural and good for you. There are some really great mineral alternatives that are preservative free and don’t contain bismuth oxychloride.
Thanks so much for sharing; good to know!