Finding the best foundation can be a daunting task. Seasonal changes may require you to switch formulas to match your skin type or tone, and you also face the choice between full coverage and lightweight tints. The variety of foundation types—liquids, sticks, creams, and serum-infused formulas—adds to the challenge. Liquid foundations are versatile, offering finishes from dewy to matte for various skin types, while stick foundations are portable and easy to apply. Serum or skin tint hybrids combine makeup and skincare, offering a lighter option for those who seek it.

Luckily, many of the best foundations out there have been formulated to not only deliver immaculate coverage, but also to prioritize skin’s health. Just consider the emergence of skin-care-makeup hybrids that do just this through pigmented blushes and tinted moisturizers.

Vogue’s Favorite Foundations

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And so, we spoke with several pro makeup artists and revisited our own beauty bags to curate this edit of tested and reviewed foundations. From Chanel, Nars, Dior, and more, here are the 20 best foundations to shop right now.

Best Lightweight: Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation

• Why We Love It: This is the most skin-like foundation that I’ve ever used,” pro makeup artist Tasha Reiko Brown previously told Vogue. “I apply this product onto every face I encounter for a satin-skin finish, as the texture and tone truly mimic that of skin.” This formula excellent for daily wear thanks to its weightless feel and the natural-looking radiance it delivers. Not to mention, the formula is oil-free and non-comedogenic—a.k.a., 100% free of any pore-clogging ingredients. Designed for long-lasting hydration, the Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow is made of more than 40% water, with moisturizing agents, antioxidants, and light-reflecting pigments to improve the look and feel of skin, without inciting any new blemishes.
• Key Ingredients: Water, light-reflecting pigments, glycerin, meadowfoam seed oil
• Shades: 35
• Finish: Radiant
• Coverage: Light-to-medium
• Best For: All skin types in need of a lightweight liquid foundation—with the added perk of non-comedogenic formula
• Fragrance Free: No
• Size: 1 fl oz

Best for Dull Skin: Armani Beauty Luminous Glow Foundation

• Why We Love It: “I can’t live without this stuff,” celebrity makeup artist Carolina Gonzalez previously told Vogue of her holy-grail foundation. “The formula is lightweight, blendable, and buildable—you can go for light coverage, or layer the product to create a full coverage foundation.” Gonzales also notes that this foundation is super hydrating, making it an excellent choice for dry skin. “The world of hydration is where I love to be with a beautiful look because its easier for touchups throughout the day— I love to achieve a dewy finish.”
• Key ingredients: Water, glycerin, dimethicone
• Shades: 40
• Finish: Dewy
• Coverage: Medium; buildable
• Best For: Anyone seeking buildable coverage with natural skin look.
• Fragrance Free: No
• Size: 1 oz

Best for On-The-Go: Westman Atelier Vital Skin Foundation Stick

• Why We Love It: Stick foundations are a great for travel beauty bags or on-the-go coverage because, compared to their liquid counterparts, they are relatively mess-free. Not to mention, anything legendary makeup artist Gucci Westman creates is guaranteed to be high performing. This stick glides easily across the face for direct medium-coverage application. Squalane, camellia seed, and coconut oil power this hydrating formula, which pro makeup artist Amrita Mehta previously told Vogue, “is perfect if you’re aiming for a dewy look or have sensitive skin.” Not to mention the concoction of antioxidant rich botanic oils in this formula also protect against environmental stressors.
• Key Ingredients: Vegetable-derived squalane, camellia-seed oil, berryflux vita extract, coconut oil
• Shades: 20
• Finish: Radiant finish
• Coverage: Medium
• Best For: Anyone seeking mess-free application, buildable coverage, and skin-loving ingredients
• Fragrance Free: Yes
• Size: 0.31oz

Best for Sensitive Skin: Ilia True Skin Foundation

• Why We Love It: If you love Ilia’s Super Skin Tint but are looking for a touch more coverage, the brand’s foundation melts right in to enhance skin on first application. (For what it’s worth, this has been my go-to foundation for the last few months.) Formulated with sensitive skin types in mind, it’s infused with niacinamide, allantoin, and aloe to deliver a host of soothing, smoothing, and hydrating benefits similar to your favorite face moisturizer.
• Key Ingredients: Aloe leaf juice, niacinamide, allantoin, rice hull powder, jojoba seed oil
• Shades: 30
• Finish: Satin
• Coverage: Medium
• Best For: Anyone seeking a just enough coverage, with clean ingredients that won’t irritate sensitive skin
• Fragrance Free: Yes
• Size: 1 oz

