Multi-tasking foundations that do more for your skin

The keyword here is “never”. Conventional powder foundations can be tricky to handle – go overboard and your skin will end up looking dry and powdery.

However, the latest and greatest powder foundations have perfected the art of providing a soft matte finish without leeching all the moisture from your skin.

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Giorgio Armani Beauty Power Fabric High Coverage Foundation Balm gives skin a softly blurred, velvety finish. It contains volatile oils that evaporate on application, giving a finely milled “powdered” effect.

In 10 shades, $120 each. 

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The Cle de Peau Beaute Cream Eclat foundation adheres perfectly to the skin. You have its double-blotting powder to thank for that.

The foundation first absorbs oil from your skin and combines it with the oils in the product, which then collectively evaporate from the skin. What’s left behind: moisture and powder for a silky, soft-matte finish.

In 10 shades, $140 each.

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These days, many makeup products don’t just stop at making you pretty. They’re also infused with ingredients to nourish your skin throughout the day.

They function like an extra step of skincare, so looking after your complexion needn’t stop when your makeup goes on. 

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Revlon Photoready Candid Natural Finish Anti-pollution Foundation is a first for drugstore foundations: It reflects blue light away from the skin.

Think of it as a tinted moisturiser that offers full coverage and keeps skin hydrated and soothed. The creamy formula veils the skin evenly without hiding your natural skin texture.

In six shades, $27.90 each.

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Guerlain L’Essentiel skincare-foundation diffuses ingredients such as prebiotics and probiotics into the epidermis to impart luminosity to bare skin. It also protects against blue light.

In 30 shades, $94 each.
 

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Many people fall into the trap of thinking that high-coverage foundations are heavy on the skin. That may have been true in the past.

These days, however, there’s no lack of highly-pigmented formulas that blend out to a lightweight, skin-like finish.

In other words, you can use as little product as possible while getting as much coverage as possible. 
 

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Having your foundation blend away “into nothing” usually isn’t ideal, but if it offers efficient coverage, we’re all for it.

Shu Uemura Unlimited foundation has such a “stretchable: texture that a pea-sized amount not only covers flaws perfectly, it feels like nothing on the skin.

In 24 shades, $72 each. 

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Believe this: You only need a rice grain-sized amount of Hourglass Cosmetics Vanish Seamless Finish Liquid Foundation for your entire face, covering scars, blemishes and dullness.

It is highly pigmented, yet spreads easily for a flawless finish that looks airbrushed.

In 32 shades, $93 each.  

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