While it’s great to go bare-faced when you WFH, sometimes you just want to put on some makeup to feel good. So whether it’s looking your best in your video calls or prepping for when you head back to work, here are 10 new foundations that will quickly get your complexion flawless and radiant. Minimum effort. Maximum radiance.
The Promise: An ultra-lightweight formula to keep skin smooth and supple, with its blend of French beech buds, grape seed oil and moringa oleifera seed extracts. It brightens the complexion while protecting against free-radical and pollution damage.
We Tried It: Despite the “high coverage” in its name, it didn’t feel heavy on my skin, and gave it a soft, healthy glow. Neither did it cake or crease when I piled on more product for increased coverage. The way it set is also one of the best I’ve experienced – it left my skin with a soft powdery finish that works perfectly in our humid weather. It’s definitely a keeper for when you need to head back to the office. Comes in three shades.
Available at www.tangs.com, www.metro.com.sg and www.robinsons.com.sg, and when stores re-open, at all Lancome counters.
The Promise: It gives the complexion a smooth, soft-focus finish, while keeping excess sebum in check. The use of hyaluronic acid keeps skin well-hydrated throughout the day, especially needed when the foundation promises up to 24 hours of luminous matte coverage.
We Tried It: Glided on really easily and instantly left my complexion looking dewy and luminous. It blends easily and doesn’t cake, despite building it up. The oil-control properties were pretty impressive too, as the foundation stayed colour-true throughout my entire “work day”. Comes in six shades.
Available at www.sephora.sg and the Estee Lauder official flagship online store at www.lazada.sg, and when stores re-open, at all Estee Lauder counters and boutiques.
The Promise: The formula locks in moisture to keep the complexion supple, as well as ensures that coverage is kept even, so your face looks smooth and flawless. In addition, it contains white micro-pearls to brighten the complexion and correct a sallow undertone.
We Tried It: The silky smooth and fine powder just glided over my skin. There was a soft glow and my complexion looked instantly brighter and fresher. I didn’t look as tired. Use it alone as a quick pick-me-up when you need to jump into a video call with seconds to spare, or lightly sweep it on top of your liquid foundation for a longer-lasting glow. Comes in seven shades.
Available only at Dior Beauty boutiques and counters.
The Promise: A lightweight, buildable medium-coverage foundation. The formula contains flexible polymers, reflecting powders and radiant oils to give a dewy, second-skin finish.
We Tried It: I’m a big fan of the brand’s iconic Black Foundation so naturally, I was excited about this new base makeup. The lightweight texture is ideal for our humid weather and it sits comfortably on the skin – I didn’t feel like I was wearing makeup. Upon application, my skin looked instantly smoother and more glow-y. However, it offers less coverage than the Black Foundation, so if you’re looking for something to cover up stubborn blemish spots, you will still need to use a concealer. I found that it’s better suited to normal skin as the glow can get a little too dewy by midday. Comes in 12 shades.
Available at www.sephora.sg, and when stores re-open, at Takashimaya D.S. Beauty Hall and the Hera flagship boutique at #B2-37 Ion Orchard.
The Promise: Uses the brand’s intelligent tech that allows the formula to adapt to the skin’s condition for that day, delivering hydration or wicking away shine where needed, and reviving skin’s luminosity at the same time.
We Tried It: I love how it instantly brightened my complexion yet didn’t make my skin look overly shiny, which is perfect if you have combination and slightly oilier skin. It settled into a lovely fresh, velvety-soft finish. I’m liking it so much that I’ve started to use this whenever I get on a video call. Comes in eight shades.
Available at www.tangs.com, www.sephora.sg and the Shiseido official store on www.lazada.sg, and when stores re-open, at all Shiseido counters.
The Promise: Contains a blend of elastomers and light-diffusing powders to blur out imperfections for a smooth and luminous finish. Also enriched with hyaluronic acid, noni fruit extract and a trio of nourishing oils to hydrate, soothe and plump skin.
We Tried It: It blended so seamlessly – one of the easiest I’ve tried. I achieved an even coverage with minimum effort. More importantly, the foundation didn’t sit or sink into my lines or wrinkles, so my complexion looked healthy and fresh all day. Its medium-to-full coverage makes this perfect for both daily wear and special occasions when you need to look absolutely flawless. But for those with oily or combination skin, I’d recommend dusting a little loose powder over shine-prone areas. Comes in eight shades.
Available at www.tangs.com and www.sephora.sg, and when stores re-open, at Tom Ford boutiques at Tangs at Tang Plaza, Takashimaya D.S. Beauty Hall and Robinsons Raffles City.
The Promise: A lightweight foundation that is sweat- and transfer-resistant, promising up to 12 hours of wear. It also shields the skin against environmental aggressors, as well as contains real diamond powder to illuminate the complexion instantly.
We Tried It: The buildable medium-to-full coverage is great if, like me, you have blemishes or some pigmentation spots to conceal. Yet, it didn’t feel heavy on my skin and gave the complexion a soft glow. But what I liked was that it didn’t fade or crease throughout the day, even after I’d spent an afternoon working in my non-air-conditioned room. Comes in six shades.
Available at www.tangs.com and www.robinsons.com.sg, and when stores re-open, at the Laura Mercier boutique and counters.
The Promise: Maximum radiance, coverage and comfort in one foundation. Infused with over 30 per cent water, it keeps skin moisture levels balanced and leaves the complexion feeling fresh all day. Also contains electric blue pigments, pearls and hollow powders for a smooth and radiant finish.
We Tried It: I was a little apprehensive because of its balm-like texture but it applied really easily and didn’t feel heavy at all. It also gave my complexion an instant glow, erasing signs of tiredness (also known as late-night Netflix bingeing). Plus, the high sun protection factor is exactly what we need in Singapore’s ever-sunny weather. I just wish it was available in more than four shades – hopefully, more will be introduced soon. Comes in four shades.
Available at www.tangs.com, and when stores re-open at TANGS at Tang Plaza.
The Promise: A fresh, natural-looking finish – like what healthy skin looks like. The formula also contains the brand’s anti-pollution complex to protect against free radical damage.
We Tried It: My complexion looked instantly brighter and more dewy. I did find that it looked a little too shiny at first but after a few minutes, when the foundation settled, that gave my skin had a lit-from-within glow. If you’re looking for a natural, second-skin coverage, this is ideal. And it’s buildable if you require a bit more, though it is not going to cover stubborn pigmentation or under-eye circles. Comes in four shades.
Available at www.clarins.com.sg, www.tangs.com and www.robinsons.com.sg, and when stores re-open, at all Clarins counters and boutiques.
The Promise: Enriched with hyaluronic acid, this not only hydrates the skin but also reduces the appearance of fine lines to give you a smooth and even-toned complexion. Also contains auto-adaptive light-glowing pigments for a luminous glow.
We Tried It: The texture is like a serum, really lightweight and liquid so it applied easily. A little bit does go a long way. It felt really comfortable and over the course of the day, my complexion continued to look even and dewy. The coverage goes on medium and is buildable, so if you have good skin, you can even get away with just this, no concealer needed. Comes in 10 shades.
Available at www.escentials.com and www.sephora.sg, and when stores re-open, at Escentials boutiques and Sephora stores.