Best Hydrating: Dior Forever Skin Glow

• Why We Love It: “I love this hydrating serum foundation,” says Rumsey. “It looks so skin-like, [while] firming and plumping the skin. I like applying it with my fingers.” Celebrity makeup artist Sabrina Bedrani agrees, adding this is her go-to lightweight foundation pick. “It gives a nice dewiness and is very buildable,” she details. “When applied with a wet makeup sponge, it’s literally like a second skin.” Alongside SPF 15, this offers 86% skin care ingredients, including iris, hibiscus, and wild-pansy extracts to nourish and protect skin.
• Key Ingredients: Titanium dioxide, glycerin, hibiscus flower extract
• Shades: 42
• Finish: Radiant
• Coverage: Medium-to-full
• Best For: Anyone seeking a two-in-one glowy foundation with added sunscreen.
• Fragrance Free: No
• Size: 1 oz

Best for Mature Skin: Jones Road What the Foundation

• Why We Love It: “It’s a tinted moisture balm, but it adds coverage in the places where you most need it,” Bobbi Brown, the acclaimed makeup artist, previously told Vogue of her viral formula. Because of its easy application and seamless blend, this is known to deliver a restful glow to mature skin. Plus, the brand recently upped its shade range to complement additional skin tones and undertones.
• Key Ingredients: Sodium hyaluronate, jojoba oil, ginger root, castor-seed oil
• Shades: 16
• Finish: Natural
• Coverage: Light-to-medium; buildable
• Best For: Mature skin types seeking an easily blendable, no makeup-makeup look.
• Fragrance Free: Yes
• Size: 1.14 oz

Best Non-Comedogenic: Saie Glowy Super Skin Tint Foundation

• Why We Love It: Exceptionally lightweight, Saie’s Glowy foundation feels more like a serum than makeup. When the product first launched in 2023, Vogue’s senior beauty writer, Kiana Murden, was so excited to wear it that she waited weeks for her shade to be available. The formula boasts a nourishing, plumping blend of 85% skincare ingredients and 15% weightless pigment. “The star of the foundation is Hydrobounce Complex, a proprietary active blend that’s composed of cross-linked and nonequilibrium [hyaluronic acid], polyglutamic acid, and rice-bran peptides,” Crowell explains. Squalane is also featured for a hydration boost and skin-barrier support. Crowell’s own troubles finding a foundation suitable for her sensitive, acne-prone skin type, inspired the brand’s foundation launch, creating a completely non-comedogenic formula to suit.
• Key Ingredients: Water, hyaluronic acid, polyglutamic acid, rice-bran peptide, squalane, marshmallow root extract
• Shades: 36
• Finish: Radiant
• Coverage: Medium, buildable
• Best For: Clean beauty enthusiasts looking for a skincare-packed foundation. Plus calling all acne-prone skin folks—this is another excellent non-comedogenic option.
• Fragrance Free: Yes
• Size: 1 oz

Best Multi-Purpose: Merit The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick

• Why We Love It: Part concealer, part foundation, and even part contour if you opt for a darker shade—what can’t Merit’s complexion stick do? The ultimate does-it-all salve, this creates buildable, light-to-medium coverage in just one swipe. A staple in Mehta’s kit for its weightless finish, she reaches for it whenever her clients are after a no-makeup makeup look. Vogue senior beauty writer Kiana Murden likes to keep a tube in her purse for touch-ups on the go. Despite the cream formula, it sits well on skin without caking thanks to a blend of fatty acids and sea daffodil extract to keep skin smooth and moisturized.
• Key Ingredients: Fatty acids, sea-daffodil extract
• Shades: 30
• Finish: Natural
• Coverage: Buildable
• Best For: A multi-purpose complexion product, for target or all over coverage.
• Fragrance Free: Yes
• Size: 0.23 oz

Best for Dry Skin: Clé de Peau Beauté Radiant Fluid Foundation Natural SPF 25

• Why We Love It: “Dry skin produces less oil, so having a foundation with a radiant, luminous finish is essential to creating glowing skin,” says celebrity makeup artist Fiona Stiles, who recommends the Clé de Peau Beauté Radiant Fluid Foundation Natural. “The combination of the incredible emollient formula and the soft radiance creates a stunning finish on skin. I love using this for a healthy, fresh glow on my clients.” With hyaluronic acid and SPF 25, Clé de Peau’s foundation has hydration at the heart of its formulation, offering buildable light-to-medium coverage.
• Shades: 24
• Finish: Luminous
• Coverage: Light to medium, buildable
• Best For: Those seeking a radiant, skin-like finish with added skincare benefits. Hello, hydration!
• Fragrance Free: No
• Size: 1.1 oz

