Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation is simply parfait if you love dewy-looking foundations (a la Armani Luminous Silk Foundation or YSL Touche Eclat Foundation) but can't spend beaucoup bucks on makeup. This Bourjois foundation is formulated with light-reflecting particles that immediately perk up the complexion and fruit extracts (apricot, melon and apple) to brighten skin over the long term. The only caveat: It's best for women with a light or medium skin tone, since the darkest of the foundation's eight shades is merely medium bronze.
Marc Jacobs Foundation Genius Gel Super-Charged Oil-Free, $48
This Marc Jacobs foundation really is genius, especially if you're the type who can't stand thick, cake-y makeup (meaning: just about everyone). This foundation is great for mature skin, thanks to its radiant finish and infusion of anti-aging vitamins; those with oily skin will love the weightless, long-wearing formula. But just about anyone can appreciate the non-greasy, buoyant gel texture.
Dark-skinned women love the Black Opal Foundation Stick for its array of natural-looking dark shades, but even pale ladies can find a color match in this velvet-matte foundation stick. Like all stick formulas, the blendable Black Opal Foundation Stick is full-coverage, so this will function as your everyday foundation only if you have serious imperfections to conceal. But fans love this bargain buy for helping them achieve flawless #nofilter selfies.
MUFE HD foundation -- for noobs, that's Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Foundation -- is the holy grail for many makeup aficionados. Developed to be natural-looking on high-definition film, this medium-coverage foundation is praised for its skin-like finish and is available in a mind-blowing 40 shades, so you're practically guaranteed to find a color match. MUFE HD Foundation is also infused with a bit of hyaluronic acid to plump fine lines and make skin look surreally smooth.
Infallible Foundation is one of the best long-wearing foundations you'll find at the drugstore, with three iterations to suit every complexion: Pro-Glow, Pro-Matte, and Total Cover. Although we don't buy into L'Oreal's claim that it looks great on skin for a full 24 hours, it will definitely leave your skin looking flawless through a full workday and wine-soaked happy hour. Infallible Foundation Pro-Matte is formulated with blotting microspheres to sop up oil, while Infallible Foundation Total Cover is infused with Alliagel, a proprietary technology that blurs blemishes and pores.
