As a beauty writer, it's my job to try just about every product out there, but I'm just one person, with one face. Which is why I love pouring over online reviews to find out which products are worth testing out.
After reading the reviews of the best-selling foundations on Sephora.com, I thought it would be fun to test out the top products myself. Though I trust the customer reviews on the site, I wanted to find out which foundation performed the best when it comes to all-day wear, coverage, finish and more.
To give you some background on my skin, it's mildly oily with good texture, but I'm usually dealing with some sort of breakout. I like good coverage in a foundation but hate when that means compromising the texture of the product. Lightweight, comfortable and long-wearing are all things I require from my daily foundation.
During my week of testing, I made sure to set each foundation the exact same way. I opted for my all-time favorite powder (Glossier Wowder, $22) using a fluffy brush and spritzed on the Urban Decay All Nighter Long Lasting Makeup Setting Spray, $32, just like I would in my daily routine. I put five of top-selling products to the test — here's what I found out.
Image via Sephora
Finish: Matte
Sephora Rating: 4.1 Stars
Wear Test: This was the newest and most hyped pick on the list, so I was the most excited to try this one. I popped it on in the morning with a BeautyBlender (because duh) and was immediately impressed with how flawless it made my skin look. At the time of trial, my skin was having a moment with breakouts and I was really impressed with the coverage. It lasted perfectly throughout the day with little to no oil coming through. At the end of the night when it was time for me to wash my face, the foundation still looked freshly applied.
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Finish: Matte
Sephora Rating: 4 Stars
Wear Test: I tried to ignore the fact that Rihanna created this foundation because I didn't want my opinion to be biased (since I totally love her). I applied it first thing in the morning so that I could wear it for the entire day. I loved the formula as it was very lightweight while offering some serious coverage — a combination that is difficult to find in a foundation, in my experience. It wore very nicely throughout the day and I found that when my skin did get oily, this foundation somehow made the oil look like it should be there (i.e. dewy, not greasy). Overall, my skin looked healthy and never cakey, even during a long, hot summer day.
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Finish: Natural
Sephora Rating: 4 Stars
Wear Test: I applied this foundation in the morning before work and my first impression was the shock of realizing how lightweight it was. The liquid was just that — liquid. It wasn't creamy or thick at all. I loved the way it applied easily with my Beautyblender and gave me a beautiful medium coverage with an extremely natural finish. I set it and went on my way. Midday, I did a mirror check and realized that the foundation had gotten super shiny on my oily T-zone. I did have to blot and when I did, a bit of foundation was left on the tissue. Overall, I loved this foundation, but think it would be better for someone with more dry/normal skin, or if I had to wear it for a shorter period of time.
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Finish: Matte
Sephora Rating: 4.5 Stars
Wear Test: This foundation has been a Sephora best-seller for ages. I had tried it back in high school when my mom brought me to an Estee Lauder counter when my acne was out of control, and I have always been a big fan. After going years without using it, I was happy to see it was on this list and that I'd be giving it another try. Again, the formula was lightweight, but the coverage was out of this world. The foundation claims to have a matte finish, but I would personally call it a soft-matte or natural-matte finish because it simply looked like skin. The name is not a hoax as this foundation stayed in place for the entire day without issue.
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