Best for an Airbrushed Look: Hourglass Ambient Soft Glow Foundation

• Why We Love It: This foundation delivers that elusive lit-from-within glow without looking shiny or overly dewy. Inspired by Hourglass’s cult-favorite ambient lighting powders, the formula will blur imperfections and smooth texture for an airbrushed finish. It wears beautifully throughout the day without oxidizing or settling into fine lines, making it ideal for both everyday wear and special occasions.
• Key Ingredients: White tea extract, vitamin E, light-diffusing pigments
• Shades: 32
• Finish: Natural soft glow
• Coverage: Medium, buildable
• Best For: Those seeking a radiant but refined look, with a breathable formula that photographs beautifully
• Fragrance Free: Yes
• Size: 1 oz

Best for Textured Skin: Nars Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation

• Why We Love It: “Nars Light Reflecting Foundation is perfect for all skin types as it’s a lightweight but buildable, makeup-skin-care hybrid foundation that instantly blurs imperfections and smooths the look of textured skin and pores,” says celebrity makeup artist Janice Daoud. “The coverage is gorgeous and natural-looking with a prism light-reflecting look. A new favorite that stays in my kit.” Even more, Stiles says this is “available in 36 shades with buildable coverage so you can control how light or heavy you want the coverage to be.” Not to mention this vegan formula contains 81% naturally-derived ingredients.
• Key Ingredients: Biomimetic oat, cacao peptides, glycerin, squalane, vitamin E
• Shades: 46
• Finish: Natural, radiant
• Coverage: Medium, buildable
• Best For: Textured skin types, or those with enlarged pores looking for buildable coverage that also blurs imperfections.
• Fragrance Free: Yes
• Size: 1 oz

Best Drugstore: Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation

• Why We Love It: This drugstore foundation favorite has garnered nearly 160K rave reviews on Amazon, making it a cult-favorite affordable choice for a reason. With its lightweight, oil-free formula, it delivers a natural matte finish that controls shine and minimizes the appearance of pores. Available in a wide range of shades, users praise its ability to provide buildable coverage without feeling heavy, making it suitable for daily wear.
• Key Ingredients: Micropowders, dimethicone
• Shades: 41
• Finish: Natural matte
• Coverage: Light to medium, buildable
• Best For: Anyone looking for a quality foundation at an affordable price point. Consider this a steal!
• Fragrance Free: Yes
• Size: 1 oz

Best with Niacinamide: Kosas Revealer Skin-Improving Foundation SPF 25

• More to Know: Kosas founder Sheena Yaitanes crafted this clean foundation formula as a complement to its buzzy Revealer Concealer to “target the entire tone of your skin, overall clarity, brightness, firmness, and lifting.” In our test of this TikTok viral discovery, we loved it for its natural, your-skin-but-better finish. Formulated with 96% natural-origin ingredients, this features a blend of niacinamide, caffeine, squalane, peptides, hyaluronic acid, and SPF 25 to reveal hydrated, supple skin.
• Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, peptides, squalane, arnica, provitamin B5, caffeine, Artemisia flower extract, zinc oxide (7.5%)
• Shades: 36
• Finish: Natural
• Coverage: Medium, buildable
• Best For: All skin types, including sensitive skin, seeking a natural finish foundation with skincare benefits
• Fragrance Free: Yes
• Size: 1 oz

Best Long-Wear: Shiseido Synchro Skin Radiant Lifting Foundation SPF 30

• Why We Love It: Celebrity makeup artist Kasey Spickard swears by this Shiseido foundation. “It’s a beautiful buildable medium to full coverage foundation that lasts all day and looks like skin. It’s my go to foundation,” Spickard tells Vogue. “The shade range is impeccable with a wide range of undertones. The technology in the foundation allows it to be worn all day without separating, caking up, or wearing down. I use it on all my clients, it looks beautiful in person and on camera and lasts under hot lights and long days. I can’t sing its praises enough.”
• Key Ingredients: Mandarin peel extract, microcrystals, pearl extract
• Shades: 30
• Finish: Radiant
• Coverage: Medium-to-full, buildable
• Best For: Anyone seeking super long-wearing results with a radiant finish
• Fragrance Free: Yes
• Size: 1 oz

Best Buildable Coverage: Pat McGrath Sublime Perfection Foundation

• Why We Love It: “The color range is unreal and you can build coverage easily without it without ever getting cakey,” says pro makeup artist Rachel Goodwin of Pat McGrath’s Sublime Perfection Foundation. “It also lasts for hours without drying out so it’s amazing for big events!” Thanks to a luxe-feeling mix of hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and diamond core powder technology, the formula delivers equal parts hydration and skin texture improvement. The end result? A light-reflective, healthy glow.
• Key Ingredients: Diamond Core Power Technology, Vita-Serum Complex
• Shades: 36
• Finish: Natural satin
• Coverage: Medium, buildable
• Best For: Anyone who wants a luxury foundation that feels weightless, layers seamlessly, and leaves skin looking polished but never overdone
• Fragrance Free: Yes
• Size: 1.18 oz

