Finding the right foundation takes years of research and knowing your own skin. I struggled and still do in finding the most perfect foundation shade for my skin. Being a brown girl I tan easily in summer and my skin becomes lighter towards the cold months. This made the journey of finding the correct foundation very hard.
I used to have combination skin which made everything more complicated; the application of foundation sometimes looks great but within a few hours I become a sweaty oily mess. However, since I started applying sunscreen to my morning routine (which is very vital for all of us!) I have come to the conclusion I turned oily before my make-up application. I am yet to find a sunscreen that doesn't make me all greasy but as long as my skin is staying safe.
There is a blog written on this site talking about finding your correct undertones and more foundation tips that determine the type of foundation have a look at the vital information.
I have compiled the foundations I have used and how I felt about them on my acne-prone- combination skin with an overall review out of 10.
I am a South Asian girl and have yellow undertones. ( so you can compare the reviews with your skin type)
1) Mac studio fix foundation NC42
2/10
On the right-hand side is the first-ever foundation I purchased and was recommended to me by a sales assistant in John Lewis.
If you compare the shade of this foundation with the ones below you can see how much darker this shade was. Although it was nice to the skin, there were many downsides besides the wrong shade. My combination skin would become shiny with this product and when it would oxidise my pores would look enlarged and my whole face would look an ashy grey colour.
Style craze magazine mentions the studio fix foundation is good for oily and combination skin, however after wearing the product for nearly a year I wouldn't recommend it for those who become oily easily.
2) Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush flawless foundation '7 neutral'
7/10
This foundation was good in the sense it was full coverage and felt great on my skin. I didn't feel like it interfered with my acne-prone oily skin and it covered up my acne quite well. I would recommend this foundation definitely to any girl out there with a cool undertone. I have a very warm undertone, therefore when winter approached I realised I looked insanely orange with the foundation; it was embarrassing. I stuck with no foundation whilst I hunted for an alternative.
3) NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation in shade 'Barcelona'
8/10
This foundation was absolutely great, for all my brown girls this is the one foundation I would recommend to you in a heartbeat. It has great coverage, there are so many shades that it's easy to swatch and find yours. It went so well with my undertones and didn't make me look orange, ashy or dry. Use your setting powder and spray well; as it's easy to turn oily if you skip that vital step.
4) NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in medium 1
7/10
Although this is not classed as a 'foundation' I wear it sometimes as a light foundation seeing as it's made with SPF incorporated it's great to wear on a sunny trip to the beach or just a normal day where you want a more natural look.
I think it's great for my oily skin and feels so smooth and the shade matches well with it.
5) EX1 Invisiwear Foundation in 6.0
9/10
Surprisingly my highest rated foundation is a drugstore foundation which makes it affordable and great. The EX1 foundation is great for those with olive/ yellow undertones, I found this foundation on TikTok and a girl with similar undertones was using it. I'm definitely glad I brought it! Although it's not full coverage it is lightweight, looks great for cool undertones and is great for oily skin.
This is a must-have investment for all my girlies with olive/yellow undertones.
6) HudaBeauty #FauxFilter Luminous Matte Liquid Foundation in ' Macchiato'
2/10
I saved worst till last. I was told and read this foundation would be good for my yellow undertones; yet when I tried this product on at home I looked like an orange/red mess. It was horrible. In-store I did think it might be a slightly different shade but if I mix it with other foundations it will all balance out. That was a grave mistake, as I regret buying this foundation so much. £33 and I've only used it once.
I did not feel like it was full coverage like described by others, that could just be me and my application techniques, but this foundation felt so heavy on my skin and did an average job of covering my acne. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone with similar undertones to me. But It did go well with my oily skin type.
I hope my reviews were insightful and helpful. I might switch out to drugstore foundations only as they have worked best on me. I wish you the best on your foundation journey and take care of your skin<3
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