8 sheer foundations to ace the no-makeup makeup look

Lancôme’s Teint Idole Ultra Wear Foundation SPF 15, 30ml, $80

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The French luxury house has revamped the formulation for its best selling liquid foundation with skincare ingredients, making it a moisturising light coverage foundation that gives you glowing skin à la Zendaya, the face of the product.

With 45 shades, this ultra-lightweight but full-coverage foundation is wonderfully breathable on the skin. It contains hyaluronic acid, vitamin E and moringa which combine to hydrate, nourish and even protect against dark spots. Not sticky or thick, this sheer foundation is comfortable and covers any imperfections for better-looking skin. Plus, it’s infused with perlite and silica, absorbing oil for shine-free wear.

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Gucci Beauty’s Éternité de Beauté, SPF15, 30ml, $105

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If you need a lightweight foundation that doesn’t budge but doesn’t feel heavy, Gucci’s new Éternité de Beauté is the one to try. This full-coverage, no-transfer foundation offers a luminous, matte finish that feels great on the skin even after a whole day.

A single pump is enough for full coverage and feels like a second skin. It contains hyaluronic acid and black rose oil which are both deeply hydrating and soothing on the skin. For a lighter, nourishing application, mix it with a pump of Gucci Beauty’s Serum de Beaute Fluide Matifiant Mattifying Face Primer for all-day wear comfort and skin prep.

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Estee Lauder’s Double Wear Sheer Long-Wear Makeup SPF 19, $78

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This longstanding favourite gives your skin sheer perfection and coverage without feeling heavy or tacky. It visibly smooths and evens skin tone, giving it a softly diffused matte finish. It’s also free of parabens, phthalates, mineral oil and sulphates, so none of that bad stuff goes into your skin. It also protects against UV and pollution.

Due to the thin, fluid texture, be sure to shake well before using and apply with your fingertips. It can be worn for up to 12 hours, is sweat resistant and humidity resistant, meaning no creasing or caking.

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NARS’ Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation, 30ml, $79

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One of the brand’s best-selling and popular products, this light foundation from NARS is a makeup-skincare hybrid foundation that gives skin a natural, healthy finish while blurring and smoothing away any visible flaws. It reduces the appearance of pores, conceals blemishes and dark spots and eases redness as well. This is all thanks to their Photochromic Technology that adjusts complexion tone based on the intensity of light.

The foundation is vegan formulated, filled with skincare ingredients to improve skin clarity while you wear it. It’s also suitable for sensitive skin and acne-prone skin so you don’t have to worry about damaging your skin while making it look its best.

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Chanel’s Les Beiges Water-Fresh Complexion Touch, $107

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Just launched in May, Chanel’s new foundation offers a light touch with higher levels of coverage to last you through the day. This new formula featuring micro-droplet pigments is both hydrating and offers skin protection while keeping you looking your best. This is thanks to a formula with about 60% water which also results in a unique cooling sensation, plus anti-oxidant-rich active ingredients including jasmine extract to protect the skin from pollution and other environmental issues. It also contains tamarin extract known for its hydrating properties so your skin looks plump and healthy throughout the day. It can also be worn on the hands and décoletté.

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Dior Forever Skin Glow Foundation, $99

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Composed of an 86% floral skincare base (including extracts of iris, wild pansy and hibiscus), this sheer foundation from Dior is perfect for hydrating the skin and letting it breathe while still giving it the kind of coverage you expect from a 24-hour wear foundation. Formulated for heat and humidity, it ensures your makeup exudes a radiant finish while still working to improve skin quality under the surface.

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Mac Studio Fix Every-Wear All Over Face Pen, $62.99

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A new product from foundation experts Mac, this combination of concealer and foundation is all you need for all-day coverage and touch-ups on-the-go. Transfer-proof, waterproof and wearable for up to 36 hours, it offers medium-to-full buildable coverage and a matter finish for a natural look.

Thanks to its click-to-open function, it’s a great tool to bring along should you need touch-ups throughout the day. Because it’s also a concealer, it can also camouflage under-eye, redness and blemishes. It’s also infused with vitamin E, hyaluronic acid and caffeine to hydrate and perk the skin up. Upon application you’ll see that it immediately smoothes and diffuses the appearance of pores, doesn’t cake and doesn’t crease. Great for your all-day needs.

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Laura Mercier’s Real Flawless Foundation, 30ml, $87

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Laura Mercier’s popular long-wearing foundation offers great coverage in a weightless formulation that doesn’t feel heavy on the skin. Reformulated this year, its Perfecting Color Technology helps to lift sallowness and dullness while its Auto-Balancing technology hydrates the skin to give it a smoother texture. It’s designed to blur the appearance of pores, fine lines and other imperfections. Over time, it can also help to improve skin tone and texture.

Vegan-formulated and dermatologically-tested so that it’s comfortable to wear for up to 12 hours, a little goes a long way and it works as a great base for layering on more beauty products. It’s also waterproof and packed with antioxidants for max skincare benefits. The finish is more satin than matte and gives a healthy glow.

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This article was originally published in Singapore Women's Weekly.