Best Soft Matte: Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Liquid Foundation

• Why We Love It: Want to make your skin as stage- and camera-ready as Rihanna? Quickly add the Pro Filt’r foundation to cart. The formula created a buzz when it launched years back for its inclusive shade range (there are currently 50 shades available), and it’s just as good in 2025. While Pro Filt’r feels weightless on, it achieves medium-to-full coverage with a soft matte finish that instantly smooths and diffuses the skin.
• Key Ingredients: Oil-free formula, soft matte finish
• Shades: 50
• Finish: Soft matte
• Coverage: Medium to full, buildable
• Best For: Those seeking a long-lasting, soft matte finish with a wide shade range
• Fragrance Free: Yes
• Size: 1.08 oz

Best Matte: Koh Gen Do Maifanshi Moisture Foundation

• Why We Love It: Rumsey and Sarmiento are both fans of this pick by Koh Gen Do. Sarmiento tells us, “[I] love this foundation for when I want a more skin-like finish versus a luminous finish on drier skin. Not everyone loves reflective skin, so I love this to take care of [dryness] but also have a balance of matte and dewy texture.” Recently reformulated with a focus on 80% plant-powered ingredients, this foundation is rich in fatty acids and moisturizing agents. Fellow pro makeup artist Liz Castellanos also cosigns this as one of her favorite foundations. “I have been using this dewy foundation for several years now and am obsessed with it! The newly revamped formula is more beautiful than before. The payoff is a youthful, healthy-looking finish that lasts,” Castellanos previously told Vogue.
• Key ingredients: Water, glycerin, jojoba seed oil, squalane, shea butter, willow bark extract, silica
• Shades: 12
• Finish: Soft focus
• Coverage: Medium, buildable
• Best For: Anyone that prefers a hydration boost with a smooth, soft-focus finish.
• Fragrance Free: Yes
• Size: 0.7 oz

Best Medium Coverage: Haus Labs Triclone Skin Tech Medium Coverage Foundation

• Why We Love It: Those tapped into social media trends will already know that Lady Gaga’s Haus Labs foundation is a fan favorite. Wanna know what makes it so good? Users rave about its amazing (medium, buildable) coverage and lightweight finish—perfect for full glam. The brand’s patent-pending fermented arnica is the star here, which helps reduce redness and even skin tone. More than 20 skin-care ingredients are included, too, from squalane and marine algae to tiger grass and chamomile flower.
• Shades: 51
• Key ingredients: Water, BioFerment 7 complex (Fermented arnica, shiunko, green tea, licorice root, marine algae, tomato leaf extract, and squalane)
• Size: 1 oz.
• Finish: Natural
• Coverage: Medium, buildable

Best For Oily Skin: Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Foundation

• Why We Love It: Someone with oily skin might be drawn to the natural, matte finish of the Estée Lauder Double Wear foundation. Formulated to control shine all day, this oil-free coverage solution should stay put for up to 24 hours—standing up against creasing, heat, sweat, humidity, and water. Available in 55 shades encompassing warm, neutral, and cool undertones, this veils skin in medium-to-full, buildable coverage to even your skin tone upon first application.
• Key Ingredients: Dimethicone, iron oxides
• Shades: 55
• Finish: Soft matte
• Coverage: Medium to full, buildable
• Best For: Those seeking a classic foundation option with a long-lasting, matte finish with a wide shade range
• Fragrance Free: Yes
• Size: 1.08 oz

Best Skincare-Makeup Hybrid: Lys Beauty Triple Fix Serum Foundation

• Why We Love It: Sarmiento loves this foundation, especially for mature skin as “it’s just enough of everything: moisture, a [matte-finish], and coverage to leave your skin looking polished and healthy throughout the day.” Sephora beauty director David Razzano previously shared this lightweight pick, thanks to its blend of Ashwagandha, turmeric, avocado oil, and hyaluronic acid, which “help to soothe the skin from daily stressors, even out skin tone, and minimize signs of aging.”
• Key Ingredients: Ashwagandha, turmeric, avocado oil, hyaluronic acid
• Shades: 20
• Finish: Matte
• Coverage: Medium, buildable
• Best For: Anyone seeking a formula that hydrates and soothes skin with a lightweight feel
• Fragrance Free: Yes
• Size: 1.01 oz

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