Since my last post featured the best long-wearing liquid liner, I figured I’d stick to the theme and share my favorite long-wearing foundations with you guys. There really is no overall winner, either because the color selection isn’t super diverse or the formulas favor a certain skin type.
Best Long-Wearing Foundation for Normal/Combination/Oily Skin Types: MAC Pro Longwear Foundation, 1 oz, $32.
This was my go-to holy grail foundation for years and the only reason it is not anymore is because recently my skin has been super duper dry, and unfortunately this formula does not work with extremely dry skin. But, it does work well and hold up on all other skin types, including oily skin. It stays on all day and provides a nice, even medium to full coverage finish. My favorite way to apply this is with a Beauty Blender. If you want to build the coverage, make sure to apply one even thin layer at a time. I would say it is more of a matte-natural finish, but again that depends on skin type. For you girls that love full coverage, don’t let the “natural finish” term scare you away, because you can achieve full coverage that stays on all day long thanks to its awesome build-ability, especially when using a Beauty Blender.
UPDATE: It’s my favorite again! 🙂 If you have dry skin, use a really good moisturizer and this will work out fine.
Best Long-Wearing Foundation for Dry Skin Types: MAC Full Coverage Foundation, 1 oz., $32.
This stuff is AH-mazing. If you have dry skin and can’t use the Pro Longwear formula, this is the go to! It’s emollient based, giving your skin that needed hydration, but it is also water-resistant, giving you that long-wearing power! It comes in a compact and I love using the Beauty Blender to apply it. It is very build-able and you can really customize your finish from light to full coverage. It is a pro product, so if you do not live close enough to a MAC Pro store, you can order it from MAC online or by phone. The one caveat is that the color selection is not as wide as MAC’s other foundations and the colors run a teeny bit lighter. So here is a quick shade guide example: If you are NC25 like me, you can either get the NC30 (which will be a little bit dark but not too bad) or an NC20 (which will be a little light but with some bronzing, it looks great) OR you can order both and mix them to make it perfect. I personally rather go lighter and bronze, but if you are almost NC30 but not quite there yet, the NC30 in this formula should be perfect.
UPDATE: I wore this the other day and was sweating a lot and it did break up quite a bit around my nose and cheek area. I might try applying it differently but I think because it is emollient based, it may be best to avoid wearing this if you’re planning and doing a lot of sweating and need your makeup to stay in tact (SEE BELOW to Kat Von D Lock-It)…
Best Drugstore Long-Wearing Foundation for All Skin Types: Revlon ColorStay Foundation, 1 oz., $9.99.
This foundation comes in two types: For Combination/Oily Skin and for Normal/Dry Skin. I personally prefer the formula for Combo/Oily skin, even though I am dry, because the formula is thinner and the color match was better for me. The shades are not the same for the two types! If you have dry skin and there is a better shade match for you, than go for it. I don’t find the combo/oily formula super drying. Because it is thinner and is a bit more dry of a finish on me, I find that I don’t even need to set it with a powder. I’m NC25 in MAC and the shade 180 Sand Beige in the Combo/Oily formula works best for me.
Best Drugstore Long-Wearing Foundation for Dry/Normal/Combo Skin Types: Rimmel 25 Hour Foundation, 1 oz., $7.99.
I love being this foundation. I would love it even more if they had more yellow-toned shades! This is a sad reality that most foundations, especially drugstore, favor the pink toned skin types. It really does last all day and it has hydrating properties! For the awesome price tag, formula and lasting power, I’ll deal with a match that isn’t perfect. It gives a nice, “bouncy”, flawless even finish. You can set it with a powder to make it more matte or set it with a setting spray to keep a more dewy look. The shade 102 Warm Ivory was the closest to my NC25 skin.
<3 Emily
UPDATE:
I can not believe I forgot the HG of special event long wearing foundation…
Super Long-Wearing Foundation: Kat Von D Lock-it Tattoo Foundation, 1 oz, $34.
If you have an event where you pretty much need to guarantee that your makeup is going to stay on your face all day long, this is IT! I do think that the formula is a little too thick for everyday wear (if you have dry skin, your face will not like to wear it daily). But for the weekends or special events or going out, this is the go to long wearing formula. Because of the quick drying, thick formula I recommend applying it with a slightly damp Beauty Blender.
That is all!
<3 Emily
